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BRAND sense

“The effects of branding campaigns are on a steady decline as the cost of reaching consumers in an ever-busier world is on the rise,” reports branding expert Martin Lindstrom in his latest book, BRAND sense: Build Powerful Brands though Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound (Free Press, February 2005, $26.00).

Something revolutionary is needed to help brands stand out from the pack, something more than developing new products or services, or creating a new blitz of advertising and promotion. For Lindstrom, the solution is to reach customers by tapping all five of their senses – touch, taste, and smell, as well as the traditional sight and sound.

In BRAND sense, Lindstrom presents an historic look at how branding has evolved over the past fifty years, and explains why sensory branding is the key to current and future success. He bases his advice not only on his twenty years of marketing experience, but on an in-depth study conducted for him by the marketing research firm Millward Brown. The BRAND sense study, which spanned thirteen countries with follow-up studies in the United States, Great Britain, and Japan, involved hundreds of researchers talking to thousands of people. According to Millward Brown’s Nigel Hollis, “The findings gave us a good understanding of the role of the senses in creating brand loyalty, and confirmed that the brands with sensory depth were particularly strong.”

In BRAND sense, Lindstrom presents examples of companies that already recognize the benefits of sensory branding. Mercedes-Benz, for example, knows that the way a car looks, feels, sounds, and smells (a new car smell is actually sprayed into the interior) are all essential ingredients for optimizing sales and maintaining loyalty. Lindstrom also discusses companies that he believes have squandered essential sensory advantages such as Coke – whose original glass bottle is so distinct in shape, size, feel, and weight that it has become an icon. According to Lindstrom, people believe that Coke poured or sipped from the bottle tastes better than Coke from the can. Yet less than 2% of Coke served in the United States comes in the original glass bottle. Lindstrom considers this a waste of a major tactile advantage.

In addition to specific case studies, Lindstrom analyzes which of the senses are most important in branding which categories of products or services. Surprisingly, according to the BRAND sense survey, sight tends to play a supporting role to the other senses, while smell, the often overlooked sense, is the most evocative and creates the strongest impression. Lindstrom goes on to explain that “the more closely that all sensory touchpoints – sight, sound, touch, feel, smell – are integrated into a cohesive whole, the far better chance the brand has of breaking through.”

Another important feature of BRAND sense is Lindstrom’s strategic, step-by-step advice for developing customized sensory branding strategies. Lindstrom also reveals his six-step process for turning typical two-dimensional brands – those that use sight and sound only – into sensory powerhouses. “Each step,” he explains, “is designed in such a way that you won’t lose control of the brand. It will ensure that you don’t misrepresent the brand, and most importantly you won’t end up with a situation where the brand does not fulfill the promises it makes.”

In the final part of the book, Lindstrom reveals how sensory branding leads to his concept of Holistic Branding – brands whose identities are all-encompassing and that leverage every possible channel to communicate their messages. These brands develop their own culture, rituals, and traditions, and, in the end, transform consumers into brand evangelists.

Filled with charts, action points, and proprietary data, BRAND sense will revolutionize the way marketing professionals think about brand-building in an increasingly crowded and confusing marketplace. This book will arm them for the future.

To buy a copy of Martin's new book, click on the Amazon.co.uk link below:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Martin Lindstrom founded his own advertising agency at the age of twelve. After selling the agency, he studied at the European Academy of Advertising and then joined BBDO. He is the founder of BBDO Interactive Europe and BBDO Interactive Asia, and served as COO of British Telecom/Looksmart. He is now an advisor to such companies as Disney, Mattel, Philips, Mars, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, and Reuters.

Lindstrom is also an accomplished speaker as well as a columnist and author. His observations on branding appear in a weekly column that reaches an audience of more than one million people in thirty countries. His books on the topic have been translated into more than ten languages.