There is a sub culture of society, one made up of office agents who are armed with buildings as brands.
Why spend so much time and energy creating an office brand, it's just a building right?
For the last 10 years we have specialised in branding, websites and general marketing for commercial office buildings. Working with developers, agents and landlords to define a strategic creative approach to their building and execute it with the sole purpose of attracting the right type of tenants and retaining them long term. Both are important and done well brand plays a key part in both, office agents in particular have recognised the importance of brand in furthering their efforts and those at the top of the game are arming themselves accordingly bringing not just buildings, but brands, to their clients.
We believe that treating buildings as brands creates an identity and possibilities far in excess of simply the buildings address – though of course where the address is the brand this can be extremely powerful. Whilst naming and branding buildings is nothing new, think of the perceived equity for office space in Trump Tower for example, what is happening across the UK is confluence of factors turning this seemingly harmless strategic, creative and commercial exercise into polite warfare.
Across the UK and beyond there are companies and organisations fighting to bring their staff back into the office, compromising on work from home days, coaxing with placemaking perks like free yoga, free gym or even leveraging practical amenities like bike storage or shower facilities. But whilst staff wellness teams and HR managers are busy making these transitions you have company directors deciding if their 20,000sqft of space is really needed for a disparate staff 3 days a week. So maybe it’s time to look else where, this is where a new war begins.
There is an army of highly qualified agents that know the commercial office market better than anyone, their profession is a combination of strategic market and sector analysis, defining space and place that might appeal to various sectors – their prime objective is to execute deals that benefit building owners, landlords and the company they’re bringing in. Whilst a lot of commercial office companies work together on deals and support each other (rather surprisingly to me at first) on tenant requirements and search, they are non the less in a very amicable turf war, with available office space the battle ground.
Many years ago we were posed the question on how to retain rental yields in an older commercial building and for us the answer was and still is – by building a strong brand, turning a space into a place that people want to be a part of.
Lee Isherwood
Persona Studio – Creative Director.
Most relatively new office buildings across the UK have very similar if not identical specifications, there is a question of what space is available where but if we assume for a second that multiple spaces meet all the criteria for a certain tenant, then how do they ultimately decide between agent 1’s space and agent 2’s space. We believe that brand makes this difference much in the same way it does for the trainers you buy or the restaurants you visit. Thankfully so do an ever growing sub set of agents who recognise that strong building brands give them the edge.
We believe creating a strong brand is crucial for commercial spaces, it goes beyond aesthetics—it’s a strategic tool that adds value for property owners, businesses, and customers alike. A strong brand identity will make a commercial space more recognisable, appealing, and memorable, helping it stand out in this competitive market. It influences tenant and visitor perception alike, creates a sense of trust, and enhances the overall experience, whether through cohesive design, signage, or digital presence. For businesses within the space, a well-branded environment can reinforce their own brand values and attract the right clientele. Ultimately, branding increases foot fall, boosts tenant satisfaction, and drives long-term profitability by creating a space that people want to visit, work in, and return to.
The second part to this is the perceived long term value of the asset. Once a tenant is at the end of their lease, why would they stay, yes sure there are possibly some delap’s and moving costs etc but they could potentially strike an offset deal to cover that so why on earth would they stay – what if the brand of the building is such that they feel a level of loyalty to the brand, an affinity to the space and their office is a part of this. Equally from an external perspective, an issue facing buildings time and again is that they depreciate in rental yield and the price they can demand over time, many years ago we were posed the question on how to retain rental yields in an older commercial building and for us the answer was and still is – by building a strong brand, turning a space into a place that people want to be a part of.
