Marketing Services and the Customer Experience

Tutorial 10 Brief: Physical Evidence

Preparation for tutorial: In advance of the tutorial, please read the case study below: ‘Red Design’s graphic design studio’.

‘Red Design’s Graphic Design Studio’

We put a lot of thought into the location and the whole atmosphere of the office. We wanted to encourage our clients (marketing managers of FMCG companies) to visit us, rather than us visiting them in their ‘soulless’ offices off the M25. We knew we could build bonds more easily if they visited us in our environment and met the whole team (10 in total). We were something of a ‘boutique’ agency – not a one-man band but neither one of the big, impersonal London agencies. However, we prided ourselves on being just as professional as the bigger firms, and far more friendly, flexible, and adaptable. The location was just off junction 18 of the M4, so it was easy for clients to access, whether from Bristol or London, and yet we were buried in countryside, on the edge of the Cotswolds. The view from the office was one of green fields, a small stream, and old oak trees (the odd cow, buzzard, and woodpecker would appear at times too). The building itself was a barn, converted into an office, replete with original wooden beams. There were no other buildings within a quarter of a mile.

The office was ‘open plan’ aside from a meeting room that was used for presentations to clients. The office was painted a bright ivory. Lighting was both natural (one side of the office had ceiling to floor wooden-framed windows) and artificial (ceiling spotlights). All the desks, together with the square table and six chairs in the meeting room, were made from solid American oak – clean, fresh, and light in appearance (the owner’s son-in-law was a carpenter so he made all the office furniture apart from the red filing cabinets). The walls were uncluttered; there were just a few large prints from landscape photographs taken by members of staff. There was a selection of quirky items (a miniature rocket and an art deco lamp, for example) around the office. They were red in colour – to complement the agency’s name (Red Design). The ‘rustic’ appearance was contrasted (but enhanced we thought) by state-of-the-art computers. Designers only use macs (they won’t touch PCs!) and so every desk had a beautifully-designed large Apple monitor, keyboard, and mouse (no computer ‘boxes’). While most design now takes place on computers, we were keen to preserve a little of the feel of a traditional design studio, so we carefully ‘planted’ design pads, marker pens, and pantone colour fans around the office. We also scattered several A2 sheets of art paper with design ‘scribbles’ on several desks, to give the impression of creativity in progress.

Phil, the owner and creative director, loved gardening and so there were numerous flower boxes outside the entrance to the office. He was also a keen motoring enthusiast and his old Porsche 911 and Harley motorbike were parked outside the office. The car park was big enough both for staff parking and for clients visiting the agency. The car park was just a few metres from the office.

Inside the small kitchen was Red’s ‘secret weapon’: the espresso coffee machine. Mario, the client services director, wouldn’t let anyone else touch it, and would personally make coffee for clients when they visited – the best coffee in Bristol (or so he thought!). We were fortunate to be round the corner from a little village that contained ‘Hobbs House Bakery’ that makes the finest cakes (and bread) in England. So, whenever a client visited the office, a member of staff would make a dash to Hobbs and pick up a selection of cakes or sandwiches to go with coffee. If clients had a little more time, lunch could be had at the seventeenth century pub, ‘The Dog’, which was a three-minute drive from the office.

Aside from the office itself, we took care over the appearance of other items that clients saw or touched. Portfolio bags (to carry artwork to clients) were red, envelopes were red, and paperclips were red. Careful consideration was also given to paper stock for the stationery; paper was of a substantial weight and had a matt rather than gloss finish. Company brochures (which were square and just too large for clients to hide away, and lose, in a filing cabinet) were matt laminated but with occasional gloss varnish ‘spots’ for photographs. To round off the atmosphere, music was played (at a low volume) all day long. The favourite radio station was BBC Radio Six Music.

Tutorial brief in class:

Question: What responses (cognitive, emotional, and physiological) are Red Design hoping to trigger from their clients, and what stimuli will achieve these responses?