A friend of mine is the president of a bank. Over casual conversation with him and one of his vice presidents, they both expressed frustration in not being able to hire bright, young MBAs to come to work for them at their corporate offices.

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Frustrated by continually being turned down, they started asking every person they interviewed if they would consider working at the bank. The unanimous answer was “No.” The reason: “The office is so boring and old fashioned I would go crazy working here.”

Eager to fix the problem, the president called in an interior designer to fix the problem. The solution looked suspiciously like the current space. The proposals of two additional designers had the same, predictable results. This really isn’t necessarily the fault of the designers. In fact, it happens more often than we realize.

What’s the problem here? The bank is struggling to adapt to radically changing expectations concerning work environments. Perhaps the designers hear the word “bankers” and assume

“conservative.” Ordinarily, this translates into traditional wood décor, private offices, thick carpet…and quiet.

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Now, bankers should be a conservative lot – especially considering their recent performance. But that’s still not the issue. The central issue is that the space is not in sync with the new generation of workers or with the evolving attitudes of the president and his management team. Business casual rules. iPhones and iPads are ubiquitous. But no one could look beyond the walls and the stolid, dark wood furniture to see that they were the real impediment to a productive work environment.

The bank doesn’t need to install foosball or pool tables and stock the fridge with beer (after all, managing other people’s money is serious business), but they do need to seriously look at how the physical layout, the function of the furniture, and the other “invisible” amenities like access to sunlight, the welcome sound of coworkers interacting, proper seating and task lighting play a key role in shaping an environment. Addressing some of these issues might have made all the difference.

Instead, they invested in some potted plants.

-Tom Miller

Photo ©Thomas Mayer via ARCspace.com

It’s been an interesting journey starting Darwin Branded Environments. The genesis of Darwin was the observation that there seemed to be an overwhelming amount of work environments that were not consistent with their company’s brand message. Historically, brand gurus and their creative staff work on creating logos, messaging, public relations, marketing collateral, and websites. Interior designers and architects design spaces that meet the needs of the client with the latest trends. It’s not too often that the two disciplines collaborate as a team in designing a physical environment. Ideally, a company communicates their brand through all touchpoints- not only externally with the clients, vendors and stakeholders, but also internally defining their culture. Why not use the office, distribution center, or manufacturing facility to tell the story of your brand promise?

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When I’ve been asked to explain “what is a Branded Environment?” my initial response has been to state a few retail examples like Starbucks, BMW, McDonald’s, Apple and Nike. Their brand messages are consistent across all touchpoints: products, website, social media, marketing material, retail stores, corporate office, and even factories. All are part of the brand experience. These companies invest in developing their own unique culture that is also part of the brand experience.

Branded Environments seems easy enough to understand when it applies to retail. Could this same philosophy apply to corporate environments? We started looking at the workplace and found some interesting things going on. We found it interesting that companies typically have a very healthy budget for marketing products and services, while not considering the physical environment as a marketing tool. Typically companies will spend money on the spaces the client will see, such as the reception area and conference rooms. The staff area is often neglected, even though it is the heart and soul of the company, and where great things should be happening. Why not make this the showpiece? The world is changing; the workplace needs to change too. Gen Y replacing boomers, technology changes, economic recession, environmental sustainability, and globalization are all part of these challenging times. We need to do more with less and focus on authenticity. People do business with people- not the company. Does your workplace foster innovation, creativity, and collaboration? Is attaining/retaining the right talent important to building your culture?

Miller Brooks PR transformation

So, here is my answer to the original question: A Branded Environment is a place or space that extends a company’s brand experience and can be expressed though all senses. One of my favorite quotes that is timeless: “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.”- Sir Winston Churchill. It’s a great time to analyze your current environments and leverage your brand through your most important assets: people, technology, and real estate. Give us a call or drop us an email if you would like to start a conversation!

-Carolyn Schlaifer
President, Darwin Branded Environments