One argument Tatts makes in support of regular image refresh at the retailer level is the need for brand consistency. I am told their reps say the company wants customers in-store to see a corporate image consistent with their marketing collateral used on TV, online and elsewhere.
This argument would carry weight if Tatts was consistent in its application of this desire.
Check out how how the shop at the Qantas terminal in Melbourne airport looks as of last night.
This corporate image is quite old – at least two, maybe more corporate image generations ago. Yet here it is, in a high profile location seen by many visitors to Victoria.
I am surprised Tatts permits it. Oh, and I do see it as 100% on Tatts and not the retailer.
If I was a Tatts retailer and under pressure re my corporate image I would be using photos like this one to make the case that how current a business looks is not that important, as Tatts appears to be inconsistent in its roll out of a consistent image … or at least that is what the evidence in the marketplace suggests.
This particular store is interesting in that the image is not the most recent prior to the current. That, to me, makes it useful in terms of the case I make here.
In addition to the corporate image is the matter of the digital screens, the additional in-store marketing infrastructure spend that Tatts says is vital to sales growth.l While I doubt there is any evidence from stores supporting that argument by Tatts, a high profile stores such as this one at Melbourne airport should have the screens, almost as part of the Tatts campaign. Yet, it is the other way, a step 10 or 15 years back, maybe more, suggesting the Tatts claims have no foundation.
While there could be regulations such as airport requirements, I suspect not given that the folks at Melbourne airport are focussed on their retail offer. Surely they see this offer as out of date, old-school.
Tatts needs to explain why the image of this business is okay while others with more a more recent image need to upgrade. They need to make a business case that stands up.
In my personal opinion, I think Tatts continues to place too high a financial burden on its small business retail network to upgrade image and install digital marketing, a burden that is not rewarded with the sales revenue boost that Tatts says will flow.