While in Chicago this week I had the opportunity to take the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) Skydeck Tour yesterday. It’s a great vantage point of the city but one thing I learned was that the CNA Center is painted red and has been that way from the start. It’s red only for the purpose of standing out.
If you look at the picture you see that there’s really nothing structurally remarkable about the building but painting it red makes it stand out from all of the other buildings. Everyone else in Chicago built their towers taller or gave them unique architectural features if they wanted to stand out, but in this case the CNA people just painted it red. How simple is that?
I think there’s a lot we can learn from the CNA Center. Our business may be like a lot like others but we can still do something to stand out. While everyone else is trying to go bigger or give there business some unique twist, how many little things could we do that are the equivalent of standing out boldly without redesigning the entire building?
Red paint is simple but bold. It took guts to do this. It’s totally normal except for one thing, and that one thing makes all the difference.
As you evaluate your business, your marketing, and your social media efforts, look for the opportunities to paint something red. It’s probably closer at hand than you ever thought.
