Generally speaking, girls have been stereotyped as having a horrible sense of direction. I, unfortunately enough, am one of those type of girls.

Take the following scenario for example:
J (my boyfriend) & I have to bring relatives out for dinner at Guu Original, a japanese izakaya in Downtown. So naturally, my relatives ask for directions on how to get there.

J: Walk down Robson and turn left on Thurlow
Me: It’s next to Banana Republic!!

Now for some weird reason, many prefer J’s directions over mine!  I now know how to push everyone onto the same wavelength as me. I shall distribute these brand maps in future whenever people ask me for directions:

Now everyone will understand me when I say walk pass Victoria Secret, H&M, Zara and Levi’s, turn right at Bloomingdales and meet me at Subway!

Branded landmarks are often the most easily identifiable things around us, so using stores and restaurants to find our way around should be nothing new. No wonder I’m a marketer. Even unconsciously, I’m portraying how powerful branding can be. Being able to know exactly what’s around you with a quick look at a map can be a huge timesaver.

CityMaps, the creator of these branded maps has gained a fair share of attention for using business names and logos to map out cities. The internet has changed marketing. The internet is social. Cities are social, and now – maps are too!

Isn’t it amazing how branding can evolve so much?