Ironically, street names are not good at addressing marketing, selling andmerchandising issues and challenges.
Business failures, vacant premises and “tired” looking operations are typicalconsequences, and are the manifestations of inaction, and of many well-intentioned initiatives which simply focus on the wrong metrics.
Endeavours to reignite and re-emerge Parramatta Road and Oxford Streets inSydney, Chappell and Lygon Streets in Melbourne, James Street in Brisbane,Melbourne Street in North Adelaide, or Rokeby Road in Subiaco, South Terracein Fremantle, Oxford Street in Leederville, Albany Highway in Victoria Parkand Beaufort Street (Northbridge, North Perth, Mt Lawley and Inglewood) inmetropolitan Perth have certain common factors.
Roads, streets, avenues and boulevards can be long, transcending suburbs,localities and even regions. Therefore, business clusters, compositions andgroupings can, and usually do differ along the one arterial transport network.Hence, no single profile or brand accurately and appropriately projects acompellingly attractive image. Temptations to visit are soon overwhelmed byconfusion and multiple – if not conflicting – value-offerings.
It has been said many times (arguably unfairly) that the best thing aboutVictoria Park is Albany Highway… because it takes you out of the township andhas you end up some 400 kilometres south at picturesque Albany.
Attractive and appealing precincts, centres, squares and destinations areseldom defined by their main street.
Moreover, images, expectations, perceptions and selections are developed, anddetermine decision-making long before the consumer or consumers negotiate agiven road-way.
MYOPIC FOCUS
Great opportunities are often forsaken, but await those who are insightful onthe scope to project specific, relevant and resonating brand names fordiscrete business clusters and limited localities.
Bugis Street and Orchard Road in Singapore have been long eclipsed as theaddresses for bargains, discounts and fashion. Individual, differentiated andbranded destinations enjoy consumer interest, visits and transactions.
Even Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood has seen the sun go down on its boom-times.And on a broader scale, Route 66 in the United States of America remains inname only in most places. Tumbleweed and run-down vacated communities arestark reminders of that which was once dominant.
ROAD-MAP TO SUCCESS
Local government councils, chambers of commerce and business interest groupsare right to be concerned about tough times for local businesses. The key andmost effective triggers for positive prospective customer responses are wellbeyond street names, customer service training and the conduct of street-markets and erection of pop-up bouncy castles, for kids.
Creative, original and challenging rebranding will have people going to theirmobile phones, GPS and wallets to consume – and not to commute.
Barry Urquhart
Marketing Strategist
Marketing Focus
Mobile: 041 983 5555
Email: [email protected]
Office: (08) 9257 1777
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