Promoting Peace, Balance and Serenity Through Your Brand
Promoting Peace, Balance and Serenity Through Your Brand
So much more than just a logo or a name, your brand is the foundation from which the story of your business, products and services can be energized and inspired. Much like your personal DNA or footprint, your brand should be established and clear, serving as a key point of differentiation to distinguish you from all other businesses and competitors within your field or industry.
Brand management is the analysis and planning of your brand in your market, including determining how to attract and focus on your target demographic and how to maintain a solid reputation. Understanding how to effectively build, manage and share the story of your brand is critical in a competitive marketplace to ensure that your business is known, recognizable, and flourishing.
In the business of hospitality, creating a brand that draws some parallels to feelings of peace, balance and serenity is essential despite your exact position within the marketplace. Even the most vibrant and energetic hotel and resort brands must still offer a space that their guests can rest and recover.
So how do you create an environment within your properties that allows people to recharge and feel at ease yet is still true to your brand pillars and standards? Do you effectively carry these philosophies throughout your service and product offerings in ways that are palpable and accessible for your guests? Is your brand story told through your day-to-day interactions with your guests? Do you do this in unexpected ways?
Let’s take a look at some key areas to consider when creating and managing your brand identity:
Develop a Personality and Image for your Brand
Your brand elicits emotions in your guests (both current and potential). What sort of feelings, ideas and emotions do you want your brand to convey? A helpful way to think about this is: If your brand was a person, how would you describe their personality? Their characteristics? Their traits? From here, you can begin to explore your vision for the brand and your long-term goals. In other words, what is your mission statement for your business and who is your target audience? Thinking about your brand in this context can help you develop a unique personality for your brand. Carry this through to your company/resort name. In a snapshot, what does your name tell people? What story do you want to be known and understood in by the DNA of your brand?
Create a Memorable Logo
Your logo is the most effective tool in building visual recognition for your brand. As such, it is important to ensure your logo evokes the personality and feelings you seek to leave with your guests. Once you have developed the personality or image for your brand, creating a logo is the next step. Working with a graphic designer for this step can help you create the most powerful logo & colour story to go with it. Once established, be sure that your logo is prominent and present in all of your communications with your guests. Whether it be your website, social media presence, email communications, or brand collateral such as menus, in-room compendiums, signage, or business cards, be sure your logo and colour story are woven throughout. Consistent placement of your logo to develop visual recognition and the enhance your story allows your brand to become more recognizable and therefore more memorable.
It is important not to stop here. Once established, ask yourself how your brand story is best carried throughout your space, product and service offerings in unexpected ways? A truly integrated brand that is lived out and experienced through all operations is a brand that becomes known for its character, strength and integrity. This is a brand that your guests will want to be drawn to, want to be affiliated with, and brand they choose to loyally support.
Here are just a few of our favourite industry brands that are synonymous with peace, balance, and serenity in fabulously unexpected ways:
- Aman Resorts– Their brand and logo consists of simple clean lines; their choice of imagery evokes a feeling of allure and curiosity.
- Mandarin Oriental– Their brand is distinctive, and intriguing. A strong sense of culture and character is instantaneously presented. You are drawn to be a part of the story.
- Westin Well-being Movement – Their use of colour inspires feelings of vibrancy, life, and growth. The segments of their offerings are visually represented by simple icons/avatars providing a simple and clean appearance that is easy to understand and navigate.
- Willow Stream Spa – Their name and logo carries a deeper meaning: “Willow” is derived from the “Willow Tree” a tree with a deep, strong root yet a graceful flexibility; “Stream” is symbolic of the meandering, flowing journey through life. Their logo is comprised of 4 circles, representative of the elements of earth, air, water and fire.
Develop a Voice for your Brand
Developing a voice for your brand, one that brings to life to your brand image, is one of the most effective ways to be seen and heard as authentic and true in your communications. The voice of your brand must be a reflection of the personality and image you have created. For instance, a luxury spa will have a very different voice than a trendy nail salon. By harmonizing the voice of your brand to the personality and image of your business, your communications will be much more effective and impactful.
Here are just a few tips to help you establish elements of balance and serenity in your brand:
- Choose your words and vocabulary mindfully. Ideally, you want to guide and inspire your guests on a journey. Be gentle and encouraging in your communications rather than definitive and abrupt. Allow for some messaging to be open to individuals’ interpretations, so they can write their own story. Plant seeds of ideas that encourage creativity and exploration.
Be sure to touch all five senses:
Sight – Consider choice of colours and the feelings they evoke. Bring this to life through lighting, artwork, décor.
Sound – Consider sound incubation in your design. Are your guest rooms, spa treatment rooms sound proof? What about the windows and doors? Is there music? What is the story here? Can this be customized to personal preference?
Scent – Be aware of both under and over scenting. Be mindful that often times guests have scent preferences, scent aversions, and often times allergies and sensitivities. Are there options? Do you have a signature scent? What aromatic notes best bring to life your brand story and DNA?
Taste – Food and Beverage offerings are a great opportunity to bring to life your brand story in unexpected ways. Get your culinary team involved. Encourage creativity and an inspired palette!
Feel – Be aware of the tactile experience within your space. What fabrics and textiles are used? Pay particular attention to bed linens, towels and robes – their fabric content, weight, colour, etc… How do these amenities ensure feelings of peace and serenity?
When in doubt, simplicity is the key.
Creating a clear, concise, and powerful brand personality that tells a true and authentic story will become like the best friend your guests simply cannot live without.