59. Be part of the experience

59

BE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE

There are things that people buy in certain places that they would never consider buying anywhere else. Popcorn at the cinema, Kendal Mint Cake while walking in the Lake District, ice cream during the interval at the theatre, strawberries and cream at Wimbledon. It’s not just food; we like to buy souvenirs that remind us of an experience and that we associate with geographical areas or features.

The idea Take the seaside, for example. Falmouth in Cornwall, on the south western tip of Great Britain has a maritime tradition going back hundreds and probably thousands of years. On Falmouth high street there are shops selling Cornish pasties, boxes of fudge, sailing clothes and sea salt. You’ll also fi nd a branch of Seasalt, a Cornish company which sells stripy clothing designed for wearing at the seaside, particularly the British seaside where you can expect some, rain, wind and the occasional calm spell usually all in one day. You can wear Seasalt’s clothes and shoes and carry their canvas beach bags in the city, but it’s more likely that you’d want to buy them where you can taste the salt in the air.

Their strapline, “Designed by the sea for people everywhere”, sums it up nicely.

They make striped shirts and sweaters, windproof and rainproof clothing, things that are ideal for pulling over your swimsuit at the

end of a day on the beach. They sell a week’s worth of stripy sailors’ socks in a gift box for you to take home for yourself or the cat-sitter. Their window displays, with old maps and battered antique suitcases, combine nostalgia and happiness, reminding us of childhood holidays on British beaches.

Their brand identity succeeds because they’ve made such a good job of bringing our memories up-to-date, and they make such great clothes, and they are in exactly the right place.

In practice • What’s your area known for? Can your brand identity take advantage of your location? • Seasalt succeeds because their designs and manufacture quality are good enough to make the journey back into the city. (Unlike so many things that we bring back from our holidays and wonder if we’ve taken leave of our senses once we’re home.) You’ve got to be more than a mere souvenir. • For the brand to ring true, it’s got to be authentic.