The Importance of Sensory Branding
Most big brands use some level of sensory branding and you can too. All brands can create a sensory experience around their products and services using different types of stimuli. Being able to perceive a brand creates a connection. A connection that can be shared with others. An experience that feels real.
” What is real? How do you define ‘real’? If you’re talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then ‘real’ is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.”
― Morpheus, The Matrix
Well in this life, this reality, this game, whatever you want to call it. Those electrical signals really do matter. Sensory is important. Giving people the ability to remember and categorize a feeling is also important.
Giving people the ability the recognize your brand based on a sensation is a powerful edge.
We experience our reality through our sensory nervous system. That’s just how our brains developed from childhood to adulthood to help us experience the world around us.
” Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks.”
― Source: educationalplaycare.com
Furthermore sensory is on the rise. I’m know that sounds confusing. “What do you mean sensory is on the rise?” you may ask. Is feeling new to us? No, but the different types of pollution that we’re exposed to every day is clouding our senses, so people seem to be longing for just sensing things more than ever. Have you heard of ASMR? If not check out this link: ASMR: What Is It And Why Are People Into It?
Please note that sensory is hard to apply to small businesses. There is a risk it can look gimmicky or simply hard to implement from a logistical standpoint. Nonetheless, small businesses need to know what sensory branding is and see if it can be integrated into their brand experience. Whether its a jingle in your youtube videos, a cha-ching sound when someone places an order on your website. Or a smell when you go into a store. The possibilities are endless when it comes to stimulating the senses.
Now that we explained the importance of sensory experience. Let’s see how we can apply that to our small business brand. So here is how we’re going to do this. We’re gonna try to figure out how the big boys do it. We’re gonna reverse engineer sensory branding used by some big companies and see how it works. That will help us determine what we can adopt or stay away from as a small business.
The Different Types of Sensory Branding Used by Big Companies
Visual
Good brands are undeniable visual, although simplicity is key here. It all starts with the logo and the brand colors. M&Ms for example, that “m” and that brand yellow are so basic but how can you ignore or forget it. It’s so simple yet so iconic. You can easily pick out M&Ms branding in a store, an airport or swiping down on your phone.
Audio
When I sit down to watch Netflix and I hear that intro sound effect that comes out with the logo. My brain tells me its time to chill. It’s just a simple sound effect, yet it’s so recognizable.
Taste
The Big Mac sauce! I’ve had Mcdonalds around the world. The burger itself might taste a little different but the sauce is always the same. That’s how they managed to make one sandwich, made by different people around the world taste identical.
Smell
Abercrombie & Fitch! Every time you walk into their stores you smell their cologne “Fierce”. Some people like that, some don’t, however, that’s their signature and most people who visited their stores know it.
Touch
The iPhone. When you first take out the case and you hold it in your hand, it just feels different than any other phone on the market. That aluminum unibody is an experience in itself. I would even go as far as to say that all Apple products feel a certain way to the touch. Do you think that’s a coincidence?
Final Thoughts
A lot of questions presented themselves writing this blog post like: would sensory branding increase your sales as a small business? Would it work for a small business? Does it matter how people perceive your brand? Well, it came down to one thing: attention to detail. It shows you care how people experience your brand. It’s that simple, don’t just create a brand, create a brand experience.