With new products to introduce, the second-generation Panera bakery-café was a fresh take on traditional artisan bread with the virtual conveniences of a digital-age neighborhood gathering place.
The new store focused more keenly on the art of bread, its irresistible aromas, textures and tastes, and the craft behind it. The perfect example was Panera’s new artisan breads. And it accommodated the ways customers were using the bakery-cafes by creating a variety of seating and worktable options. And adding Wi-Fi.
Once again, Heckler Associates worked as a team with Panera's architect to make sure every surface reflected the brand's uniqueness. To signal deep roots in the culture of bread, the bakery case, positioned near the entry, maximized the multi-sensory delights of the baked goods. Original bread-centered artwork created a casual art gallery feel. The overall space was divided into smaller areas made for dining or relaxing between meal times. Wi-Fi and community gathering tables made Panera a great place for meetings, work and personal time.
Heckler Associates developed all grand opening communications that accompanied the rollout of the new design. We updated the wall menus and designed a new bread brochure to engage the consumer in the traditions of artisan bread as well as to list all the varieties offered. Table tents illustrated of an aspect of baking as well as the seasonal theme and highlighted products. The newsletters we designed highlighted individual Panera bakers, recipes and more details on the art and history of bread. Beautifully illustrated Baker's Notes profiled each type of bread and ways to use it.
At Panera Bread, well-designed space and merchandising bring the brand story vividly to life, not only for customers but for employees. This welcoming space also serves as an important recruitment tool and benefit for employees. Good branding also makes good operations.
Good visual merchandising invites continuous discovery by customers. And for Panera, seasonal merchandising provided another layer to store design. Throughout the year, Heckler Associates designed seasonal, holiday, product-launch or product-themed promotions to engage the customer throughout the store. These Celebrations included colorful banners introducing the seasonal theme and special products. We designed the banners to be artful, tasteful and inviting, like pieces customers might have in their own homes, the opposite of what one might expect to see in a fast-service restaurant.
One celebration banner in particular featured a popular Panera ingredient—Asiago cheese. Not everyone can pronounce that word at first glance so we created a funny, hand-drawn character with a thought bubble showing the phonetic spelling of "Say Ah-see-ah-go." It was one of our first celebrations and one of our favorites; Panera used it several times over the years.
Special menu items were announced by greeting stands at the end of the ordering line and were highlighted on menus. Impulse and add-on purchases were suggested at the cash wrap. Packaging, newsletters, literature and the web site all added to the brand story and the customer experience.
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Crafting Extensions and Advertising for Record Growth