What is it, and how can you do it?
Often times when faced with the issue of advertising, businesses turn to a traditional arsenal of marketing strategies, such as ad placement, public relations and social media. While these are all important tools to utilize, strategizing on how to get your name out there can end up foreshadowing one of the most basic of all marketing principles; branding. Branding can easily be written off as the “visual components” of a business, and although it is made up of elements such as logo design and color schemes, it can also represent a lot more. Simply put, marketing is what you do, but branding is who you are.
On-location branding is a marketing tactic that creates and projects the image of who you are within the four walls of your business. On-location strategies can take your branding to a new level by creating a cohesive and complete consumer experience. See how these AltStrat clients have elevated their brands with on-location marketing techniques.
Example 1: Breakfast Republic
North Park’s hottest new breakfast eatery, Breakfast Republic, has been booming in popularity since their July opening. They have quickly become a neighborhood favorite with their signature dishes, such as S’mores French Toast and Breakfast Hot Dogs. They are also a champion of the on-location branding technique. From the first day they opened, their shelves were filled with merchandise sporting the Breakfast Republic logo. Growlers, coffee mugs, t-shirts, even hot sauce; owner Johan Engman had thought of everything. Each detail had been planned and executed by Breakfast Republic to build their identity month’s before the first dish was ever served.
Example 2: iDessert by Jean-Philippe
With almost two decades working in Las Vegas under his belt, Executive Chef Jean-Philippe knows a thing or two about on-location branding. Las Vegas casinos, and the shops that fill them, are masters of creating detailed experiential branding. The same can be said of iDessert, the technology-driven dessert shop that’s creating a buzz in Little Italy. With their custom-designed, branded plates and spoons, signature raspberry walls and custom-built ordering app, it’s hard to believe that this shop is the only one of its kind. iDessert hasn’t just nailed their branding identity, they took their own “sweet” twist on it. The walls of the shop are decorated with hundreds of custom, handmade meringues, just like the ones you will find on each iDessert.
Example 3: Shima Japanese Steakhouse
Shima’s on-location branding tactic started with the conceptualization of their logo (designed by Alternative Strategies). The Coronado-based Shima owners knew from the beginning that they wanted a modern, clean and contemporary logo. The resulting design can be found all around the restaurant, from plates and cups to chopstick holders and menus. In addition to seeing the branding all around, you also experience it. Shima turned their space into a Japanese-inspired paradise, with bamboo bar fixtures and cherry blossoms hanging from the ceilings.
