This week on the NH Brand Project live radio show, hosts Michael Cameron, and Co-Hosts Rich Collins speak with the Creative Director and Marketing Strategist of Andree Van Oss Creative.
Andree has a number of fingers in the New Hampshire entrepreneurial pie, having started the Buff & File Nail Bar (a manicure and pedicure salon) in downtown Portsmouth. She also engages in freelance graphic design and marketing and manages business identities through Van Oss Creative.
Andree brought some great experiences to the show and left with a poignant message that everyone can take away and apply to his or her own business. As a New Hampshire native, Andree loves the state, as she was born and raised around beautiful things – mountains, streams, oceans, and trees – and came back to continue to build roots here after experiencing college in Upstate NY and working briefly in DC. She chose New Hampshire because of access to so many great things from skiing to the arts and culture in great towns and cities and the great sense of community surrounding its’ residents. So what’s the message? Aesthetics Matter.
“Aesthetics help people make buying decisions,” says Andree, and companies need to focus staff and energies on an individual or a team who can be the designated “Keeper of the Vibe.” By this, she means staff who can design, develop and promote a consistent look/feel/experience that consumers recognize and relate to, that tells the brand story. While it is important to manage and curate social media for sharing “the Vibe” – the real experience a customer has is uniquely their own, interactions with the staff, the customer service, the products – even the packaging. Just think about Apple, and you suddenly understand. The big picture around a company brand is partly aesthetics – look attractive and people will, in turn, become more attracted. Attractiveness being anything from quality craftsmanship to clean recordkeeping systems. This explains the draw of local towns like Portsmouth, Conway, and even her hometown of Hollis – there is pride in aesthetics, the people, and the community.
It is no surprise that someone with a graphic design background believes aesthetics matters – and in a town like Portsmouth that is chock full of creative agencies – this idea proves itself a winner time and time again. Companies are investing in their presence both when engaged with consumers face to face as well as their online or “Carryover” presence that exists in the periphery. Establishing an attractive, engaging, warm and inviting company culture seems to be working.
Andree invites you to check out her website and work at http://www.andreecreative.com/
Information for this blog gleaned from the live weekly radio show and podcast, The New Hampshire Brand Project produced at WSCA 106.1 FM. The show is hosted by Michael Cameron, CEO of WinWinatWork.com, and Executive Recruiter for HRExecrecruiter.com. Michael helps companies develop successful talent management strategies and recruit senior HR and TA leaders. Rich Collins is the author of this blog and co-host of the NH Brand Project, and in his free time works as a freelance web and social media guy at Thirst Productions.