Some flash is crucial to mating rituals in the animal kingdom. You have to stand out from your competition to attract a mate. The peacock, with its plumage of blue, green and gold feathers and elongated tail full of eyespots, is one of the more prominent examples that comes to mind.
I won’t get into deep detail on a peacock’s appearance as it pertains to courtship rituals. Going back to Charles Darwin’s theories on sexual selection to more recent hypotheses, there is some scientific debate about how exactly a peacock’s appearance serves as an advantage for reproductive success. The point is that an eye-catching visual helps attract whatever it is you’re seeking. For the purposes of those reading this column, that means prospective customers.
One of the companies featured in this month’s issue, Cornel’s Plumbing, Heating & Air in Portland, Oregon, went through a rebrand not long ago — new colors, logo, website, service vehicle wraps, the works. According to Mario Morariu, who co-owns the company with his father, the rebrand has had a big impact.
Says Morariu: “Just from a cultural standpoint employees love it. And our customer base loves it. We’ve gotten tons of feedback. The feedback I get is usually when I encounter somebody I haven’t talked to before and I mention our trucks. Most of the time they’ve seen the vehicles because we have people on the road. It just seems like the attention aspect of it has been big with us driving around constantly and people seeing us in the neighborhoods. Being a cohesive, professional brand has yielded results. We’re not the cheapest on the market, and we don’t try to be because we provide an outstanding level of service. But it helps to have a really put together brand for that first impression with customers.”
A cool logo and eye-popping truck wraps don’t do it alone. You have to come through on the service end to truly impress customers and retain them for repeat business. But the visual appearance of your company can be what attracts them initially. An attractive outward appearance doesn’t guarantee the professionalism of a company, but I would say it’s a strong signifier for people if they have nothing else to go on.
I’m no different than any other consumer. I value function over form, but all things being equal, I will choose what looks the best to me, what attracts my eye. While on a weekend trip recently, I was driving around town and noticed a plumbing van with a sharp wrap and color scheme. “Cardinal” was a part of this company’s name, and to accompany that the business logo was an anthropomorphized cartoon cardinal in a plumber’s uniform. The red, dark blue and teal color scheme definitely caught the eye. If I lived in this community and needed a plumber, this company would probably come immediately to mind and I’d give them a try. Of course, they would have to provide great service for me to keep them top of mind next time I needed plumbing services, but their branding would draw me to them initially. A company with more subtle branding — providing equal or perhaps even better service — simply wouldn’t catch my attention.
This is not necessarily revelatory, and many of you have the type of branding I’m talking about here. For those who don’t, it doesn’t mean you’re doing poor business necessarily. Through word-of-mouth and other marketing factors, you might be doing just fine with your workload. But if you’re looking for a spark, branding is something to look at. Gaining new customers can be as simple as being the brightest peacock.
Enjoy this month’s issue.
