Clever branding or smart branding?

It was the season of good cheer; the time of year that big bucks roll for the big brands in the market.  Probably no other brand during December is more recognisable than Santa Claus while other names battle for position in the public eye.  It was the time to see innovativeness in brand imaging.

And I saw it in Colombo’s premier shopper’s zones Majestic City and Crescat.  Here, but an arm’s reach of Christmas day, I saw what I considered an effective job of keeping a corporate name in the immediate eye of the customer.  

I am interested in brand names and marketing concepts and I was struck by the interesting back-lit signboard at the entrance to the Crescat parking lot which said, “Take the right turn.”  Witty, I thought, especially because apart from its relevance in inviting customers to take the right turn towards the brand, the right turn is also the way to go to park your car.  

Looking to see the brand name behind this interesting thinking I see Amana Bank.  A few hours later, I was entering Majestic City and once again I see this same corporate name.  Everywhere.   Approaching the ‘Majestic City,’ entering it, high up in the atrium visible to shoppers at all the levels of this mall, on digital signboards and on the elevator, outside and inside.

This continuity of the brand name from one popular mall to another and, from what I saw, the unique locations picked within each property, is clever strategy – so necessary to provide strong presence and outstand oneself out from the many others in the market.    

On streets and in malls brand names hit you in your face during the last festive season.  Whether you wear it or eat it, walk in it or bathe in it, there is a brand for every purpose.  Levis, KFC, Bata, The Parfumerie, are all flashing messages to our subliminal mind, “Take me home.”  

Speaking of home, the one brand you have been told for many years to not “leave home without” appears on the sides of a stairway at the hugely popular Majestic City declaring its power to “Take you to another level”. That’s American Express supported by Nations Trust Bank.

As for me, I will “Take the right turn”, thanks to Amana Bank, a prosperous New Year to you.