4. Public

"It's been said that when people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate one another. We look to others for information about what is right or good to do in a given situation and this social proof shapes everything from the products we buy to the candidates we vote for." (Berger, 153)

The first part to Berger's concept of being "Public" discusses the social proof of a product or service. Berger describes this as the "monkey see, monkey do" behaviour of most people. The more we see a brand, product or service being used by people, the more likely we are to consider trying it. The trick is how to get a relatively private service out in the public.

"We need to be like Lululemon and Livestrong and create behavioral residue, discernible evidence that sticks around even after people have used our product or engaged with our ideas. We need to make the private public. If something is built to show, it's built to grow." (Berger, 153)

The second part to the concept is "behavioural residue". The public elements that are created, cannot just be one time things. Berger's Lululemon example looks at their bags. Most stores will give you a branded bag after a purchase which helps their public visibility as you continue shopping or carry it home, but once you get home, it turns into a garbage bag, or gets thrown out. Lululemon gives you reusable bags that can become grocery bags, shoe bags, lunch bags and get carried around again and again, thus taking the public visibility and adding behavioural residue to it.

At Pegasus we've done a few successful things in these areas. We give out dance bags with our logo on it to all new students, and from time to time to the entire school. These bags are now all over the neighbourhood, being worn to dance class and other places by students.

Another area that has longer lasting, if a little less public, behavioural residue are recital videos. Many student's DVD shelves are lined with DVD's of their dance recitals. Memories that are on display to guests in their houses and that last a lifetime. As a school that is thirty years old, it is amazing how many alumni are now bringing their children to dance class, because their memories are so strong from their own childhood.

Here is an example of Pegasus dancers participating in a community event wearing a Pegasus T-shirt and a tutu to make our brand public.

Public Pinterest Board