How do you bring brand personality to a self storage facility?
Eastern Self Storage had an identity crisis brewing. Unlike some “sexier” industries, the storage industry is prosaic and straightforward. When it came to marketing, the options were limited to unit sizes and air-conditioning or no air-conditioning. Useful, but not terribly exciting. So even though Eastern Self Storage was best in its class in its geographical location, its brand personality languished.
Visual Creatives began our engagement with Eastern Self Storage by listening and researching. The central question was “What role does a self storage facility play in its customer’s lives?” We moved through the obvious answers (They hold people’s stuff) to the less obvious answers.
They are the first point of contact when out-of-owners move to the area.
They are the last friendly voice before moving to a new area or home.
They hold memories of lifetimes past and present, journeys taken and moments lived.
They free up space in people’s homes — space to breathe, play, add another person, start a new hobby.
But the answer that resonated with the leadership of Eastern Self Storage was this one: when you store your “stuff” safely, you can go anywhere.
Eastern Self Storage Discovers its Brand Archetype
Continuing through the discovery process, Visual Creatives helped Eastern Self Storage uncover its brand archetype, a step that is necessary when developing a brand’s personality and story. For Eastern, their brand archetype was the EXPLORER ARCHETYPE. Explorers look for the new thing around the corner, for the new path even in the middle of an old town. Explorers crave freedom and space.
Eastern Self Storage: Go Anywhere from Here
That phrase sums up Eastern’s mission, archetype and brand personality. Go Anywhere from Here. We’ll be right here taking care of your stuff while you go off to conquer a new world, a new town, a new job, a new home.
Eastern Self Storage is a small business with a strategic outlook. They began their brand personality reveal with their new business card design. Their logo incorporates an arrow to symbolize their explorer brand archetype. It incorporates liveliness and movement to represent their clientele, who are always moving.
Eastern is a good example of a reliable, stable industry using the principles of story and brand archetypes to bring alignment to all their brand messages and every touchpoint with their customers. And like many small businesses, they will continue to develop their brand personality from a marketing standpoint over the course of several months.
Go Anywhere from Here