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Loading ...Others may cover the world but who thought to cover the mall?
I had a couple of hours before I was to speak at the Providence, RI Convention Center Friday night when the client informed me there was a mall on the other side of the Westin. That’s all I needed; occupational hazard.
As I strolled the Providence Place Mall, I noted the abundance of very high-end prosperous retailers on three levels. There were a ton of high schoolers, maybe because it was minus 10 outside or because it was Notorious Big’s opening night at the movies. I was just about done when I spotted what I thought was a cosmetics counter. 
I did a double take when I saw the Benjamin Moore logo. It was a kiosk in a high traffic part of the mall featuring small samples of Benjamin Moore paints along with design ideas.
What I particularly like about the design was how open it was and inviting. A quick Google search found this description from Benjamin Moore about it, “The Color Station is a customer friendly and interactive mall kiosk offering this Premium Brand and its quality products in a whole new way. Prospective candidates should demonstrate a passion and understanding of color, believe in the Benjamin Moore brand and be able to motivate our customers to choose colors and provide the confidence to complete a project. They also need to be ambassadors of the brand – advocating the retailer channel and driving their customers into our retail stores.” Yep, if you are looking for a manager job, they have an opening. But I digress.
This kiosk is an example of what the best brands are doing during a recession, looking for market share in unexpected places. While I’m sure the project was in the works before the Wall Street meltdown of last fall, it is right on trend.
Others will tell you 2009 is only about “value,” “discounts,” and “frugality.” If that’s the case then out the window are the words, “long lasting,” “easy to use,” and “quality.” You can’t have both; we all know that. That’s why I’ve only used Benjamin Moore for many years.
As a premium brand, Benjamin Moore has set a new direction for grabbing market share. Judging from the activity around the booth, all women – some with kids, it seems to be working. Oh yes, no “2-for-1,” “buy now with no credit” and no coupons in sight.
What examples of premium retailers being found in unexpected places have you found?
