No more primary colours for soft play centres
WRITTEN BY: ALISON JOSHI – CREATIVE DIRECTOR – JWJ DESIGN
As a brand expert with over 10 plus years of industry experience in the leisure and visitor sectors I think it is time that we re-address the norm of soft play branding and stop using primary colours… controversial… possibly, but as with all things trends are changing and the leisure sector is no different.
Having spent a fair few hours of my life in these places, from a parent and professional perspective, I have made many observations about how these companies are branding themselves and the environment they are creating with said branding.
A parent’s perspective
We would probably choose to visit these places more if we didn’t have to put up with the following:
• Uncomfortable seats – plastic chairs and tables
• Ball pits – I have a real aversion to them (to me they just breed germs and you just don’t know what is at the bottom of that pit.)
• And most importantly; sensory overload with extreme use of bright colours and bad use of typography
Design and marketing perspective
I think it is time for these venues to really think about who they are targeting with their marketing; who has the spending power and who makes the decision on how often to return.
Soft play businesses CAN stand out in an exponentially growing leisure market and stake their claim in the list of family destinations by thinking about the whole customer experience, everything from the coffee that they serve through to the environment that they are creating.
As a soft play centre what can you do to not fall into the same patterns as other businesses, and instead to stand out and grow…
Think about who is your target customer?
Soft play centres are aimed at young children but who is booking the tickets, choosing to spend their money to go to these places, choosing to buy an annual pass or even host a child’s birthday party?
The parents are actually the real decision makers and target audience for this market but yet I am finding many soft play businesses are focussing primarily on the children when it comes to their marketing and visual identity.
From a brand image we don’t want the soft play centres to start looking like trendy coffee bars but I do think it is time to smarten up the brands and start appealing to the audience who has the spending power.
Standing out from the competition
Soft play centres have always been branded with primary colours and rounded fonts so why is it time for a change? I think the main reason for this is competition and ensuring you are standing out in the most effective way whilst still communicating with your target audience.
20 years ago when soft play centres started popping up at trading estates there wasn’t much competition, when I was a child the only thing to do was go to the cinema or bowling! Fast forward to 2023 and we have empty retail units that are filling up with indoor golf and climbing facilities; shopping centres and business parks with trampoline parks and escape rooms… the leisure industry has exploded with variety – the choice people have now is endless and you are competing with them all.
It’s time to get rid of Comic Sans
When you’re designing your marketing hopefully comic sans (or Verdana rounded) doesn’t make an appearance, but if it does it is time to find something else NOW! Remember you are talking to the parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, not the children. There are a plethora of font choices, find something that is fun, has personality but doesn’t look dated. Teaming up quality, fun, modern fonts with a more considered colour palette will refresh your brand image.
What’s wrong with primary colour branding?
We need to talk about yellow and red… it’s suited the fast food industry for years and yes that is aimed at a young audience – but fast food chains are all about fast, quick, cheap and convenient – these brand attributes are not what you want your business to communicate.
You want to communicate a fun, memorable experience, a destination of choice for parents – yet your primary colours reflect a cheap, throw away image. Colour can communicate so much, often at a subconscious level, and we want to make sure that the colours you are using are saying the right things and provoke the right thoughts about your business.
Fun, energetic feelings are not just limited to primary colours – think about different shades, tones and combinations of colours that may help make your brand feel more sophisticated and target the demographic that has the spending power.
Brand positioning
Before we start ripping out all the primary colours in the brand we have to ask ourselves what it is you want to be communicating about your site. What is your USP that will make people book tickets rather than visit the free library soft play round the corner? Is it the quality of slides, role play corners, food and coffee available, size of the space or even the variety of equipment you have on offer?
Whatever it is that makes you different from everyone else you have to put at the forefront of your communications.
Branding is more than the logo
Once you’ve found your USP and a momentum for your branding (without any comic sans) you should look at how your brand can expand into your space. In a soft play area you have more capacity than just a logo at the entrance. Your brand should encompass things like your wall graphics, imagery, signage, chairs, coffee that you serve, and even the language that you use on your website and onsite.
Your brand could shine and become memorable in your location – plus as an added bonus, you can charge the prices you need to cover the running costs by raising your profile and becoming a higher end soft play facility.
Investing during a recession
It may feel extravagant to start investing in re-branding when times are difficult but actually businesses that invest during a recession are more likely to thrive.
“In the 2008 recession, many businesses debated whether to trust the economy, and advertising expenditure dropped by 13%. Yet statistics showed 3.5 times more brand visibility for companies and organisations that maintained their marketing output.” ICAEW Insights (Aug, 2022)
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that soft play sites have the ability to change and become more relevant in the leisure industry once again by focussing your branding on your paying customers, raising your profile and feeling like a destination of choice again for parents.
If your branding and customer experience is making some of the mistakes I have outlined above then please do get in touch, I’d love to discuss how we can take your brand to the next level and reinvigorate your business once again.
