- Branding*
Understanding what’s at ’steak’.
A restaurateur was planning to open a steakhouse in a small but booming resort community. While confident in the demand for such a restaurant in the area, he was also well aware of the high failure rate of new restaurants and of the need for his restaurant to set itself apart quickly from the numerous other businesses appearing in the community. Sigmund was asked for insights that would help the restaurant to quickly distinguish itself and to facilitate repeat business from community residents.
An in-depth emotional research project was conducted using creative expression and multisensory visualization techniques. Among the women interviewed, several underlying themes emerged, including a theme of empowerment, and another of invisibility. Several women spoke of feeling disregarded or of secondary importance in traditional steakhouses. Everything from the oversized steak knives, the masculine décor, and the emphasis on the large size of the steaks communicated the message that they were not recognized as being as important as men. The flip side of this insight was that women perceived their positive experiences in steakhouses as empowering, as recognition of equality, and as an opportunity for authenticity.
In a surprising twist, a theme of inauthenticity emerged within the male interviews. Men spoke of feeling pressured to prove their masculinity, not only by eating a huge steak, but also in being knowledgeable regarding cuts of meat and being able to make sense of what are often overwhelming wine lists. Furthermore, they spoke of a sense of disappointment or embarrassment in themselves for desiring a beer or fries with their steak, when they should be enjoying the potatoes au gratin and 1998 Chateau LeBeuf.
Taking into account these insights, the restaurateur consulted extensively with potential female customers on everything from décor to menu selection. He also made special effort to create a high quality, yet unimposing wine list, and to include an equally extensive beer selection. Finally, while the menu included all the trappings of a fine steakhouse, you could also order fries, onion rings, even hot wings if you so desired.
- Architecture & Design*
Reading, between the lines.
Having grown bored with their quiet lifestyle, a retired couple decided to fulfill a dream of opening a bookstore in the historic downtown neighborhood in which they lived. Driven by a love of literature and a growing frustration with impersonal chain bookstores, they envisioned a setting that would foster a love of literature in others, as well as become a contributing part of the community they loved. They made the decision to convert a residential property they owned, and contracted with a well known architect to handle the renovation. The couple wanted every aspect of their bookstore to touch their customers, beginning foremost with the structure and design. To facilitate this, a research project was designed to help identify how people experienced a bookstore, what they felt was missing in the big chain stores, and what drove people to choose to shop in a small, local stores despite a smaller selection and lack of a coffee shop.
In-depth emotional research was conducted into the perception and function of a bookstore. The results were both surprising and yet confirming to the couple. Throughout the interviews, a relational theme emerged. People experienced an interpersonal intimacy when perusing a bookstore, not unlike a romantic experience. They described the process of selecting and becoming absorbed in a book in terms of an initial, cautious introduction, a determination of trust and authenticity, and finally the vulnerability of allowing themselves to become swept up into a story. The store itself provided a context for this relationship to develop, either as a safe, comfortable place in which the process can unfold naturally, or as a commercial, public setting which seemed overwhelming and to rush one into a commitment.
These insights directly informed the architectural planning and interior design of the store as a space designed to facilitate relationships, specifically those between a person and a good book. This included providing quiet, secluded places for customers to sit and read, calm lighting and subdued decorating careful not to overwhelm or distract. It also informed how the store employees viewed their role, becoming in a sense the friend who introduces two strangers, and then provides them with the space to get to know each other. As a result of their careful planning, the bookstore quickly developed a large number of faithful customers, and became an integral, valued part of the community.
- Naming*
What’s in a name, anyway?
A large branding agency was working with a pair of partners in launching a new urban clothing line. Deciding on a name for the company that adequately communicated the concept of the company, as well as captured the vision of each of the partners, was turning out to be a very difficult, drawn out process. Nothing seemed to “feel right” for both of the partners.
The reality was that the partners were tying to communicate a vision for their company that they experienced as a cohesive blend of emotion, language and visual fantasy. The “heart” of their vision was being lost in the translation of this multidimensional experience into verbal language. After several frustrating weeks, the creative team decided that additional insight into the deeper meaning and vision of the brand might be helpful in facilitating the naming process.
In-depth emotional research revealed that both partners conceptualized their brand in terms of the “transition” metaphor, envisioning their clothing as a means by which people can assume age appropriate identities without the need to dispose of more youthful aspects of their personalities. Furthermore, the partners were driven by the underlying emotions of a confident humility and an excited anticipation of change. Finally, visualization exercises revealed a brand fantasy characterized by natural elements such as wood and stone, informal social settings usually accompanied by coffee or beer, and attractive, yet humble people. Drawing upon these insights, the creative team quickly recognized where their efforts had gone astray, and were able to fairly quickly come up with several name ideas that “fit” the partners at a deeper, more intimate level.
- Downloads*