Image Matters

January 12, 2015  by in Display, Industry   

A company’s image can make or break its branding strategy.

Both in our personal lives and our businesses, image is a determining factor in our success.

Are you driven? Tenacious? How about helpful and kind? Just how does the world view you?

Take it a step further into the business world.

When you consider your business, what are the key words that pop into your mind? Better yet, what descriptors are your customers likely to evoke when they hear or see your store name?

Nordstrom means service; Walmart means low prices; and FAO Schwarz means fun and smiles. Neither is wrong; neither is right. Each retailer has staked its claim on those priorities, and consumers tend to think in those two directions when the names of Walmart or Nordstrom or FAO Schwarz come up.

In a crowded marketplace, it’s imperative that companies develop ways to connect with consumers all while sharing with them what it is they stand for, what they believe in and the manner in which they conduct business. A clear corporate image can do just that for your company.

Think about the message your share with your customers or potential customers.

Are you telling them you care about the community in which you operate? Are you involved in sponsoring the arts, sporting or other events? Do you promote literacy or give back to the schools with time and funds? Do you support the local United Way campaign?

Note one of these is RIGHT, and not one of them is WRONG. They’re just ideas to churn your brain while you contemplate your company’s image and brand. How should your store brand resonate with your customer?

Branding, imaging, public relations, marketing and advertising all fit together in one big package. Sometimes it’s neat and orderly, and sometimes it gets downright messy. The fact is that you can’t have one with the others and remain successful for very long.

In this our first issue of the new year, we examine the connection between image and branding and all the other pieces of the pie.

A number of experts have weighed in and several retailers have shared their strategies that have been successful.

Here’s to a great 2015 and to all of us boosting our images and brands.

Happy New Year!