Insight
What is branding? Take a visit to The Pool at Spring Room as an example.
(Written by: Lee Kwok Wing / Honorary Advisor, Process Pro Brand Taiwan)
What is a 'brand'? A brand is a combination of the existing impression of a company's performance in the minds of customers and the general public. What is "branding"? Understanding one's unique strengths, responding to the needs of customers, creating a five-sense experience, delivering products and services to customers in a complete manner, continuing to deliver these values, and even building up a belief in them are all part of a successful brand. Pro talks to you about what is the ultimate realization of branding with Vernal Room, a restaurant under Vernal Pool Glass.
One day before the Lunar New Year, on my way back to Taipei after attending a client's tailgate event, a colleague suggested that I could stop by "The Pool" in Hsinchu Park for a cup of coffee before returning home. I remembered that I was in Hsinchu in 2020 to visit the Taiwan Design Expo, and I had planned to visit the place, but I was not able to do so because of the crowd, so I drove to "Chunliu The Pool" with a lot of interest.
Once we arrived at the venue, we saw a three-story complex space, climbed up the white stairs and saw "recycled glass installation artwork" and "glass handrails" decorating the space. Then we went to the third floor, ordered drinks, sat on an outdoor bench, looked at the view of trees in the Hsinchu Zoo in the park in front of us, and the sun came out, with the warm wind and light shining on the balcony, our minds gradually calmed down; and then, we were served drinks with "recycled glass containers and stirring rods". After that, we will give you a drink made of "recycled glass containers and stirring sticks", and you will get a "glass coin" when you fill up the full amount, which can be used as a discount next time, or you can go to the first floor to "experience the homemade recycled glass stirring sticks".
(Image source: Spring Room Glass Studio)
After a break, we got up and wandered to the second floor, where the curatorial theme and objects of recycling economy and sustainable regeneration were also on display. We saw the dark black recycled glass "W Glass Alcohol Bottle S" promoted by the Golden Horse Awards in collaboration with W Vernal Pond Project and the Research Institute, and remembered that our partners were about to go overseas for work, so we used it as a parting gift. The shopkeeper replied, "As we are committed to environmental protection, we don't do over-packaging, we can only provide you with a paper bag, is that okay? The attitude of the shopkeeper was not condescending, and the value of recycling was naturally revealed.
On the way home, I couldn't help but think back to the series of experiences I had just had, which gradually gave me a deep and vivid impression of The Pool, and further made me curious about the brand behind it. After searching, I found out that the corporate brand is "Spring Pool Glass", and the first page of the official website reads, "What we do, we do for the next generation", and that the industry is an enterprise specializing in the recycling of glass and reprocessing of glass, and is an exemplary model of the recycling economy. No matter from which point of contact, it presents a highly consistent brand experience.
Upward and downward experience design that allows customers to perceive the value of the brand's presence
In the book "Experience Design - A Framework for Integrating Brands, Experiences and Values", it is mentioned that the brand, the experience of participating in the inputs from the enterprise side, and the products and services delivered to the customers include the intention and actions flowing downward, and the meanings and beliefs flowing upward.
"...the downward flow process starts with how a company defines its brand, which, if done correctly, will lead to a value proposition for the products and services the company offers. If everything is done correctly, the customer will perceive the value that the organization is expected to deliver.
The upward flow process is the customer's experience of the product or service around the value, from the initial perception through to purchase and use. If the real and experiential value can be strengthened with the experience of how the business constructs the customer relationship after the purchase (including support and how the business continues to communicate with the customer and builds on the existing foundation to promote customer engagement), this will help to reach the tail end of the cycle at the end of the cycle, and at the same time the customer comes up with a definition and a perception of the brand". P 76.
Leave a lasting brand impression through the five senses experience.
Seeing this, do you find out "what is branding"? I got my foot in the door from a colleague's word-of-mouth recommendation, then a series of five senses experience, which made me feel happy, and then I searched for more information to understand the brand concept, and finally I have a positive interpretation and memory of the brand, and I even took the time to write an article to spread the good word-of-mouth to more people, and maybe you will fall in love with the brand as well.
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