New signage can be a big secret when a re-branding campaign is involved. The Lauretano Sign Group, for example, recently created all-new signs for Northeast Utilities, keeping the designs and manufacturing process on a need-to-know basis even within the facility.
When the signs for the new company — called Eversource Energy as of Jan. 7 — were installed at 11 sites throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire, they were carefully covered with vinyl so that they wouldn’t be seen until their official unveiling Feb. 2.
New attention to signs is part of an intense focus in the marketing industry on not just labeling companies or their buildings, but creating a brand with a personality that consumers can relate to — and an image that will persuade those consumers to choose one company’s products or services over a competitor’s.
CEO Mike Lauretano Sr. said this isn’t the first time his workers have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements, and that in fact branding is taken so seriously within the corporate world that such restrictions are the norm.
There’s no doubt that outdoor signage serves an important purpose in branding a company and driving sales. “Signs serve as a type of silent salesperson for your business,” Chris Joseph explained recently in the Houston Chronicle small business section. “Exterior signs draw attention to your place of business and help differentiate it from others on the street.”
Expanding Signage Options
Signage and printing companies are offering more options than ever to keep up with growing demand for highly visible outdoor branding materials, and expensive fixed signs aren’t the only option.
In a Feb. 12 article for Talk Business Magazine, Scott Hartley recommended that businesses on a tighter budget consider vinyl signs. “From humble roots years ago, the vinyl banner is now a high-tech, durable and highly flexible communicator that offers great returns on investment,” he wrote, suggesting that they can double as effective tools for both outdoor advertising and indoor events such as conferences and exhibitions. Because vinyl banners are lightweight, they’re easy to hang in a variety of indoor and outdoor spots.
And far from being made obsolete by online marketing, Hartley argues that print marketing can make an even bigger impact in the real world than it used to: “Real, touchable communications place brands and campaigns right in front of their target audience, day after day.”