Expressing brand values
Your values are core to any brand. They are what helps you translate what a brand is promising conceptually, to how a brand is keeping that promise experientially. Patagonia’s core values are: Quality, Integrity, Environmentalism, and Not bound by Convention. Their website is beautiful, with high quality photos of people wearing the products in adventurous places. However, if I knew nothing else about the brand than the website, they wouldn’t feel different from any other adventure brand trying to sell me a fleece jacket.
Values dictate interaction
Modern day consumers have much higher expectations of customer service experience. Either it’s not enough—all that is provided is a 1.800 number—or it’s too much—there’s a help chat box that keeps popping up every time you are on a new page. For some brands, where service is truly at its core, figuring out the right approach is incredibly important. One of Southwest’s values is “a servant heart”. Why then is the “Contact Us” only available on the footer for the general pages? When I need help, it’s usually because I have a question about my flight reservation. A better solution would be a slider on the side at all times that reads “Can I help you?” So that when I look at my flight reservation I can easily ask questions via chat.
Engaging with physical space
For brands with digital and physical touchpoints, an important consideration is how they compliment each another. There are different expectations on each medium, and while they don’t always need to work together in unison, they should always be in harmony. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has a mission statement to: “serve the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of significant works of art…” Their website is a solid information hub with pretty pictures and everything you’d need in order to visit the museum—however it’s not responsive. By building a mobile site that integrates ways for visitors to enhance their museum experience LACMA can further strengthen their mission to educate and engage the city of LA.
Jenna Isken
Based in LA, Jenna Isken is a strategist at global brand strategy, design and experience firm Siegel+Gale. Follow her on Twitter @jennaisken
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