The Red Telephone Booth is more than just a conversation piece. It is an enduring treasure. Imagine the streets of many cities without it.

Upon closer inspection, your marketing approach should reflect the continued success of the red phone booth. In fact, there are three key marketing lessons we can learn from his entrepreneurial approach.

A phone booth was once considered a modern convenience, but that’s no longer the case.

And while technology and cell phones have made phone booths all but extinct, red phone booths remain, often taking on new life in many diverse and exciting ways.

Why? It is a testament to the power of an iconic and expansive brand.

First, a bit of history: The Red Phone Box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1924, is a familiar sight on the streets of the UK, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar.

While the original started in Britain, red phone boxes have also been seen in Australia, New Zealand, Norway, and Israel and in several states in the US.

According to British Telecom archives, in 1980 there were some 80,000 red telephone boxes across the UK. trans 3 Timeless Branding Lessons From The Red Phone Booth

Clearly, the red phone case as a “powerful brand” has stood the test of time, a rare thing today. So what can we learn from its success? Here are three take-it-to-the-bank takeaways…

Lesson #1: A superior brand builds an emotional connection

The red phone booth was born from functional roots. It wasn’t just a phone booth, many boxes also dispensed stamps. And yet, even as the use of phone booths dwindled, the red phone booth has become a beloved part of both the culture and the landscape.

As such, faced with the threat of demolition, the population demonstrated, searched and won many telephone booths that were declared historical monuments.

In contrast, if the red phone booth were seen to represent a faceless telecommunications company, such an emotional connection would not have been possible and the phone booths would have ended up in the dump years ago.

Lesson #2: A Superior Brand Can Overcome Perceived (and Real) Obsolescence

Does anyone use a phone booth anymore? Especially since mobile phones are so common? So why are the red phone booths still here? Here’s one reason: because the brand was more powerful and enduring than the original function and purpose of the actual box to begin with.

The red box is seen as part of the cultural landscape. So while some boxes have been declared historic landmarks, others have been turned into internet kiosks and one into a book exchange/mini-library.

In essence, the mark, representative of the color red, the shape and the crown, was considered more valuable than the function for which it was originally intended.

Lesson #3: A superior brand can overcome geographical and cultural barriers

The countries and places mentioned earlier in this article had a choice with their telephone booths and decoders. They could have been designed and painted differently.

However, they choose the iconic red box. In doing so, the design of the red phone booth brought together different languages, cultures, and backgrounds.

In fact, telephone kiosks are manufactured as flat packs by commercial vendors and shipped around the world for installation in places like bars, restaurants, and offices.

Obviously, these uses are not like working phone booths, and yet they are fully representative of the brand, its mystique, and its remarkable staying power.

What does this have to do with public relations and online advertising?

Much. Especially if your product, service or business could benefit from accelerated visibility. Public relations and online advertising is one of the most effective and credible methods of gaining recognition and visibility for your brand. And more.

And just like the red phone booth, online public relations and advertising can overcome geographic and cultural barriers, as well as help successfully define and differentiate your brand and positioning.

Once again, what made the red telephone box a success was transforming the generic and commonplace into a brand with personality. (Red is a color of action and attention; look no further than stop signs to learn why.)

For your purposes, it means that your advertising should be based on a story. Always strive to create the narrative that will earn you positive publicity and exposure while building that connection with your audience. Following the three lessons mentioned in this article will help your online marketing and public relations outperform the competition.