Okay I am just going to come out and say it… I am a Swiftie.
I am also 100% aware that a little bit of Tay-Tay isn’t what a +40 male should be popping on his Spotify first thing in the morning. Yet here I am, smashing 1989 on a regular basis on my daily commute and loving every moment of it.
This isn’t a completely new thing for me. I have been listening to the wonderfully talented Taylor Swift for a good few years now. For those of you who are about to- or are going through a divorce, I thoroughly recommend her sultry tunes, smart lyrics, a crackling fire and a spot of Jamesons to kick start the healing process.
Fast forward 3 years and I am happily sitting with my kids at the movies watching Taylor’s latest offering to her millions of fans – Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour on the big screen. My daughter spends almost the entire time up dancing in the aisle with the other Swifties of a similar age. Being a distinguished gentleman of a certain age, I stuck to my seat – more akin to watching a crime drama than a pop singer – albeit with a little more foot tapping.
But as the movie went on, one thing became super clear – there was another star to the show who was shining as bright as Tay-Tay’s sparkling outfits – the SoFi Stadium sign.
courtesy latimes.com
By the time we were 10 songs into the marathon show (44 songs!), we were under no illusions – this was SoFi Stadium’s Eras Tour featuring Taylor Swift. I lost count of the number of product placement shots with the super-bright SoFi Stadium LED signs placed around the venue. I was very much regretting not making a drinking game of this, but I would be in no condition to drive by the end of it if that had been the case.
SoFi must have paid a pretty penny to Miss Swift to have such blatant product placement throughout the show. Whatever eye-watering figure was coughed up, it was surely money well spent. In the US alone, SoFi Stadium’s Eras Tour featuring Taylor Swift had 65,000 showtimes on opening day, totaling around 11.5 million seats. With almost 12 million people in one day being force-fed their brand whilst they watch their favourite megastar step, strum and shimmy for close to 3 hours – you can understand the attraction.
But this shows the power of smart branding and strong signage. It shows the importance of signage for any business needing to create awareness for their brand.
Enhancing Brand Recognition
When it comes to effectively communicating your brand’s character and personality, you want to make sure your signage makes an impressive first impression to anyone who sees it. Additionally, proper branding of your external signage will further underscore your logo and keep your brand top-of-mind to your audience.
Conveys Brand’s Personality
Whether it be a large LED sign like SoFi Stadium or a small directional sign as you walk into reception, it needs to showcase your brand, who you are and what you stand for. Working with a designer and referencing your brand guidelines are essential! Put extra care into designing your logo (avoid generic logos!), the font size (for signage… usually the bigger the better!), and the colours chosen – Contrast between colours is also key—more contrast, more noticeable!
Increases Brand Awareness
You want your signage to quickly and easily convey the message of your brand to potential customers, giving off a great first impression. Having signage, from branding to safety, that has your logo will help ensure your brand stays top of mind by being seen more often.
Cost-Effective Strategy
If Tay-Tay reached almost 12 million people in the US on opening day – think of how many people have seen the SoFi Stadium logo since the movie’s doors opened? With viewings in over 100 countries and 8,500 screens worldwide, the pay-per-impression (PPI) is off the scale!
And whilst you might not have your logo in any of Taylor’s future releases anytime soon, where does your logo get seen to have the maximum set of eyes on it? Is your business located on a main road or place with heavy foot traffic? Do you have company vehicles out driving on the streets? These are ideal places to have your brand front and centre.
Pay-per-impression (PPI) style advertising such as signage can be an extremely cost-effective form of marketing when compared to social media, print, and so on. Signage is often a one-time, up-front cost that can last almost indefinitely, making it a wise and lucrative investment of your hard-earned business dollars.
Conclusion
Don’t let your business be lost in folklore – fill that blank space with signage with style to get your business out of the woods. Okay I need to calm down, way too Taylor puns for one sentence – I know all too well that doesn’t work.
Get in touch with Brand Hero today for all your signage needs.