Do you ever put off the spontaneous urge to buy a stunning piece of clothing from your favourite online store because you are anticipating the upcoming festive sale? Isn’t it reassuring to know that the brand will not only deliver to its usual calibre but also the added benefits of the jubilant times?
Almost everyone associates festivals with merriment and new beginnings. Being a country where the sheer diversity of the population sanctions a medley of festivities, it bodes your design business well to devise a brand strategy to keep up with the festive season.
Here are a few tips by Ar. Himani Ahuja, Founder, One Digital to go about Brand Strategizing the festive way:
Digital is the now and how:
Anyone seeking to make a mark with their brand in today’s world needs to acknowledge the power of digital presence. It has become as easy as tapping a few times on your screen to carry out large transactions in the contemporary world. Avail this ease of going digital to communicate about your architectural and design excellence with your clientele. Your clients might skip the newspaper or magazine for a day or two but you know for a fact that they are updated about their latest social media feed.
It is absolutely pertinent for your brand to be seen recurrently to be remembered by your target audience. There is no scarcity of digital platforms now, so you need to recognise the sites that host the majority of traffic from your audience and post accordingly to gain maximum traction and eventually business.
Further down, ensure a marketing strategy that considers the benefits of the multiplicity of these platforms. While you can and should keep the essence of your content similar and close to your brand, make a conscious decision to align it with the characteristic relevance of the platform. For instance, an aesthetic post does admirably well on Instagram however, Linkedin hosts intellectually stimulating conversations better. Similarly, the traffic on Facebook is entirely different. The transition of viewers into clients is the responsibility of your brand strategy, so be sure to devise one that is worth it.
Embrace the festive spirit but retain your identity:
It’s always a good idea to dress up for celebrations. A smart brand strategy recognises the audience and the occasion and tailors itself according to them but in the same breath sustains its identity. You must have gone to lengths to secure an identity that encapsulates your brand to the tee; it only makes sense to garnish your content with your brand’s personality. We all know to associate a ‘red and yellow’ combination or the customised ‘M’ with McDonald’s due to the extensive, successful and rigorous brand marketing undertaken by the fast food giant.
While you brief your team about the festive content, keep in mind to bookmark the brand identity in the memo. Your seasonal posts and creatives need to reflect your visual identity and your brand colours do the job promptly. Prepare your strategy such that your clients get a gentle nudge about your brand at the back of their minds every time they see elements similar to that of your brand.
Approach the content very intuitively:
A brand strategy is only as effective as the relevance of its content. You won’t look twice at a haphazard brand page which fails to communicate its area of business. As an architecture and design brand, you need to exhibit your content very perceptively since it can constitute a part of your portfolio. At the same time, you will need more than your design catalogue to become a renowned name.
With the internet algorithms updating frequently, make sure to stay abreast with them and create content that is both in demand and concurrently stays true to your brand. At a time when knowledge and information are so readily accessible, give people a reason to seek your brand out for content that is educative yet doesn’t fall short of being entertaining. A simple and informative ‘design tips to amp up your space for the festival’ media feature or a 30-second tutorial video can do wonders to attest to your brand’s competence and secure the faith in your clients that they have and will make intelligent and informed investments.
Translate your creative flair into strategizing:
Many people end up making a half-cooked brand strategy by themselves citing economical alternatives. This, however, in no way suggests simply winging your brand strategy planning, but rather a reminder to employ communication experts for the task. It is very similar to how some people deem it acceptable to hire contractors to design and build their place but the fact remains that only architects and designers have the education and sensibility to fulfil all the aspects required for the job. Your business caters to people and you need to compose your brand strategy around that.
Festivals hold meaning because people celebrate them and your brand will only flourish if the same people decide to take interest in it. As a brand, you may fashion your strategy to tug at the clients’ heartstrings with your festive content but do not forget to be sensitive to the diversity of your clientele. A culturally, demographically and socially inclusive brand has a better chance to strike a chord with the progressively younger generation of decision-makers among clients.
Give your clients something to look forward to, during the festive season. It can be a creative and witty festive post, a curated online exhibition of your best works yet or a festive-themed website homepage. A morsel of advice here though, do not go overboard with it. Design a strategy that snuggles comfortably in the festive cloak but also stands strong despite that.