What might you do that’s just a little bit above or beyond or unexpected?

I’m in a tiny town in central Germany (Michelstadt) and enjoying the cobblestone streets, buildings built hundreds of years ago with mud, wood and stones and the shining and surprising September sun.

How far are you willing to go with your brand? [Michelstadt, Germany]

How far are you willing to go with your brand? [Michelstadt, Germany]

On the ground in front of a T-Mobile shop I noticed the stones had been arranged to make the T-Mobile logo. Out of stones, small, large, colored and expertly arranged.

You don’t have to do anything. You can choose to do nothing.

They didn’t have to do this. Well, maybe they have to keep with city ordinances and keep the historic feel of the town, but they also could have chosen to do nothing. But they didn’t. They adapted to the city’s style and went the extra mile and made a logo out of the same small stones as the surrounding area of the street.

I’m curious about the management decision to spend the money to create this. Did they truly analyze that it would bring in more customers? Did they think it might change the perception of a single potential customer by doing something different? Or did they just have an outgoing marketing manager in tiny Michelstadt who said, “We’re going to do this.” and that was that?

What are your reasons for going beyond what’s expected with your brand?