Seth Godin published a wonderful post this morning about beauty as a signaling strategy. In it, he states that: “The reason people and organizations have invested so much in beauty over the years is that beauty pays off.” And he’s right. It does.
We are visual beings. We are hardwired to seek out beauty because over hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, humans have learned that beauty equals health and survival. We also rely heavily on sight, as a sense, to guide our perceptions. We taste first with our eyes, we know that first impressions are paramount, we let pictures tell us a story long before we read text. And, let’s face it. We’re in the special events industry…an industry where aesthetics are a fundamental contributor to success.
All too often we get consumed by the attention to aesthetics needed for our events and we tire long before we apply the same sense of beauty to our own brands. From websites to business cards, portfolio books to emails, every piece of communication tells the recipient what to think about us.
Invest the time in making your brand beautiful.
Lara McCulloch-Carter
Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark
Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions
President – ISES Toronto
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wouldn’t it be better to discuss the differentiation from other brads, what are the functions and benefits for the consumer.
In the end they will choose what is best for them, not the pretty brand
http://bvents.com
wouldn’t it be better to discuss the differentiation from other brads, what are the functions and benefits for the consumer.In the end they will choose what is best for them, not the pretty brandhttp://bvents.com
Bvents, thank you for your comments! I have written a number of times in the past about the importance of differentiation and identifying and communicating brand value (i.e. defining your brand strategy). You are absolutely right that they are critical fundamentals of brand success. The ‘visuals’ of a brand (how it looks, how it’s visually communicated – through every customer touchpoint) is only one element of brand communications…and is done AFTER you define your brand strategy. But I don’t want to downplay the importance of it.
I can’t tell you how many websites I’ve visited from event professionals that look generic, lack imagery and don’t tell a story. Our visuals are actually one critical way to help differentiate ourselves from our competition. We see with our eyes long before we read. If, as a potential customer, I visit a website or read a piece of literature that looks generic, lacks excitement and boring images – that is exactly what my perception of the company will be.
Thanks to your comments, I’ll be expanding on this a bit later…Thank you.
Bvents, thank you for your comments! I have written a number of times in the past about the importance of differentiation and identifying and communicating brand value (i.e. defining your brand strategy). You are absolutely right that they are critical fundamentals of brand success. The ‘visuals’ of a brand (how it looks, how it’s visually communicated – through every customer touchpoint) is only one element of brand communications…and is done AFTER you define your brand strategy. But I don’t want to downplay the importance of it. I can’t tell you how many websites I’ve visited from event professionals that look generic, lack imagery and don’t tell a story. Our visuals are actually one critical way to help differentiate ourselves from our competition. We see with our eyes long before we read. If, as a potential customer, I visit a website or read a piece of literature that looks generic, lacks excitement and boring images – that is exactly what my perception of the company will be. Thanks to your comments, I’ll be expanding on this a bit later…Thank you.