Does SPATIAL BRANDING mean - no compromise!

Hello and welcome to the podcast on industrial marketing by B'Joy Peter. With an experience of over 20 years, B'Joy helps engineering and manufacturing companies implement modern marketing programs that deliver meaningful business outcomes through definitive brand strategies, production of media assets, marketing automation, and lead generation systems, transforming their digital footprint globally. Hope you find the podcast valuable to your business. Do visit B-E-J-O-Y-P-E-T-E-R, bejoypter.com, to stay connected. Hello everyone, uh, welcome to the new episode, uh, on industrial marketing. Today I have with me Tanishka. Tanishka has done her studies and majored in Interior and Spatial Design from University of the Arts London. And Tanishka, this episode we are— I mean, we are broadcasting after 1 year. The episode before this was with Tanvi, where we discussed a lot about brands. So Tanishka, welcome to the show. Thank you, Bijoay, for having me. And for this show, we have a major change. I have replaced tea— I mean, rather, I replaced coffee with tea. So I hope the tea drives this podcast ahead. So Tanishka, to start with this episode, a lot of our clients, in fact, they have been doing their branding. Yeah, they practice their branding through various manifests. So how does spatial branding come across as a differentiator from the traditional branding? Yeah, so I would say it's not very different from traditional branding. It's something like a step up or a level up from traditional branding, which primarily relied on visual identity, be it logos or brand manuals, brochures, packaging. Taking all of that and strategically designing a space is what spatial branding would be, right? So carrying forward the visual identity in the form of a room, or how one designs the room so that a client or a potential customer sitting in the room feels welcomed and at ease by that space, right? Also, if the space talks about— at the same time, the space talks about what your brand entitles, what you want to convey to your audience. So it goes hand in hand. You need to have a visual identity to have spatial branding. So yeah, it wouldn't be that different, it's just a step forward into it. Okay, so Danisha, I mean, uh, what, what would be the fundamental elements, um, that one needs to consider while they are implementing spatial branding and how all these elements eventually work together in the interest of the brand? Yeah, so firstly, the most important thing I would say is a brand story, right? Like any space for that matter needs a narration. Correct. When there's narration, it creates function, it creates interaction in that space, right? So having a strong brand story conveyed through the space is one of the most important key factors. And the way of doing it would be via collaterals on your walls, on your systems around in the room. And it needs to be consistent, it needs to align with your brand identity, your colors, your fonts, your typography, everything. It, it can't be not aligning with what you want your brand to carry forward as a message. So that would be the second point. I would say Having a very open flow and function to the room, to the space, is also very important. It should not look overwhelming, right? It should feel easy, it should feel breathable, right? It should feel welcoming. So again, that's a very important point. And with today's digital world, I would say having some kind of digital interaction, right, like a screen or some kind of video that's playing, but you can also interact with it. You can scroll through images on a screen, a lot of other things. So incorporating those digital aspects in your space is very important. It also creates a sense of engagement rather than just sitting and viewing a space, right? And I would also say things like multi-sensorial experiences, like having a good planned lighting plan, um, having some kind of music playing that aligns with your brand again, right? Scents or something that again creates a brand recall. So these aspects are very important for us as humans because we tend to remember them much more than just viewing something, right? When it's like from a multi-dimensional thing, it's much more impactful than just a 2D surface. So are these, what do you say, these clocks you see in an office in New Delhi, Tokyo, you know, I mean, I find them rather amusing. I mean, do you think this essentially comes in spatial branding? I don't think it's for the clients. I would say it probably is for the employees. Yeah. If they're working internationally, which is, I know it's very funny in this age because you have your phone with you constantly, right, where you can constantly switch between world clocks and check the time, right? Probably just puts you under pressure by just viewing at it. Again, it's a very employee-oriented factor than a customer-oriented factor, I would say. In fact, what happened once is I had to ask one of my clients designated employee and ask him whether ye gadi AMA ke peetha hai. I think it really doesn't serve the purpose. So the reason why I asked you this question is there is a conventional thought pattern across a lot of small and medium enterprises where they don't see spatial branding as one, they clearly see it as an expense Second, they're not able to attach a value proposition to it. So I've had clients who'll say, "Kya reh, hamara office chota sa hai, ya koi yaata nahi, ya bada mai aur kuch teen char logi baithen hai, toh ya pe kyu special branding karna? Why do I have to spend money here?" Yeah, so what would be your advice to this kind of a mindset where people would— I mean, they need your help to, you know, broaden their perspective? Yeah, I would say it's— I understand that some spaces are really small and always investing in it is a difficult step for the employee, for the company, right? But it's a value added to their brand, right? Anytime a client walks in, they are greeted by a nice space around them, right? It changes image towards the brand completely. They know that you are that it showcases perfection. You can rely on them. There's a lot of factors that, that space then plays a role on the customer or the client. So I would say it's quite important to have a very well-designed, uh, space for your own company. And it's not just for your clients, it's also for your employees, right? Because working in an atmosphere that is branded well, is easygoing, is— has a good flow and light and everything, it encourages the productivity and the psychological well-being of your employees, right? And it's going to help your business in the end. So it, it works both ways— greeting a client at the same time increasing productivity of your own employees. Yeah, so essentially I think what you want to advise is that spatial branding does influence the customer's emotion perception. Yeah. And the kind of behavior that occurs in that workplace. So can you expand on this, uh, point? Yeah. So like I said before, space needs narration, right? And when there's narration in the space, it eases out the functionality of that space. Correct. Like people know what needs to be done in that particular space, right? It's kind of a direction. So I would say it does play a very important role on the psychology. There are a lot of factors, all design factors like colors, textures, lighting that go into shaping how you feel in that space. And a well-designed space would always make you feel relaxed. So it increases your focus, not just towards work, but maintaining a balanced relation between all the employees. And your client relations, right? So yeah, again, it's very important to have a very well-balanced space, right? And as you mentioned in your earlier point, augmented reality or virtual reality, in fact, with the advent of artificial intelligence, you did mention that you could have touchscreen kiosks. Yeah, so that engagement level, I mean, can you advise on how can these technologies bring in value to the brand while the spatial branding is being executed? They act as something like when a client walks in, he sees that you are keeping up with the latest trends, right? So you can be trusted when they are handing over their business to you or they are dealing with you as a client. So keeping up with all these digital advancements is quite important because a simple screen in your waiting room or your reception can be more engaging than just keeping a brochure on the table, right? Because it's continuously playing a video, probably, so you tend to look towards it. And in this digital world, we are inclined towards the digital aspect, right, than a physical Correct. So incorporating that digital with the physical, I would say, is something that needs to be done. In our office, Tanishka, we have a beagle called Joey. He's also our Chief Happiness Officer. So is he AR, VR, or AI? Actually, seriously, I mean, there's a there's a concept that allows pets in the office. So are these also like, you know, these practices, do— what do you think, do they come under spatial branding? I would agree on it as a spatial branding aspect because I love pets. Yeah. They are a natural stress eliminator. Yeah. So yeah, having a pet in the office is always a green light for me. Taking a cue from that, we've got another kitten also called Apple. Best. Tanisha, can you share for our audience a few good examples that, you know, you relate spatial branding and experience with? Yeah, um, I would say in the B2C sector, right, there has been a lot of advancement in this particular spatial branding aspect because they've understood the importance of it. And it's much more easier to do it with these kind of segments where you do shops or you do events, exhibitions, a lot of things. And best example I think would be Apple Stores. Yeah, they keep it very minimal, which goes very well with their brand language, and the focus remains on the product, right? There's no tamjam, I would say, in the store. It's very specific, it helps you engage with the product, and it serves the purpose of the brand. Right. So I would say something like that is really nice. Um, other than that, I would say Decathlon, where they run the blue and gray throughout their store, but it's still very well segmented. Like, you know where you need to find a particular product, right, because of nice wayfinding, which is again spatial branding, right? So it makes it easier. And also there's a lot of interaction. You feel like cycling in the store, you can take a cycle just cycle around. So you get to test the product before you buy it, right? So it engages a lot of customers, clients. And when talking about B2B, I would say there's one of my favorite museums, a corporate museum done by DS Group in Delhi. It's, it's a, it's called The Journey. It's their story in like a 10,000 square feet premise. And it talks about the past, future, and the present, right, of the entire brand. It's divided into a lot of segments. It's beautifully executed with multi-dimensional multimedia, uh, assets. Yeah, thank you. And like, it starts with like how the company started, where you were introduced into a space where it talks about— it's— they've actually created Chandni Chowk in their museum. So how their small stall was, how they started as a street vendor, and now where they are, right? And they've integrated a lot of new technologies, like they've designed a 360 viewing room where you can stand in the middle and the entire video plays around you. Okay, so things like this. I understand not all businesses can afford or can do a museum, but they can always start with a smaller space, which is their office, because it's kind of their hub for all client interactions. So integrating things like these would always benefit the brand. So, uh, so therefore, what are the most common mistakes that a business or an organization could make while they design their spaces? Like, what do you see are the most typical avoidable mistakes? Firstly, I would say not being consistent with their brand language. Like, right, sometimes they start based on what their brand values are but move towards aesthetics, right? Aesthetics is very important, but you can't forget your brand values because in the end, that space is portraying your brand, right? So you have to keep in mind that If your brand color is blue, it is showcased in this space. You can't just go opposite and make it a red space, right? So being consistent and aligning it with your brand language is very important. I would say that is one of the biggest mistakes that could happen. Then I would say again, the flow of the space, right? It can't be overpowering. You, you can't let your clients feel overwhelmed in that space, right? It has to be easy breathing. And you can have a lot of things in a small space as well. Like, if you don't have the space to actually put up your products, you can make it into a collateral or a video about your product, right? And if you have the space, it's very— yeah, it's the best. So yeah, I think these two are very important, like not letting go of your brand language and story is very important. Um, so thank you for sharing your inputs, Tanishka. And on a closing note, like you said, what are the do-nots? What would be the, uh, dos? I mean, probably something like, um, I mean, I just want to get started. 'Now that this makes sense to me, I want to get started.' So what would be the typical best 3 practices optimized, good to start and take the journey ahead with spatial branding? Firstly, I would say start slow. So design a space based on your manual, your brand manual. Start with— but I mean, in this scenario, I mean, a lot of enterprises in India they do not have a brand manual. Okay, so if I, if I have absolutely nothing, but I just— what, what makes sense to me is that I need to make my space welcoming enough. Yeah. And it needs to resonate with my business. So what would be like a starter there? Starter there would be firstly focusing on your logo and how that logo can be incorporated in that space, right? So once you are welcomed as a client in the space I would like to see the logo on the front wall with the name. I would like to know a little more about your history, how the company started, and probably more about your products. So it eases my process further. I don't have a lot of questions going forward about the history and the products, so it eliminates a big part of questions. So I would say greeting, uh, greeting someone in that space with these 3 things would be a good start. Yeah. And real plants or artificial plants? Real plants, if you can take care of them. Yes, yes. All right, so, um, thank you, Kanishka, for sharing your inputs. I look forward to having another episode on spatial branding with you. Thank you so much for your time. Hope you find the podcast valuable to your business. Do visit B-E-J-O-Y-P-E-T-E-R, thejoypeter.com, to stay connected.