When I arrived in Portland from New York about a year and half ago, I felt like I landed in a branding haven. Many Portland brands strive to create not just a place to hang out – they provide a great brand experience. In the late part of the last century, Starbucks aimed to do create a third place between business and home. Just 170 miles south in Portland, businesses have tapped into relevant insights about Portlanders, and are providing unique brand experiences to meet the needs of its customers.

Since I'm new to Portland, I’m always discovering new places. And I am constantly being delighted by the little things. The local brew pubs here actually have fantastic food. You can enjoy a beer while you wait for a haircut at Bishop’s Barbershop. Even my kid's dentist creates magical experiences for check-ups and cleanings (you can learn about it in my post about Brand Experiences). Here are some other examples of how places in Portland create exceptional brand experiences.

Uber Kid-friendly Restaurants

When I lived in New York, I remember getting the evil eye from watchful waiters as my kiddo waved a snack bowl full of Cheerios that would invariably fall to the ground. When I moved to Portland, I was amazed at how many restaurants catered to families with kids. These places tap into an insight that parents still want to have great dining experiences but often feel shunned from good restaurants. At many of the kid-friendly restaurants in Portland, there are great kid menus, awesome play spaces and fantastic adult menus with full bar options. They know that parents want great tasting food but also would like their kids to have fun and be occupied for a while. My two favorite kid-friendly places are just a few minutes walk from my house – Poa Café and Hopworks Urban Brewery. Tasty food, booze, a nice atmosphere, and a play space for the kids. What more could a parent want?

‘Soap Bar None’ the Best Laundromat – Spin Lounge

Spin Lounge has a cafe that serves coffee, pastries and nibbles. There are Happy Hour specials too.

Doing laundry sometimes sucks. But doing laundry at Spin Lounge is fun. When I first moved to Portland, I found the closest Laundromat and brought a month’s worth of clothing there. I expected to walk into a large room with cracked linoleum floors and large dingy machines, just like the ones I frequented in New York City. Instead I found a cool, clean two-story modern building with large, new Electrolux washing machines. Free natural washing detergent is scooped out for every wash. A café serves beer, wine, coffee and nibbles, and the lounge upstairs has a Shrek pinball machine and a few other coin operated machines. I got to wash, dry and fold my laundry to Depeche Mode and the Cure. I mean – who wouldn’t want to do laundry there? About 8 months ago, we got a new washing machine in our home. It makes laundry a lot more convenient, but sometimes I miss those trips to Spin Lounge.

A Book Lover’s Oasis – Powell’s

Beside taking a trip the obvious nature hotspots near Portland, the one must-see place in Portland is Powell’s – a local mega book store that has everything for the passionate reader. When you walk into Powell’s, you can’t help but feel excited about the possibility of beginning your next literary journey. You can find every kind of book under the sun, from geography and ornithology books to obscure literature and foreign language books. Powell’s merchandises its books much like a good website – with recommendations on what book you might like if you liked ‘Ready Player One’ (the book I am currently reading). They put new books in the same pile as used books, in case you want to save a few bucks. I always get great recommendations from their knowledgeable staff. Their kids section is fabulous. They sponsor readings, book events around the city and community events. Apparently Amazon just opened up a brick and mortar store in Seattle. When someone described it, I thought that they were basically describing Powell’s. I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The Most Inventive Ice Cream in America

Here I am with my family enjoying one very indulgent ice cream from Salt & Straw.

Long ago, I made a vow never, ever to wait in line, for anything (except maybe a $1 billion Powerball jackpot). I quickly started eating my words when I arrived here in Portland. Because if you want an amazing ice cream experience on a hot summer day, you will certainly wait for it at Salt & Straw, Portland’s premiere artisanal ice cream shop. As you wait in line you can ponder what kind of taste adventure you’d like to go on. On the rotating seasonal menu now is Candy Cap Mushrooms & Candied Walnuts and Sparkling Mimosa Sherbert. Their Portland classic flavors include Almond Brittle with Salted Ganache, Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper and Pear & Blue Cheese. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. You can get unlimited tastes, and the cones are all hand made in the store. Everything is fresh and exquisite. New Salt & Straw shops have opened in LA last year. If your town is lucky, maybe one will show near you.

I could go on and on about the great places I’ve discovered in Portland, but I’ll stop there. So, what can brand marketers learn from these branded experiences? Here’s a few takeaways:

1. Think about your brand as an experience, rather than just a product. Think beyond the confines of what your product is, and think about what experience your product offers. A Sharpie is not just a marker – it enables creativity and it makes a statement. Put in this context, it has the opportunity to meet consumers needs in more ways than selling markers.

2. Think about what will appeal to your target audience. If Salt & Straw said, “Oh, I think that mushrooms in ice cream will be polarizing,” they will be missing the mark on who their target audience is – Adventure-Seeking Foodies. Don’t water down your proposition because you think it will be better-liked by more people. Tailor your brand experience to your most passionate consumers.

3. Think about all aspects of your consumer’s experience with your product. Provide consumers not only with a great product experience but also a great customer service experience. Think of how they learn about your product and even consider things like how they will dispose of your product. I have tons of Apple boxes in various cabinets in my house because they make great storage containers. Apple has simplified my life in more ways than one.

4. Find ways to delight your consumer. Think about how you can provide more of what your target wants in a given category or needstate. I get excited just thinking about going to Powell’s because I love books. Not only can I buy books and novelties, I can sell my used books. They also have a print shop where I can make and bind my own books. When I think of books, I always think of Powell’s.

If you want more on this topic, read the blog post I mentioned earlier where you’ll learn the Four Steps to Creating a Brand Experience. Feel free to share some of your most memorable brand experiences here.

How Portland Does Branding