The #1 Problem in Retail Branding isn’t Amazon.
It isn’t the convenience of online shopping.
It’s something much worse with its roots coming much closer to home.
In fact, it’s exactly how and why iTunes came into existence, and why some retail shops struggle today while others are crushing it.
Zombies and The Problem in Retail Branding
After delivering a landmark masterclass on branding at this year’s Great Lakes Innovation Summit in Milwaukee, I stopped by this local coffee house many locals had recommended to me.
I drove there, walked in, and my jaw dropped.
The venue was AMAZING.
Not only in service and great coffee but in overall consumer experience and a real sense of community.
There was not an empty seat in the entire venue.
As a result of being in such a shining example of what was possible with a physical retail location, I stopped to record this important message about retail branding right there at Colectivo Coffee in Milwaukee about how retail is defeating itself by:
- raising a generation of “sales zombies” (it’s an epidemic, but there are exceptions like this little oasis)
- ushering in a generation of personnel who have become “human cash registers” leaving stores to become transaction centers resulting in this “final straw” in retail’s coffin, and
- neglecting the power and impact of the human connection.
That’s right.
It’s not Amazon.com. That’s an excuse.
Here’s precisely what I had to say:
The False Narrative on the Problem in Retail Branding
In a recent post on Fast Company, Ikea’s former design chief stated: “design will kill marketing.”
Saying “design will kill marketing” is like saying “lyrics will make melodies unnecessary” or “plating a meal will make flavor obsolete” or “copy will make imagery extinct.”
That’s total B.S.
That is two-valued logic and is totally for the birds (wonderful to create a controversial article but BS in real life).
Plus, I find it interesting that this comment is from Ikea’s former design chief… are those two facts related?
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