…continued from Marketing, Taking It to the Streets in Rockridge…

It seems that in these Rockridge storefronts, the cool, “less is more” mantra of visual marketing has given way to the urgent, “I need to tell you something” text-heavy version of marketing.

This excursion got me thinking, Do all the words slow me down and beckon me to engage, or do they create a messy, untidy storefront that sends me to the next shop?  And mostly, it got me thinking, Who is doing this best?  And what can I learn from these leaders to help my clients in their businesses?

Bella Vita gives us a creative S A L E and reminds us that they have been voted Best of Oakland with the text on their magazine-provided brochures.

Arellano goes for the “part of the establishment” approach by telling us they’ve been 20 years in Rockridge – impressive. Longer than I’ve been anywhere!

I can see pop-up signs in the windows behind these moms. I gotta move in for a better view!

redhound uses a crisp font on a small paper format to remind us that they’re more than product – they offer classes and help pet owners with licensing their pets.

Tootsies seems to have a whole lot to say — from promoting a long-wearing nail polish to one of my favorite text window pop-ups — we’re hiring. Yeah! That’s good news, right?

Fenton MacLaren and Rockridge Furniture & Design both seemed pretty skilled at the feature/benefit aspect of using text in the storefront.

I’ve been stopping to look at this vignette for at least three weeks.

I’m not in the market for colorful, metal furniture, but if I were, this (Rockridge Furniture & Design) would be my spot. I love the playfulness of the window, and I think the editorial “conceived in the Eiffel Tower Age” tag appeals to those who want a sense of history and culture to accompany their lifestyle purchases.

I thought I’d end with a shot of this Picnic in the Street poster, hanging in Market Hall. You can tell from the effort put into developing the event, the local merchant participation, and even the design of the artwork that creating a sense of community is important to the people who have their livelihoods based in Rockridge.

It’s this kind of engaged passion that sells during tough times.  Anyone can ride a boom.  But only the strongest and most creative will prosper and thrive in the busts.