Branding Opportunity or Ugly Concrete Posts?

As Shareology was circling Target for the 14th time last week, she started to notice that Target may be unique in its ability to turn a 3 foot high red ball or concrete barrier at the store front into a branding statement:

Target and those 3 foot high red concrete balls at the store entrance

How do other stores deal with store fronts and the need to protect the random driver from crashing into a very expensive entrance?  Let’s see how Best Buy, Sports Authority and Harley Davidson deal with the same issue.   Let’s see what branding opportunities are hits and which are misses.

Best Buy: Ya think they park the car here for the sheer Branding Power of Geekness?

Further Away:  Looking Good

Oops:   Why no beautiful blue or yellow carried through to the concrete barriers?   Like we’re not gonna notice them if they’re beige?

Let’s see how Best Buy’s neighbor handles the same challenge with a tad more integration:

The Black Posts repeat the shading of the Red Logo: Yay!

Looking Good!   Sports Authority is making its corporate colors work by repeating the shading color with the concrete barriers.   Didn’t we always say how important accessorizing is?

And the Winner Is!

Shareology has to admit she was very pleasantly surprised how Harley Davidson in Eden Prairie, Minnesota handles the concrete column challenge.  They don’t!   Instead we have this garden wall.   (Don’t you always shop for your bike surrounded by flowers and garden walls?)  Hey, you’re not gonna drive your pickup through this concrete garden wall, trust me!  So function is served.   But on least a couple of occasions, Shareology has sauntered through this garden and the bikes for sale wondering if she shouldn’t consider another mode of transportation.  

So:   what do YOU think?  Target’s use of the 3 foot round red concrete balls on four corners of their lot, plus at the store entrances, is a strong and unique branding opportunity.  Or do you prefer the outdoor shopping environment Harley sets up in Eden Prairie?  Shareology wants to know!

Kay Roseland   @KayLoire