How good is Chesterfield? What does the UK population think of Chesterfield? Are we thought of as a bit gray? Can this perception be improved?

Crush Design will do everything we can to uncover and present everything thats good about the peak district.

We will also try to help the local business community with free advice and seminars on website design, branding, marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO).

Please send in your design work, or ask a question and I hope this blog with come alive with local work and ideas.

Thank you for participating.

Jonathan Worsley

    

A logical mind would struggle to explain why Starbucks, Innocent smoothies, Orange and ipod have done so well. Strip away the brand and you have products that are no better than their rivals, but cost a great deal more.

Blind tasting tells us Pepsi has a 50/50 split on preference with Coca Cola. So why, when you introduce the brand, do the guniea pigs put Coca Cola as 70/30 favourite?

The simple answer is - we are not rational animals.

"Excuse me sir, can I ask, why did you spend £100 on a boozy night rather than save a human life in Haiti?". A logical mind would have no difficulties in prioritising spend.

I can give hunderds of examples to prove to you that customer choice, to like or dislike, is instinctive guided almost completely by basic needs. In today's society our needs are social: acceptence, friendship, sexual, status, etc. And these needs don't just drive the selfish boozer; the humanitarian warrior who is sacrificing everything for others is doing it for the social status, acceptance and need for approval (though they will tell you otherwise!).

So, back to your company's brand. My advice, get ten people (preferable similar to your customer profile) and have them look at your logo, letterhead, website, advert or what-ever. Then allow them to give their opinions anonomously, so they can tell the truth without any social consequences. Ask them to commit to either "yes I like" or "no I do not like".

If you get more no's then the chances are your brand is instinctively putting off customers before you get to speak to them.

If you want to know more, I will be giving a presentation on developing the right brand for SMEs on behalf of Business Link in Chesterfield in April. Updates on when and where will be psted on the Business Link and the Crush Design websites.

Hello all,

Just a quick note to give you forward notice of a planned talk Business Link have asked me to deliver on brand development and marketing for small business.

Crush Design are also planning to offer free brand and marketing workshops after the talk.

It will be in the last two weeks of April and I will be sure to posts the dates as soon as they are confirm.

Regards

Jonathan