Britons favour subtle branding on market stalls, with more than 90% shunning heavy advertising, research shows. A survey carried out by pop-up gazebo supplier Gala Tent asked the public: What level of branding would make you more likely to approach a stall?
A ‘simple logo’ was sufficient to attract more than a third of respondents, gaining the highest proportion of votes (33.7%). Ryan Bracha, business development and marketing manager at Gala Tent, explains: “There is a fine line between communicating the nature of the stall and making the branding appear too brash. There is currently a lot of support for local businesses and the public undoubtedly warm to the more personal approach. Over branding can sometimes be feel a bit too slick in this environment – which of course is great for bigger, more established companies – but can lose the local charm for smaller traders.”
The current demand for natural produce and ethically sourced goods has been met with the influx of markets featuring artisan and small farm produce. In keeping with the nature of their products, traders are taking a humbler approach to advertising. The survey results found that more than 90% of respondents favoured either minimal or no branding.
In contrast to the modest branding favoured by artisan stalls, over-branding can give the impression that a business is monolithic and overly commercial, provoking cynicism and ultimately losing customer empathy. Despite the negative reaction to excessive branding, more than a quarter of people said stalls still need to display clearly presented information.
Ryan adds: “Branding is all about appealing to your audience and adjusting the level of communication according to the trading environment. Heavily branded stalls are much better received in more corporate venues — such as trade shows or large exhibitions — where a higher level of competition requires stalls to ‘shout’ louder.”
