Mapping On My Mind
My last post generated a couple of comments, and just stuck with me. Maps, done well, can really inspire exploring and there are so many creative ways to approach it. If your brand could figure out a way to be part of this fun, youthful, adventurous sense, wouldn’t you want to?
Over a year ago, I wrote about the Bugaboo stroller artist-designed maps. Now, this clever Routefinder and all the other Google map "mash-ups" (I don’t pretend to be up on the lingo.. it just seems I’ve read that term in other people’s blogs lately) are making me think.
The obvious: a sports car maker could pay to create fun, gorgeous, hard copy (not GPS style) drive-planning maps.
The semi-obvious: a company like Target, so branded with "design", might create gorgeous maps (as they could do so well) of the great design museums or hotspots in the big cities of the world.
The not-as-obvious: A fine furniture maker could map the countries where the wood comes from, where the people who harvest it live, the trucking route the wood takes.. and so on. (I think I’ve seen maps like this at chocolate-making factories and in relation to coffee beans, for example.)
Clearly, you would not be looking for a sale here, and would hopefully be able to give these maps away for free to anyone (not just actual customers).
If so, you’d be tapping into the explorer in all of us, the person who may just get extra excited about your store or product if he or she knew even more of the details or could use maps you provide to take fun drives etc.
Just a thought… I know I’d be a sucker for any and all of the above. Thanks for the further inspiration, Steve and Serge.
