Selling the Library

I’ve been wrestling with my opinion of the Anythink Wright Farms in Colorado.  It’s hard to tell by the name, but Anythink Wright Farms is a library, part of the Anythink library brand.  Yes, you read that right, a library brand.  

Before I could form my opinion too much, I had to do a little research on branding (English majors don’t much of an education in marketing).  The definition of branding on about.com is “getting your prospects to see you as the only one that provides a solution to their problem.”  A good brand delivers your organization’s message credibly, creates an emotional link, motivates your buyers and establishes loyalty.

I am a pretty rotten consumer.  I usually (always) buy the cheapest thing I can get my hands on...I’m not embarrassed to shop at Dollar General, the Salvation Army or yard sales if I can get a good deal (which I always can).  But two brands that I am loyal to, and will pay a little more for, are Honda and Nike.  Both companies are extremely good at delivering the promise that their brand offers to consumers consistently.  Successfully defining your brand as a company involves examining your values, thinking about your mission and determining your product’s personality.

When Pam Sandian Smith decided to create (and trademark) the Anythink brand for the Rangeview Library District in Colorado she was helping the community see how the library could solve “any” problem they were “thinking” about.  At first I was a little disturbed that the library had to be sold like a bag of Cheetos, but then I remember how old I was.  I remembered that I learned how amazing the library was many moons ago when all we could do after school was watch Gilligan’s Island or do our homework.  In comparison, the library was like a amusement park.  Now the library has TONS of competition...the Internet, video games, cable television, I-pods, smart phones...kids have an amusement park waiting for them when they open their front door.  Smith has to demonstrate to them (and their ‘younger than me’ parents) why the library was still cool and worth visiting.

Here’s how they established a new library brand:  

• First they threw out everything about the old Adams County library (except the books) and hired Richochet Ideas, a creative consulting company.  They came up with a hip logo (a squiggle with potential), cool slogan (A Revolution in  Rangeview Libraries) and the overarching “Anythink” brand that permeates every aspect of the library experience.  

• They built an modern, flexible space for people to gather, play, hang out and be seen in (maybe near the indoor/outdoor fireplace) and they included a public park next door.  Of course, it is also LEED certified.

• They scrapped the circulation desk and set up stands for roving librarians, now called Guides, to perch at when they weren’t roaming the floor looking for customers who needed help.  They also scrapped late fees for overdue materials.

• Dewey was history.  Gone are the decimal points and lengthy number codes.  Wordthink is in - a system of organizing books that is similar to the bookstore.  Can you just imagine the signs (incorporating the Anythink brand) that help patrons locate their book?

• Little conveniences and attractions are sprinkled everywhere...a cafe for refreshment, a tree house in the children’s room and word games on their website.

Smith used her love of style and design to completely reinvent the library...there is nothing old, conservative or boring about it.  It is an amazing space that most communities would drool over.  In fact it reminds me of shopping at Hollister or Abercrombie...everything is beautiful, fun and makes you want more.  

Could ‘any’ thing be wrong with that?  I need a little more time to ‘think’ about it...come back tomorrow and see if you agree with any of my conclusions.