Master Your Restaurant's Brand: Pauline Brown, Former Chairman of Louis Vuitton

Longtime leader in luxury goods and former Chairman of LVMH North America, Pauline is renowned for acquiring, building, and leading some of the world’s most influential brands. In her groundbreaking new book, Aesthetic Intelligence, she shows businesspeople how to harness the power of their own senses to create products and services that delight their customers and build businesses that last. Her book is based on a course that she designed and taught at Harvard Business School. Here, she looks to our industry, walking us through how to build a successful hospitality brand. Click to sign up for our weekly newsletter. Click here to book time on my personal calendar. Click here to download our Restaurant Recovery Guide. Want to streamline your front-of-house operations and increase sales? Head over to http://restaurants.yelp.com/fullcomppodcast to claim your free page and learn more about these powerful tools for your business. SHOW NOTES What is Aesthetic Intelligence? Taste A higher level of perception The ability to discern and communicate what looks and feels good Grew up as first-gen Jewish American in a creative but practical household Going into business doesn’t always embrace the creative side It took Pauline many years to combine creativity with her business knowledge The importance of creative briefs Marketing document Roadmap for the brand plan Stems from the company’s central idea into a more fixed template for branding How to create a creative brief for a restaurant Start with the core idea/usp/story The core idea needs to be relevant, original and engaging to capture the imaginations of customers Create an execution strategy to communicate that idea to customers A central part of a restaurant’s idea - how do I want people to feel? Getting to know the customer on a basic level What do they order? What is the occasion they come to your restaurant? How much do they typically spend? What time of day do they come to the restaurant? Getting to know the customer on an advanced level Mood state Who are they as a person? What drives them? What are the wanting to feel in the restaurant? Empathizing with the customer and getting to know them elevates the brand Creating a “halo-effect” Building anticipation before they come to the restaurant Creating long-lasting memories for the customer after they have left Aesthetics don’t need to be expensive Nice things don’t need to cost a lot of money Practical ways to save money aesthetically improving a restaurant Consider the things you are already doing e.g paint a wall. Could that wall be a different color? Making the same decisions more mindfully Editing and taking away can also be effective Having lots of capital can be a bad thing Lots of money can make people lazy Less money = more resourcefulness and creativity Restaurants are not easy businesses Most restaurateurs think very practically as operators Tips to uplevel the customer experience in a restaurant Sound design Lighting design, down to the color of the bulbs Visual design - small details Pitfalls to avoid Hiring a team that is not passionate about what they do Amazing service leaves a lasting impression