As brand strategists, we feel a heavy responsibility to unearth—and then communicate—the essence of a product and service. And as we go through the process, what emerges from a myriad of choices is a feeling captured in images and words and colors and a specific tone. Our canvases are typically the web and all that can be poured into it—videos and infographics and text for sites, abbreviated versions of same for social media and its accompanying invitation to respond and re-post—ephemeral physical locations like trade show booths and sales offices; outdoor signage; broadcast; and traditional print collateral.
But what if all that were also bound up in a permanent physical space? What if we added architecture to the mix? And what if the “product” was how we see ourselves as a country and how we memorialize—as we must—a truly gruesome event?
Reading Adam Gopnik’s New Yorker piece “Stones and Bones: Visiting the 911 Memorial and Museum”, I was struck both by how difficult and how familiar was the task he described. It is no accident that it was published in the issue that dropped 4th of July week; it is about how we think of ourselves as a nation, how we write our history, and yes, how we brand ourselves. Mr. Gopnik’s deconstruction of all the elements is impressive; his writing superb. Here’s a link: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/07/07/140707fa_fact_gopnik.