By JONATHAN FINE
I wandered past this billboard in a shopping centre in Bristol the other day and instantly noticed the missing apostrophe.
Banner with a typo in a Bristol shopping centre
Granted, it could be worse. They could have spelt Bristol wrong. And it isn’t THAT noticeable. Not as noticeable, for example, as when you see a grocer’s apostrophe on a shop sign (you know the ones, where people put in an apostrophe where none should be, like “apple’s 5 for £1”).
But, minor as it is, if I worked at Savills I would get it pulled down. Leaving it up there undermines the brand; it communicates sloppiness, laziness and incompetence.
With so much focus on digital sales channels these days it’s easy to forget how powerful a relevant and compelling piece of signage can be.
I know I come from the old school in my stance on this – I ran an advertising agency all through the 80s after all – but it remains true that you can expect a well designed (and typo-free) kerbside sign outside your business to produce a steady stream of enquiries, in person, at reception, every day.
This is as good as a lead ever gets because with a potential customer standing in front of you, you can use human marketing – the simple act of building rapport in person – to establish their needs and let them know how your business might be able to help them, if not now then at some point in the future.
People don’t forget these experiences very quickly and they come to mind over vague web browsing memories every time.
So don’t please don’t neglect your signage, and I’ll leave you with this little gem from Glasgow…
Sign spotted outside a dental practice in Glasgow
Best wishes
JJF