Sensory Branding

In addition to visual and sonic brand strategies, Mastercard has also embarked on a journey to tap into the sense of taste. Taste has a very close connection to the primal brain. It affects consumers rapidly. For the most part, people tend to like or dislike a taste instantaneously. And if they don’t like something instantly, it can take them a long time to acquire a taste for it.

Product experience is the ultimate determinant of brand loyalty. Design of that experience is one of the few areas where creativity can still provide a tangible and sustainable competitive edge. However, the brand experience extends far beyond the product to all brand touch points, including advertising. Recently I heard of an example of advertising that literally was a touch point.

Have you ever been in a café when suddenly, over in the corner, a baby starts giggling? If you have, you might have noticed that every woman, regardless of age, looked up, momentarily distracted from her coffee, magazine or conversation. It’s as if women are hard-wired to tune into this sound.

Most marketing plans appeal to only two senses: sight and hearing. Why so limited? How come almost all marketing and brand building concentrates on two senses when we know appealing to all five is likely to double brand awareness and strengthen the impression a brand leaves on its audience?

Some time ago, I was flicking through a copy of ‘People’ magazine, when I beheld something on its pages that caused me to just about fall off my chair. An ad promoting a TV series about Elvis, which was to run on CBS, was the source of my surprise.