Brand Royalty
How “brandscaping” is dramatically expanding advertising, marketing and management options and changing the dynamics of architectural design and development for the next generation of lifestyle centers.
John Clark

Visitors to Times Square in New York cannot help but notice. Lights, energy and spectacular signage dominate the visual imagery of Times Square; the space is filled with everything from Broadway banners to giant three-dimensional chocolate bars. Times Square is awash in video screens, Coca-Cola signs, enormous movie posters, larger-than-life displays and vast swaths of ad space purchased by global giants like Samsung, Kodak, Cingular and Hershey. Times Square is signage and advertising; it is defined by events like the annual New Year's Eve celebration and memorialized in popular media as the very definition of “bright lights, big city.” It is less a concrete space than a concept or an idea — a sense of place that resonates with visitors long after the visceral impact of the experience has passed.

The visual, emotional and experiential identity of a space like Times Square is wrapped up in – perhaps even entirely defined by – its branding initiatives, distinctive experiences and visual commercial components. The physical presence of the architecture and the composition of surrounding structures take a backseat to dynamic visual presentation and active human participation, and the lines between infrastructure and infomercial begin to blur. An increasingly popular term for this kind of stylized, interactive, high-energy landscape is: the brandscape.

Brandscaping

Town Square, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Creating brandscapes involves much more than just spectacular signage; although large-scale signage and the compelling interplay of art and architecture do play a significant role in the process. Brandscaping weaves the brand itself into the structural and conceptual geography of a space. It is a broad range of directed experiences, powerful emotions, leveraged opportunities, coordinated exposure and marketplace positioning — a collaborative and self-reinforcing dynamic with a whole network of direct and trickle-down benefits.

A Synergy of Space and Spirit

While the idea of the “brandscape” has been around for many years — the term was first coined by marketing scholar John Sherry of Northwestern University in 1986 — the concept of applying comprehensive and targeted brandscaping initiatives to lifestyle centers and other new public spaces, and the extent to which those strategies have evolved in dynamic and unforeseen directions, are relatively new phenomena.

Gordon Group Holdings' The Pier at Caesars, Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Brandscapers are just now recognizing the idea's staggering potential, and even those at the forefront of the movement have been surprised by its positive reception and rapid development.

Michael Forte, CEO and president of Clear Channel Spectacolor, the leading signage company in Times Square, explains that, “We have conceived of a new business model that is meeting with excited interest from corporations who have been exposed to it. From our years in Times Square working on some of the most famous signs in the world, we have seen an ever-growing trend in advertisers wanting to extend their media buy into more promotional/experiential and even retail opportunities.”

The Ellman Companies' Westgate City Center, Glendale, Arizona.

“Instead of just advertising, Branded Cities addresses the more fully realized needs of today's corporations,” Forte continues. “It can offer brands a more direct link to a return on their marketing investment, give them inescapable, uncluttered and exclusive presence and allow them the freedom of developing true experiential marketing.”

“From the developer point of view,” Forte says, “Branded Cities can enhance their own return on investment by providing revenues streams that do not necessarily require four walls and a roof. In addition, the branded cities approach helps to enhance the visitors experience and has even been shown to motivate retail leases as well.”

Brandscaping a new development enables retailers and service-providers to establish a robust market presence in new and exciting ways, and to articulate their message with unrivaled impact and clarity. This underlying opportunity is the initial toppling domino in a cascade of positive impacts that is reshaping the next generation of mixed-use developments. The many ways in which all parties designing, developing, managing, experiencing and enjoying brandscaped destinations benefit from this phenomenon aren't always immediately obvious — but they are profound.

Think Big — Start Early

To understand brandscaping's scope and potential, it may be helpful to use a theoretical example to demonstrate how the interplay of brand and designed space can influence a project.

Say Clear Channel Spectacolor works with a national soft drink vendor (Company A), to identify an opportunity in a new retail development. The demographics seem favorable; the location is right; they are interested in advertising. Traditionally, companies approach a space after it has been built, with the inherent restrictions and inhibiting factors (structural materials, sightlines, inadequate sponsorship potential, restrictive building codes, incompatible infrastructure) that limit commercial advertising opportunities. In this case, however, Company A gets in on the ground floor. They want more than just a billboard; they want a brandscape.

Before groundbreaking, Spectacolor and the developer work with local officials to relax local codes restricting the size and composition of commercial signage, paving the way for the large electronic display that Company A prefers to use whenever possible. Spectacolor consults with the architects and construction engineers to make sure that the exterior facades of their retail space can accommodate the dramatic cantilevered signage they have planned. As part of the brandscaping arrangement, Company A arranges an exclusive market presence within the project; its soft drink brands will be the only soft drinks served at all restaurants in the development, and it will supply cups (with the Company A logo, of course) to all vendors. Soda machines are planned for key pedestrian walkways. The large movie theater anchor not only arranges to serve Company A's soft drink, but develops a schedule of cross-promotions — ticket stubs redeemed for a free drink, “Company A Night At The Movies,” etc. Company A, sensing an opportunity, approaches the developer to ask about sponsorship opportunities. It decides to sponsor a central fountain plaza — a feature that wouldn't have even been economically feasible before Company A stepped in —and the “Company A Fountain Plaza” directional signage and wayfinding materials all feature the Company A logo. In addition, the project's open-air entertainment amphitheater schedules the “Company A Concert Series” during the summer.

In one coordinated effort, Company A has inserted its brand into the fabric of the new development, ensuring positive associations, guaranteed placement, a steady stream of consumers and top-of-mind status. The project benefits from bigger and better facilities, the name recognition of a nationally recognized commercial brand, the public appeal of interactive activities and engaging programming, and the increased energy and vitality of a space enlivened by breathtaking signage and bold architectural styling.

Brandscaping opportunities can be molded to reflect different industries or business practices. For example, a telecommunications company could augment its retail presence by providing Internet and wireless service for a new development, and arrange to be the exclusive provider for area residents and businesses. An automotive supplier or car rental firm could sponsor a valet parking service, including the company logo on valet tickets and complimentary key chains. The possibilities are essentially endless — limited only by the imagination of the brandscaper and the creativity of the participants.

Control, Coverage and Creativity

Prime advertising space in Times Square can cost upwards of $1 million for a year. Brandscaping opportunities command premiums that dwarf traditional ad rates. But, why? Why is a brandscaped development such an attractive option for many retailers, advertisers and marketing professionals?

Companies are constantly trying to position their brands to corner the marketplace — but what if they were the marketplace? What if they if they were able to fully integrate their brand into the scenery, structures and experiences of target consumers? What if they could create a brandscape? Businesses spend millions of dollars trying to achieve maximum exposure, market saturation and a competitive monopoly. They struggle to maximize brand recognition, achieve positive associations and secure premium placement in front of a targeted audience with favorable demographics. Brandscaping allows them to do exactly that – and to control factors like exposure, coverage, frequency, positioning and turnover. Brandscaping presents the brand concept alongside the actual commodity, conflating products with experiences and emotions, and positioning goods and services in front of a large group of potential consumers who are physically and intellectually situated to make purchases and form lasting brand associations. Perhaps most importantly, brandscaping doesn't just maximize existing opportunities, it creates new ones — collaborations, relationships, activities, sponsorships, promotions and creative presentations that simply aren't possible in existing developments.

The lucrative potential of a brandscaping effort that encourages an effective cross-pollination of ideas and experiences provides architects, designers, developers and investors with the financial and creative flexibility to construct bigger, more vibrant and compelling destinations. Brandscaping relationships last years, and the higher fee scales and reliable flow of capital allow developers to take greater risks and create more ambitious projects. These destinations, in turn, feature a more diverse and established tenant base and attract larger numbers of visitors, thereby increasing the brandscaping value of the property. In short, establishing an energized advertising landscape initiates a feedback loop, a self reinforcing dynamic that benefits all parties.

True Value

The French impressionist painter Claude Monet once said: “For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life — the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value.”

The true value of brandscaping is equally dependent — or, perhaps more accurately, interdependent — upon the “surrounding atmosphere.” Creating that atmosphere from a structural and conceptual blank slate is the secret to the phenomenal potential of the brandscaping process. Retailers' and advertisers' ability to dictate the extent of their participation and influence their physical, stylistic and creative relationships with retail and entertainment centers are privileges worth paying for. From conceptual design to groundbreaking, ribbon-cutting and day-to-day operations, negotiating sponsorships and dreaming up innovative ways to insert messages and products into the very heart of a retail, dining or entertainment experience gives advertisers an opportunity to do what they've always wanted: help to create venues that allow consumers to experience — to see, hear, taste, touch and even smell — a brand on their terms.

Ultimately, while the impact of successful brandscaping can be counted in dollars and cents, the true value of the brandscape is gauged in quality space. The real measurement, the legacy of the brandscaping phenomenon, will be evaluated in the currency of excitement, the impact of visual energy and architectural flair, and the value of larger, more vibrant and more interactive physical spaces.

John Clark is president emeritus of Baltimore-based Development Design Group, a leading international architecture, planning and design firm. Contact him at jclark@ddg-usa.com.


©2005 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.