Thursday, July 24, 2008

Branding and Retail Merchandising

As part of the branding discussion, one key area that tends to get overlooked is retail merchandising.

For example, if your goal is to be "friendly and helpful," but your offices feature dark wood paneling and dim lighting, your retail merchandising (or lack thereof) is working counter to your brand message. If your brand promise includes "convenience," but your receptionist's desk is hidden in an unmarked corner, you're not living up to your promise.

Typically, if you are building new offices from the ground-up, incorporating retail merchandising that supports your brand isn't as challenging. However, retro-fitting existing facilities to support a new brand roll-out can often be very difficult.

The link below offers some before and after images to illustrate how retail merchandising can dramatically impact your environment while reinforcing your brand message. The presentation, includes several before and after images of Mid-Atlantic FCU as well as Bank Fund Staff FCU.

Retail Merchandising - Retrofitting

Monday, July 7, 2008

Market Trends & New Media: HP's Recent Presentation to AAF-Fort Worth

I had the pleasure of attending the AAF-Fort Worth's June luncheon presentation by Scott Berg, Worldwide Media Director for Hewlett-Packard, and I'm sharing here for those of you who might be interested.

It was a fascinating presentation, and certainly an interesting look how new media is changing the game plan (or, in some instances, the whole ball game!) when it comes to reaching consumers.

The video clip Berg used to kick-off his presentation - "Shift Happens."



And the link to Berg's presentation.