As I was thinking about the particular area of branding and communication that I wanted to address in this issue of BRAND NEWs, I reflected on my speaking sessions around the country. I often ask audiences what they think brands are and how brands are taken to market. The most frequent response I get is “My brand is my logo … my letterhead … my Web site … my brochures”—and a dozen more communication vehicles. The thing is, those are all good answers, because it is the combination of all of these items that makes the real difference in the minds of your target audience. Does that make sense? And it was the word “sense” that started my old noggin working.

That’s when it hit me: I would like to talk about brand sense and the use of all of your senses to increase awareness of your brand in the marketplace!

If you are a regular reader of BRAND NEWs then you already know that you should think of your products, goods, or services as brands. (Yes, if you sell just one thing to one person, you are a brand.)

Usually, we think of a brand when we pick up a carton in the supermarket, see a car at the dealership, or watch a commercial on a special tea. But the thing is, we generally use only two of our senses in these types of brand communication: either we see the product (on TV, print ads, or in person), or we hear about it (on the radio, Web streaming—or even on the phone, just as we are about to sit down to dinner!).

I propose that as you plan your next marketing and branding campaign, you consider how you can use all five senses to reach your target audience. It will really make a difference in gaining brand awareness, differentiation, and incremental bottom-line numbers.

The five senses are, of course,

Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, and Taste.

While most of us have all five senses, we rarely maximize them in our work or in the promotion of our company to our target audiences. Think about tapping into more of your audience’s sensory powers to relate to your products.

Let’s start with SIGHT.

We use this visual communications system to reach our customers. It may be in the form of television, print, or electronic advertising or promotions; these are the traditional media vehicles. But potential customers see more than just your ads. Even the condition of your company’s reception area conveys an impression of what your brand stands for. Yes, customers notice if your reception area is clean and tidy. Take at look at yours; does it look like a mini-warehouse, or does it convey the brand message or impression that you want to achieve? Remember, though, that customers often see what you do not—that box in the corner that you no longer notice, for example. Try to look at all of your media in the reception area through your customers’ eyes, not your own.

If you want to stand out from the pack, you have to make sure that you create the visuals and messages that have the best chance of being seen.

The best way to do this is to make sure that your message—your first impression in the marketplace—is visually appealing so that it will grab your target audience’s attention. Often, the largest cost in your communications is the media delivery vehicle (although electronic media, such as your Web site, pod casts, blogging, etc., are relatively inexpensive). Because your brand message will be communicated across all types of media, I suggest that you make it the very best it can be. Go to the best creative communications group you can afford. You see, a good headline is just that—good. But a great headline will move your target audience to a more advantageous mental place in how they feel about your brand, and that will deliver a bigger "Return on Investment (ROI)

Make sure that your visual communications are “on brand” by asking your customers if they like what they see!

Second is your sense of SMELL.

This sense can be used in a couple of ways. The first is metaphorical—use your nose to “sniff out” your target audience in your specific marketplace. Make sure that your target customers are actually buying your product category. Then, narrow it down to the lowest common denominator, the one benefit that the target audience want'ts and profile that group by conducting research. For example, work out what your target audience does on specific days of the week; this will let you know how to sniff them out via the media available. Make sure you follow your nose to who your real customers are and what they want to buy, not what you want to sell them.

Your sense of smell can also be used literally, across all ranges of products. I remember, for example, when I got my first luxury car. I had always owned Fords (I had been sensitive to owning an American car), but I decided that it was time to get a Jaguar. Today, whenever I think of Jaguar automobiles, I can still smell the leather in that first Jaguar, even though I sold it 15 years ago. There was really nothing quite like it. What a great brand impression!

And it’s not just luxury items that offer that impression. I can’t tell you how many times I have walked into a mall and smelled the products from the Cinnabon store—I mean, doesn’t that make your mouth water? 

See if there is a way that you can use the sense of smell to grow your brand. (By the way, do you remember the old “Scratch ’n’ Sniff” images that were placed in some communications? Great use of the sense of smell to promote a brand.)

 H

ope

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