Weekend Brand Interactions part II

The second part of last weekend that I want to blog about in regards to branding is a trip to The Domain in North Austin.  The Domain is a new outdoor shopping development that is set up like a typical mall would be set up, with large department stores on the two end, and a myriad of shops lined along what looks like the main street of a small town.  In the heart of The Domain there are a couple of restaurants and a open area where bands sometimes play live music.

The concept of The Domain seems to be a trend in shopping areas around the country, in which they are set up to resemble a town center of sorts, where people can gather, eat, shop and socialize.  The Domain highly resembles a few outdoor shopping areas that I encountered in Los Angeles.  The Grove and Century City Mall (not really a mall though) were set up in very similar fashion.  The Grove looked much more like a small town center, with a large fountain and stage in the middle that was surrounded by nice restaurants, a movie theater, and a multitude of shops.  The Grove had some higher end stores, but not as many as Century City Mall, which was in the heart of Beverly Hills.  The Domain, I felt, was an attempt to be like one of the LA places, but one thing the LA places have going for them is that 90% of the time the weather is sunny and warm there.  An outdoor shopping area is not a choice destination in cold  and wet weather, or in the extreme Texas heat.  In Austin, The Domain is a brand itself, where the mention of the name can either elicit disdain or happiness.  Austin has an inner quality of being anti-growth and it attempts to remain different.  Austin takes pride that it is a small big city with a culture of music and art, as opposed to a busy city centered around finance and banking like some of its neighboring cities are (Dallas, Houston).  A place like The Domain comes across as new, modern, commercial, and excessive in the minds of some 'true Austinites.'  While on the other hand, for those who are newer to Austin and live further away from the downtown area, it is just a nice shopping area with stores they cannot find unless they do go to Dallas or Houston.  Austin also has a penchant for small family owned businesses, as can be seen in the adamant protesting of a new Wal-mart in North Austin.  The Domain is full of big corporate stores, which are a far cry from small, family owned businesses.  My personal feelings about The Domain are that it lacks authenticity because it seems to me to be just a copy of a similar place in Los Angeles.  It also seems to lack a feeling of authenticity because it is closer to the suburbs of Austin than central Austin, which to seems unauthentic in how tracks of houses all look the same.  Even so, if I had to choose between going to stores at The Domain or going to a mall, like Barton Creek Mall, to visit the same stores, I would choose The Domain for the reason that it is outside and more open, and that it feels more like a place for 'adults.'

A few of the brands that I either interacted with or noticed while at the Domain were Starbucks, Macy's, Bananna Republic, Tiffany's, Diesel, Puma, California Pizza Kitchen, Louie Vitton, Border's, Lacoste, Victoria's Secret, Apple and Sony.  Out of these brands, Starbucks, Apple and Bananna Republic are ones that I tend to frequent and use the most.  I have encountered Tiffany's a few times in buying gifts for my wife, and that is a brand that carries with it overpriced jewelry and instant gift giving praise.  Jewelry itself does not have a brand name.  A diamond is a diamond and silver is silver.  Obviously the maker of the jewlery can bring added value to it, but with a store like Tiffany's, the jewelry's value is increased by the Tiffany brand.  They have their signature light blue box and light blue bags, and from a guy's point of view, if I can find something to give my wife from Tiffany's that is within a reasonable price range, then I know that it will be a well appreciated gift.  I could find something that is very similar to the jewelry at another, lesser known store, but it would not have the same inherent value.  Tiffany's creates a certain imagery in the presentation and look that people can immediately define and know as Tiffany's/  Even the design of a single store builds its brand as a valuable jewlery store.  The double set of security doors along with the armed guard right at the front brings a serious and high class fell to the store, even if you are only purchasing a pair of $100 earrings and not a $20,000 diamond ring.  Compare this with the store Zales which you can find in most malls.  There is no single entry door and the walls are open to the mall.  But you can still find a pair of $100 earrings or very expensive diamond jewlery, but a gift from Zales does not carry the same value that a gift from Tiffany's would because the brands are viewed differently in the consumers mind.  There was never a movie made  called 'Breakfast at Zales' either.