Consistency in branding seems to be the latest concept on marketer’s lips, but what does it mean? Is there more to it than hype? We think so.

Giving a Voice to Your Brand
Consistency of message means "owning" a position in your customer’s minds –it means always presenting the same tone whether it be whimsical, curious, or conservative. In essence, you are giving a voice to your brand and letting it whisper or shout its way to glory.

Children’s retailers and products are naturals for exploiting their positioning. They can easily employ primary colors or backward letters. Yet, it is the sophisticated marketer who actually gets into the mindset of its customers and utilizes child-friendly language throughout. The Right Start store, for example, has a poster of a baby waving "bye bye" in place of the ubiquitous "thanks for coming." It also provides a play area to try the toys and of course, a diaper changing area because it understands that this is a primary need of caregivers.

Signs of the Times
The City Cat Doctor in Chicago has to provide the sad news that their precious parking spaces are for customers only. Instead of merely stating the facts, their warning sign adopts the perfectly consistent tone with "Parking for patrons only. All others will be hissed, kissed, and meowed to death."

Replacing boring signs with hip ones work especially well for an ultra-fit athletic club. "Yep, you really have to take your smelly towels to the front desk" and "Mother says you can only stay on the equipment for 30 minutes" work especially well. My favorite sign, however, is a reserved parking space for pregnant customers only at a local maternity store. Clearly, it understands the pain and the joy of its customers.

But, is there more to consistency than signs? You bet!

Shapes, Shades and Sizes
Consistency pervades every action on your brand from the logo to the letterhead to your web site. Corporate colors should be selected and used judiciously each and every time. Is it any wonder that most companies from IBM to Citibank specify exactly their shade of blue?

Even shapes and size connote information about your brand. A coffee purveyor uses its 16 oz brown bags as direct mail envelopes to remind customers of its specialty product while H20 has successfully incorporated its wave design into its bottle shapes and tester cards.. An ophthalmology practice, for example, prints in a minimum size of 14 point type because their customers are typically senior citizens in need of cataracts surgery

The Language of your Customers
The essence of good marketing is to speak in a language that your customers expect and can understand. Caesar’s Palace adopts a familiar tone by beginning its letters with "hail." A New York deli boldly asks its diners if they want to schlep it home? An Indian casino establishes its speed limit at 21 mph.

Every opportunity to communicate with your customers is an opportunity to amplify your brand positioning. Note how Kinko’s uses a 24 hour clock to reminding customers of its round the clock operations. Or consider SAS’ promotion of giving away a fee Palm Pilot with its new business class service to connect the two quintessential business products.

Disconnecting = Hanging up with Your Customers
The secret to consistency is resonance. Every moment you have a disconnect, you have a misfire in your communication strategy. Think about the message this Hyatt necktag communicates "For your convince, this bottle of Evian is here for your enjoyment. A charge of $3.00 will be posted on your room account upon consumption." Huh? For $200.00 per night, doesn’t it seem as if we were being led down the path of this bottle is free for your enjoyment.? Or consider a store-front takeout Chinese that says "fine Asian cuisine" or a frequent diners club of a pricey dining establishment (since departed) entitled "friendz in the ‘hood."

Do it Yourself Tips
Looking for a few places to try a new message? Consider these:

ß Change your voice mail to an appropriate greeting. Ex: Aloha for your Hawaiian store or "Stay Well" for your herbal products;

ß Create a signature opening or closing. Liquor by Wire always concludes "With Spirit."

ß Select a unique color and stick with it! My corporate color has remained gold to match both my company name and hair (too cute!). Quick, what color is Starbucks?

ß Try an unusual shape. Remember H20’s wave bottles?

ß Change bathroom signs to something more exotic than Men and Women. Tarzan and Jane works well for Rainforest Café.

ß Transform rules and regulations typically at counters into something expressive. "Bounced checks will be billed back to the parents at the rate of 1 kid per dollar."

Summary
Getting consistency right takes hard work and thought, it means giving extra thought to every word said or printed. Yet, do it right and your customer smiles and comes back for more. Do it wrong and your customer is confused. And, a confused customer will find another brand.

February 2000 in Shopping Center Business.