A touchpoint is where a person comes into contact with a brand. Most companies cam have up to 100 touchpoints ranging from in person interactions and advertisements to emails and their online presence.
When designing our touchpoints we must ask ourselves who our ideal customer is, what is the brand personality, is there competition, how do you make your customers feel and what is the story behind your brand. All these things can take time but as long as we are consistent, create emotional and use experience we can create good brand touchpoints.
Touchpoints which use motion might include an animated logo or for our banking app an ATM screen which introduces motion to make the task easier.
These days nearly every brand has merchandise of some sort whether it official to that company or created by a third party. It ranges from t-shirts, mugs and bags to even posters and business cards. In my opinion merch touchpoints can be some of the most effective as they can be seen everywhere and get your brand name out through people who like your brand and will give it a good rep.
Stationery could be classed as a form of merch although you can have a lot from branded notebooks and pens to pencil or laptop cases. Even on my own desk I have stationery from a number of different brands and companies.
The environment in which we create for our brand is very important. People think environments that are bright, clean and minimal. Apple stores are a really good example of this as it looks extremely precise and minimal which reflects the brand as it feels expensive where as in Primark where it is packed to the brim with clothes and stuff all over the floor you don’t get that feel.
Literature such as flyers and books are a great way to promote a brand. Flyers can be dispersed quickly and reach many different people and improve business. For example recieving leaflets for the local spar or take away through your door or a prospectus for a university you want to this about attending.
Packaging is a big part of buying products, especially if they are more high end of generally expensive. The way a product is packaged changes your view on not only the products but the business itself. When you buy a piece of jewellery from the likes of Tiffany & Co. the experience starts with you opening the bag and then removing the ribbon from the neatly tied box or sliding the box apart to open your new iPhone before removing the plastic seal from the screen. All these little things are touchpoints which really enhance a brand.