When it comes to brand engagement, experience seems to be the recipe for success. Technology has had a beneficial side effect: it has sharpened the desire for what is real; what can be experienced. Physicality and experimentation are currently overrated aspects if we consider consumer mindset. Inevitably, to experience something, it boils down to the five senses. If we summon experiences that inhabit our memory, it is easy to see that they are related with the domain of the senses: what we saw, heard, tasted, smelled or touched. Images, songs, flavours, aromas, textures, recollections of sensory experiences, all converted into mental and emotional responses. This explains the role ergonomics plays in retail, F&B (food and beverage), hospitality, and corporate events, among others. Enshrined in holism and a science no longer restricted to workplace environments or object design, the focus is now on user needs and wellbeing, and therefore on user experience.
Brands that choose to be present in physical spaces without doubt have to consider what kind of sensory experiences they can, and must, deliver to their users who may become consumers. And if the experience is about feeling, what about the fantastic five? What can we say about the five senses!? First and foremost, considering that overall experience will be an outcome of all sensations experienced, it is still possible to magnify each sense, allowing it to support a more far-reaching remembrance.
Flower show at Chantilly. Photo Chantal Garnier, Unsplash
HEARING: The sounds around us are unequivocally propitious to motivate a mood or state of mind by arousing feelings and emotions. Sound has been analysed as part of a set of consumer behaviours, such as time spent, mood, and movement, among others. Sensory stimulation through hearing can transform a brand´s concept into sound language, and should not be limited to customised playlists, it may also be sounds that reproduce certain environments, such as the sound of the sea in a bikini display, or the sound of birds in a camping shop. In a spa, music is expected to help people to relax. In a restaurant, music can amplify what we taste, or contribute to enhance the type of cuisine. Sound—interconnected with other aspects—can direct attention to a particular product or highlight the space’s environment.
In physical spaces, these five superheroes make a difference. Like a team, they can be trained to conquer people´s attention, respecting the three allied ergonomic aspects that must be considered as three “C” superpowers: comprehension, comfort and contact.
Main image: Sensory experiences inhabit our memory. Photo Are R, Unsplash
Sight impels touch. Photo Charles, Unsplash
OÍDO: Los sonidos a nuestro alrededor son inequívocamente propicios para motivar un estado de ánimo al despertar sentimientos y emociones. El sonido ha sido analizado como parte de un conjunto de comportamientos de los consumidores, tales como el tiempo empleado, el estado de ánimo y el movimiento, entre otros. La estimulación sensorial a través del oído puede transformar un concepto de marca en un lenguaje sonoro, y no debería limitarse a listas de reproducción personalizadas, pueden ser también sonidos que reproduzcan determinados ambientes, como el sonido del mar en un escaparate de bikinis o el sonido de los pájaros en una tienda de artículos de camping. En un spa, se supone que la música debe ayudar a los clientes a relajarse. En un restaurante, la música puede amplificar lo que comemos, o contribuir a realzar un tipo de cocina. El sonido —conectado con otros aspectos— puede dirigir la atención a un producto determinado o resaltar un entorno.
En los espacios físicos, estos cinco superhéroes marcan la diferencia. Como si de un equipo se tratara, pueden ser entrenados para lograr la atención de las personas, respetando los tres aspectos ergonómicos que deben ser considerados, las tres “C”: comprensión, confort y contacto.
Imagen principal: Las experiencias sensoriales habitan nuestra memoria. Imagen Are R, Unsplash