Brand you

Entrepreneur, Feb, 2004

Don't be alarmed if you see a Geiger counter at the Atlanta office of Atomic Fusion, an interactive services firm that provides brand solutions, or if you're asked to don a lab coat and an orange hard hat. You may even get a can full of "energy rations"--those fiery red candy balls you loved as a kid.

Everything in the office, dubbed The Reactor, reflects the interactive agency's energy-centered image--right down to the orange decor and the energetic attitudes of Fusionites, as the employees are called. Company president Travis Granville, 35, says this manic branding attracts and retains customers and employees. "If we're telling our clients that their interactive brand is important, we ought to exemplify that," he explains.

That's not a waste of energy, explains Marsha Lindsay, president of Lindsay, Stone & Briggs, a Madison, Wisconsin, marketing firm for the retail industry: "It's much easier to integrate your brand from the start than trying to get people aligned after the fact." Lindsay offers some tips for smart branding:

* Use visuals. Atomic Fusion's logo, office and giveaways an reflect the company's image.

* Don't communicate too many messages--one or two key themes work best. Virtually all Atomic Fusion's imaging efforts reflect the "energy" theme.

* Align employees with your brand mission. If the staff doesn't buy in, it usually won't work. Granville says the company's image breeds loyalty in Fusionites.--G.M.