For reasons too opaque to go into, I visited the Cabot Circus website again this afternoon.
Based on the tiny amount I know of how businesses and organisations do branding exercises, I will assume that the Cabot Circus team (aka the Bristol Alliance) got their marketing and design people together in one of the office buildings where the Alliance's two partners are based - Land Securities at 5 The Strand in central London and Hamerson based round the corner on Grosvenor Street - and had that "let's think creatively about who we are as a retail concept" discussion so beloved of marketing and communications people.
Assuming the people in these two teams know their stuff, and have an understanding of their target market (Susan from Southville, perhaps) I find the result both revealing and depressing.
The average customer who might be attracted to the new Cabot Circus is, judging by the images on the home page, aged 20-35, white, single or in a relationship. In addition to this, they are perennially unhappy (not a smile on the model's faces) and, it appears, attracted to androgyny.
At least a couple of reasons therefore why I won't be at the front of the queue on the grand opening on September 25th.
Go on. Take a look. You know you want to.
Hmm.
Based on the tiny amount I know of how businesses and organisations do branding exercises, I will assume that the Cabot Circus team (aka the Bristol Alliance) got their marketing and design people together in one of the office buildings where the Alliance's two partners are based - Land Securities at 5 The Strand in central London and Hamerson based round the corner on Grosvenor Street - and had that "let's think creatively about who we are as a retail concept" discussion so beloved of marketing and communications people.
Assuming the people in these two teams know their stuff, and have an understanding of their target market (Susan from Southville, perhaps) I find the result both revealing and depressing.
The average customer who might be attracted to the new Cabot Circus is, judging by the images on the home page, aged 20-35, white, single or in a relationship. In addition to this, they are perennially unhappy (not a smile on the model's faces) and, it appears, attracted to androgyny.
At least a couple of reasons therefore why I won't be at the front of the queue on the grand opening on September 25th.
Go on. Take a look. You know you want to.
Hmm.
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