To remain being what the market aspires to be, brands have to keep making effort to express their identities in the way that they are absolutely attractive to the people. The luxury brands these days, unlike how they have been, provide more ways to experience their worlds rather than just to see. This brings about the maturer level of marketing and customer relationships.
It is however is difficult to milden their identities because they aren't for everyone and the "perfection" should still be beyond what the market conceives at the time.
Therefore It's always a good idea to check the overall performance from 360 point of views like brands', customers', non-customers', and designers'.
One of the marketing tactics I am drawn to study more these days is exterior lightening. Exterior is the first contact point of the top funnel of store marketing. It is expected to attract the visitors in harmony with the architecture style of the location and the neighborhood.
In Japan's most iconic electronic supply shopping destination, Akihabara, also known for its being the mecca of computer and anime geeks called otaku, the stores are running boy's favorite animation style animation videos on the big screens here and there, and their recorded audio voices to promote the electric shops at the store front in multiple languages including Chinese, Korean and English. It is as if the entire city is made for otaku type of people, using audio and visual stimulation to the visitors. The lightening temperature is rather high, meaning it's bright and whiter, to have them enjoy shopping.
Another example is one of the Louis Vuitton shops I ran into the other day. This shop seems to be experimenting exterior decoration with large stickers. It began after their window decoration of blue butterflies this autumn. They started Christmas ornament looking stickers.
I got that the message is most likely hinting something about their Christmas season although it doesn't allure me or get me drawn there. In my opinion, some exterior elements are working as hindering factors through some blind spots.
One is the sticker darkening the shop's overall exterior. It's right next to Dior, and in the same line on the same floor of the luxury boutique building, Midland Nagoya, with Loewe and Cartier. Right across from the side entrance is the used luxury shop, Komehyo, with the similar exterior with tranparent glass and ivory. Prada is located on the first floor of the building on the opposite side. The area itself is blessed with about 7-8 new and old skyline tower buildings for department stores, shops, restaurants, schools and offices. The street Christmas decoration around the shop is white orange illumination. Compared to the surroundings, the LV shop with stickers don't stand out just because of the decreased amount of light. I wish there are lightening glittery ones or that the neigborhood is a little darker.
Another point I didn't understand is that because of the stickers the logo, or the store name don't appeal anymore. Like stated, it's in the area full of luxury brands and many of them enjoy the exteriors with enhanced lightening that make their brand name stand out. It'd be much better to outline the store glass of the front or add more light.
Light has scales in brightness (lx) and in temperature (kelvin). Candle light, for example, is low in both and make us relaxed and warm. White street light has high kelvin and it makes people feel sharp. Combined with the orange lights that are said to last the longest and relax peope, the area is producing a happy shopping atmosphere. However, the darkened storefront that without it shines with ivory and light orange color, perfectly for their target customers, is now sort of hidden.
Lightening, architecture, design and decoration are all very important marketing elements. Just like brands social media channels getting upgraded with automation, rich contents and AI personalization, the store look, as well as bags and boxes, are also an important media for brands that I wish to evolve eternally.
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