07.20.2010
Creative Director Patrick Golden Uses Places and Spaces for Ultimate Brand Expressions
Burdette Ketchum’s Patrick Golden is successfully pushing brands beyond traditional media and into the built environment.
Burdette Ketchum principal and director of creative services, Patrick Golden, is well-practiced in using unconventional methods to connect with consumers. He is the visionary behind downtown Jacksonville’s “bubbles” campaign, which placed giant, informational bubbles, highlighting everything from history to fun facts, throughout Jacksonville’s core. The bubbles were placed on storefronts, sidewalks, the Skyway and other unique locales to call attention to what makes downtown Jacksonville unique. The campaign was for Downtown Vision, Inc. (DVI), a non-profit marketing and advocacy organization dedicated to enhancing the city core and promoting a live-work-play proposition. Golden’s work with DVI is just one of the ways the more than 20-year marketing communications veteran has mastered use of the built environment to showcase brands. Golden discusses some of his agency’s recent projects and the strategy behind using places to convey brand messaging.
The downtown Jacksonville “bubbles” campaign surrounded the target audience with branded messaging. Why did you take this approach?
Rather than creating a non-interactive billboard or print ad, we wanted to show firsthand, what DVI is accomplishing and highlight the businesses, beauty and history of downtown. The bubbles and windowscapes were placed in heavy traffic locations where people were sure to encounter them on storefronts, sidewalks and streetlight poles. We are proud of the end result, and the campaign even created a grassroots movement from businesses interested in having their own bubbles.
How do you determine whether to use the built environment to convey a brand message?
We don’t approach any situation with preconceived tactics or media choices in mind, and we always work to avoid easy answers—especially when budgets are limited. We understand that the most effective strategies don’t always reside in the paid media realm. We examine all possibilities and are always seeking creative ways to reach audiences and make lasting impacts. Using the built environment immerses customers in a brand and message rather than telling them about it with traditional advertising. That’s the essence of experiential marketing.
What is the advantage of using a place or space to convey brand messaging?
First, it is a way to use valuable marketing real estate, like a store window or a building interior, which may have otherwise remained blank. Second, it can create a more genuine experience for consumers. People are inundated daily with images in an intangible and sterile way—from e-mails to television—but consumers are more receptive and engaged when they are touched in a more direct, experiential way. Using the built environment is a way to create a more authentic experience.
What other projects have you worked on that capitalize on the built environment?
We recently worked with 94-year-old office furniture retailer and workspace solutions provider, Perdue, as they moved back to downtown and into a beautiful historic building. Our goal was to highlight the building while creating a genuine experience that gets to the heart of what Perdue is about—modern innovations married with a long and successful history.
We used New York’s Soho as inspiration, because the area is home to so many modern businesses in historic spaces. We created a contemporary and minimalist primary sign and opaque windowscapes to complement, rather than compete with, the building. The building had significant window storefront space for display, so we used the windows to invite in passersby without blocking the view into Perdue’s unique “working showroom,” in which staff members actually use the furniture they sell.
Have you used similar tactics with interiors?
We have worked with several clients to convey branded messaging in interior/exterior spaces, including First Coast Energy, owner of Daily’s convenience stores, which are attached to Shell gas stations throughout Northern Florida. We were faced with the challenge of bringing pay-at-the-pump customers inside and removing the stigma that convenience stores are dirty and lacking in selection.
To fully convey the Daily’s brand and “It’s Nicer Here” positioning we created, we oversaw the interior design of the client’s new stores to create a pleasing experience that was bright, open and clean. We determined everything from store layout, to paint colors, to names of products and offerings. And, rather than having products pushed up against windows, as most convenience stores do, we kept window fronts open, so customers could easily view the bright and inviting interiors.
When would you advise a business to leverage place or space to convey its brand message?
It has to be a good fit for the business and the brand. If a business is located at a busy intersection, and its product or service is consumer-friendly, then using an office exterior may make the space more vibrant and engaging. The same guidelines apply to interiors—the strategy should add something.
For example, our client Ophthonix, creates high-definition eyeglass lenses. The messaging we created for them hinges on the “Wow!” experience patients have when they first wear the glasses. So, we designed the interior of an optometry practice, where the glasses are sold, to have a wow effect as well. We used a bright green and black color scheme throughout the interior, and the retail environment completely reflected the brand promise. Giant wall “stickers” featuring bright, crisp images with vivid colors, and brand messaging were also used. For the exterior, giant windowscapes featured large, colorful images, but were minimized enough to allow a view inside. By using walls and windows, we were able to display large, vibrant images that could truly demonstrate what the brand is about.