the bluntest forms of advertising still exist it seems. when i first arrived in canadia i was surprised to see that sat on every roadside was a 9' by 5' temporary board decked in neon lettering. businesses of all sizes appeared happy to sell off these ludicrous rough-looking boards. it was cringing to see even the likes of IKEA were using a medium that pretty much raped the brand of any standards. the lettering was generic and the colour would be every tacky bright neon you can imagine.
welcome to the world of magnet signs. bizzarely, most businesses don't actually even sell their products or services but use them to plead/ beg people to come and work for them (such is the severity of the labour shortage out here).
i thought i would never go near them. i was wrong.
the problem for shaven haven (as julie and i sometimes endearingly call the cafe), is that we have no presence on the current pylon responsible for showing passing traffic which shops are situated in our parade. We have one small area on the pylon the size of a postage stamp and it just isn't worth getting a vinyl sign made up for it.
enter mr magnet signs. you pay a monthly rental fee and can make your message whatever you wish (I'm not sure if you are allowed to swear on them but I'm curious). my condition on using this form was simple - i had to have our logo emblazened on the board. i could sacrifice our font for the message but i could not handle seeeing our brand written as CAFE HAVEN.
so here is our attempt. i still hate it but i promise you, it looks utterly professional compared to the majority of signs around here! i also now own 2 nine-foot magnetised cafe haven logos!
there is of course the chance of vandalism. a local mcdonalds recently fell victim to such abuse when one of their magnet signs was tampered when advertising "come on in and try our angus burger". the letters were re-arranged to say "COME ON UR ANUS BURGER".
i think i could learn to love these signs....
2 comments:
Michael,
The signs are tacky but business is business and you have to do what you can to be noticed.
Word of mouth is working well for you and Gerri and I are trying to do our part to introduce new people to the best coffee place in Sherwood Park. Actually in my opinion it is the best tinme out spot anywhere in the Edmonton area.
I've enjoyed your blog and will stop in for another amzing coffee soon.
Randy
Thank you Randy!
You are completely right of course, and I suppose that is why I resigned myself to using the signs - because it is one of the most cost-effective ways to get awareness. Sadly, I feel that too many business rely on this method rather than invest in proper signage. One of my aims this year is to get established on the pylon. Branding is so important. Thanks for your comment!
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