Unlike those in the media who love a good disaster story, my take on the recession is slightly different. Look at the majority of businesses that are suffering. They are, for want of a better word, ‘traditional’. Banking, automotive and retail, to name just three.
In business, just as in evolution, it is the mutations that drive development. When traditional models and methods are suffering, the key is innovation, innovation and more innovation.
Innovation on the UK High Street
In the UK, our high streets are becoming increasingly populated with empty, boarded-up shops. On 14th April, Community Secretary Hazel Blears announced the government’s ‘Empty Shops revival plan’ which involved putting community, art and informal learning projects into empty retail spaces.
The text of this much hyped ‘plan’ is littered with the word ‘temporary’ and constantly safeguards the opportunity for landlords and planners to return the premises to its original and ‘commercial’ use.
Right Idea from the Wrong People?
Now, I think repurposing high street spaces is an excellent idea, but I have two major issues with this plan.
Firstly, why exclude ‘creative and cultural’ from being ‘commercial’ and secondly, why on earth would you seek to safeguard a return to a high street business model that that has failed in the modern retail landscape. Maintaining the status quo should not be an option at this point, thinking about how to adapt should be.
The old notion of high street retail has been on the wane for years. It’s time to look at the high street in a new way. Not as a challenger to out of town superstores, those days are gone, but to the new high street; a place that holds a fantastic opportunity for powerful consumer engagement.
Destination: High Street
“Brands taking over high street retail spaces, not to sell, but to entertain and engage …”
Brands thrive on being able to generate engagement and trust amongst their consumers. The high street space, as it becomes more affordable and flexible, could allow brands to develop a channel of experiential and event based marketing on a localised basis. Red Bull Air Races comes to your high street. Well, maybe not, but you get the idea.
Brands taking over high street retail spaces, not to sell, but to entertain and engage through local artists, performers or educators, or by bringing art, sport and entertainment to those who would otherwise struggle to access it, seems a natural extension of the consumer demand to be entertained. T-Mobile and their staged flashmobs are a good example of this.
Brands need to be seen to improve or enrich our lives in some way. Adding colour and vibrancy and bringing life back to our high streets can achieve this. The high street becomes a destination in its own right, no longer just retailing, but still providing an important commercial and community function. If successful, the influx of visitors could actually spark demand for a revival of service led retail.
So, the simple idea is transforming vacant high street properties into consumer experience and engagement spaces for brands to drive loyalty. The targeting should be a no-brainer. I’ll leave the matching of brands to towns, spaces and activities up to the rest of you 
A Few Quick Examples of Branded Spaces
- Teen Vogue brand experience
- Brand spaces on Springwise.com
- Popup Art Gallery in Soho
- Disney Brand Galleries in retail spaces
Pic: Flickr
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Interesting…. I work in social media space and have been thinking about the parallels between experiential marketing (events) and social networks recently…
Conversation, Community and Coalitions (of interest) are all common themes that would support your vision of rebuilding the high street using ‘branded spaces’ IMHO