You may know how your brand is delivered visually. You’ve
probably got a firm grasp on what it should sound like. But what should it
smell like?
Years ago I attended a creative seminar that claimed it
could teach ways to think creatively. That’s bold claim that can – and has –
received a great deal of skepticism.
Creatives do like a bit of mystery around their work.
What the seminar folks talked about was “five sensing” a
subject. Exploring it with questions around vision, touch, smell, sound and
taste.
For example, take your upcoming Memorial Day Sale. What does it look like, feel like, smell like
and so on. Now maybe you’ll report that it’s saturated in red, white and blue,
feels like an outdoor picnic and smells like hot dogs.
But maybe you won’t.
Here’s another short example. You’re going to do a revamp on
dining room displays in your furniture showrooms. You’ve got the overall design
concepts and POP figured out. But would it be enhanced by the aroma of apple
pie?
This isn’t all about scent, an often overlooked factor,
excluding Target, who figured out eons ago to put a popcorn machine near the
door – communicating bargains from the old five and dime days.
Feel your displays, and not just through your fingertips.
What does it feel like to sit in the chairs you offer? What do your feet sense
through your shoes?
The teams I’ve worked with have used this off and on over
the years. Frequently the exercise turns up little that’s new. But there have
been the times when it’s powerful. And
that, seekers of the new and fresh, is when you’re really making strides to
fully flesh out brand delivery.
Have you used this technique? Even if you haven't – what ideas do you think could help you once you start thinking with your nose or fingertips?
Sandra Matthews, Nosing Out the Sweet Smell of Success
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