The Studio Source.com

Let’s go to dinner. My treat. You’ll love the restaurant and get something unexpected to take home with you.

Our maître ‘d is gracious and welcoming. We immediately feel like honoured guests as he seats us at a softly lit table with a pristine white tablecloth and sparkling silverware.

The room is filled with quiet conversation and easy laughter that weaves its way through the mellow sound of the gleaming baby grand piano in the corner. We settle in and ready ourselves for what’s to come.

The chef has prepared our menu.

Salad
The meal begins with pear and walnut salad, chilled to perfection. Artisan-made dishes complement the salad perfectly, and the server delivers it with such subtlety it seems as if the food has materialized out of thin air. We’re hungry, but eat slowly, savouring each bite and soaking in the delicious atmosphere of the place.

There’s just enough of a pause between courses.

Soup
Next is roasted red pepper soup garnished with fresh oregano and parsley. The aroma and texture are heavenly. The soup is accompanied by a small platter with fresh rosemary bread, roasted garlic, and olive oil lightly flavoured with basil pesto for dipping. We’re each presented with side plates and small, beautifully crafted knives to spread the garlic.

Once we’ve caused the soup and contents of platter to disappear, we wait for the next course, contemplating our Sauvignon Blanc as it catches the light through hand blown glasses. The server hasn’t changed the wine, so we anticipate something fresh and flavourful.

We are not disappointed.

Main course
Our now-beloved server delivers unto us lemon risotto with fiddleheads and asparagus, and grilled halibut garnished with lemon and a spring of rosemary. The vegetables taste fresh-picked, and the fish likely came from the wharf just a few hours ago. We’re rendered nearly speechless, except to ruminate on the nature of Nirvana and how sad it is the food probably isn’t as good as it is here.

We take a break before moving on to dessert, enjoying each other’s company and the sense of ease the proprietors have created for their guests. There’s original art on the walls, the lighting is modern but subtle, the chairs are comfortable, and the round table is the perfect size for intimate conversation as well as leisurely dining.

And dessert
We decline ice wine in favour of black tea. Almond cake, topped with delicate slivers of dark chocolate, arrives soon after. We stretch out the final course as long as we can, delaying the inevitable end of our evening.

*  *  *

Still with me? Give your head a shake—we’re about to make a small change to our feast.

Let’s serve our magnificent meal in a cafeteria.

Change the context, change the story
We’re greeted by the harsh blue zombie-like tinge and incessant hum of fluorescent tube lighting. That sound is mercifully dampened by the dull roar of the ventilation system. The walls are concrete, painted some headache-inducing combination of beige and faded red. There’s canned music piped in from the ceiling—tinny instrumental covers of hits from the 1980′s and ’90′s.

We pick up our food from a serving line. No courses—get it all at once or get lost. The dishes, cutlery and soup bowls are plastic, and the wine comes in a styrofoam cup.

The ambience doesn’t exactly jive with the food, does it.

Let’s try another variation: a Country & Western bar, complete with live band.

It’s the same meal. Does it still feel like lovingly prepared gourmet fare? You might decide it’s exactly the same and try to argue the setting doesn’t matter. But how does it feel? And what kind of price tag would you assign to each experience?

Granted, the above shift is a pretty extreme, but you get the point. And it leads to an important question: what “story” do you tell when you show your work to the world?

Context tells your story
Putting your work in the right context has a powerful impact on the way your audience perceives it. Your story is crafted from more than just what you create. It’s how you introduce yourself and your work to your customers—your words, the design of your website, pricing, the venues you choose, even your business card.

No detail is a throwaway.

Your customer may only be able to afford a salad, or she may only want dessert, but if you do it right, she’ll remember you and the care you took to create an experience that made her feel like an important guest rather than just another sale. She may come back wanting another salad—or she might decide she wants a four-course dinner.

Create an unforgettable experience
It’s not about how much money you spend—although at some point most of us have to invest real money in our businesses—it’s about the thought you put into every aspect of your brand and your marketing message. It’s about the story you tell.

Telling a good story isn’t about picking a theme and jamming it down the throats of your audience. There’s a big difference between funky and tacky, or between elegant and done to death. A good story creates context. Context creates atmosphere. Atmosphere seeps into the consciousness of your audience. Just like the ambience in an elegant restaurant, the context you create stays with your customers. They associate that feeling with you.

You don’t have to turn yourself inside out or agonize over every tiny detail. Just ask yourself: does this complement my work and reputation or detract from it?

Your brand is every experience your customer has with you and your business. When you align your marketing message with the quality and spirit of your work, you create an extraordinary brand.

Your turn
What do you think—do you believe context matters? Is the idea of a brand something you care about? Does presentation influence your buying decisions? Is the best way to learn about branding and marketing through your stomach?