By Jaisurya Das
Fresh bathrooms are just a whiff away… or so we were told.  Godrej Aer, the freshener brand, gave The Times of India readers in multiple cities a great whiff of what sensory branding is about. I discussed this in Dear MxM a little over a month ago and was pleasantly surprised to see a great example on the ground. No, I don’t consult with Godrej or its creative agency but, I certainly think they have taken the best step forward considering the brand category.
What better than sensory sampling in such a category?! Nothing can match the sheer delight of the audiences when they start the day with a delicately fragrant newspaper. I am reminded of how I pounced on issues of Vogue, Cosmopolitan etc decades ago since I was so enamoured by the lovely perfumes infused in their pages. From one perfume brand to the other, little scratch-n-sniff patches on the advertising delighted the readers. I still distinctly recollect how I cut those patches and actually put them under my primitive microscope to get to the bottom of this magic!
The perfumers carried through this experience to their ‘point of sale’ giving customers a whiff of all their variants, not to forget the periodic spraying of their counters to attract the shoppers walking by Well planned strategy, though it comes across as just matter of fact.
From great smelling aircraft to the tantalising aroma of a seething hot tandoor, every detail is carefully charted in a great marketing plan.
Our senses define our experience and thus the immense potential of sensory branding in a fiercely competitive marketing environment. Mind you, this works both ways and hence a bad sensory experience can result in permanent boycott of a product / service. A musty hotel room for instance is an example of how shoddy housekeeping can result in customers being turned away for good.
I must confess, I use this principle even at my modest office in Pune where fresheners are put to use couple of times a day. For long I imagined that I was the only one who realised the office had a pleasant aroma to it till very recently when two frequent visitors remarked “Your office always smells nice, JD!  Wonder if it’s something in your air-conditioning?†I smirked, most thrilled!!
It’s not just the sense of smell, it’s about and experience beyond the ordinary… the sense of touch when you run your fingers over a shirt and decide if it’s comfortable enough or the taste of the melting milk chocolate telling you that it’s the finest Swiss you can get…
Can a chocolate ever seem this nice without tasting it? No. Experience is about sensing characteristics, deeper quality and its compatibility with the individual.
Earlier this month, I met a packaged food major in Bengaluru who believed that instant food is predominantly the traveller’s delight and thus his focus was on this community. Good thinking but myopic since instant gratification in the food segment is actually a mass need.
Volumes will drive growth and not value. Availability and reach will make the difference. Variety and palatability will govern repeat purchase. Defined mass for many categories must emanate from the larger overall mass or pie. Hence chasing a niche thats success will be defined by volume would be outdated strategy and will not stand the test of time.
Can sensory branding elements be the answer here? Is popcorn mass or niche? Think…
Unfortunately we tend to take decisions on marketing strategy for a brand basis what we think is right; Exponential growth doesn’t come from gut feeling. It needs research, deep audience understanding and most importantly the ability to think beyond POP ( point of purchase ) danglers and hoardings! An open mind works best for a futuristic marketer and this is simply because no one in their senses can predict tomorrow. Unfortunately, we don’t have Nostradamus either.
Consumer behaviour is the most misunderstood thing of our time and will only get tougher to fathom as we go along..
If I can hazard another prediction: It would take less than a decade for technology to deliver touch and smell to our computer screens. Yes, I strongly believe this will happen and we will soon be enveloped in delectable aromas when we browse through food and food products..
This is the future. Consumers will demand more for their buck and each buying decision will be governed by much more than variety, price, availability and peer review..
Buying is an impulse for over 75% of online shoppers or so I believe; On the ground a bare 25%. of buying happens on impulse. Most buying decisions are taken before you step out into the sun and yet when it comes to sitting back and shopping online, it’s sensory branding again which governs your decision to hit the ‘buy’ button.You see images flashing before your eye, each one better than the other. All skewed to your basic need to fulfil your innate desire..
The desire to own, to conform, to match and to surpass!
And to think it’s just a fancy algorithm running background that requires no human interface to understand your need to buy that is making you salivate at the screen.
Well, all this may just seem like ramble of a brand maverick but the fact of the matter is that there is a lot of essence in the need to understand audiences of the future.
To leave my fellow marketers with food for thought here is my bucket list for the future…
1. Consumers will not behave the way we do. They will follow their mind, not norm.
2. Buying will be triggered by an innate desire to own and surpass.
3. 75% of all advertising will be focussed on reminding, not triggering interest or purchase.
4. Purchase decisions will be based on an innate experience with the product or service.
5. Repeat purchase will be a million dollar guess !
6. Flirtatious behaviour with brands will progress to completely flippant infatuations.
7. Love and sustained relationships with brands will only stem from their ability to deliver an almost orgasmic experience time after time.
8. Content/ copy will be judged basis their capability to titillate our senses. Not necessarily the kind with sexual overtones but enticingly engaging one way or the other.
9. Well, the bottomline is that our senses will remain governed by the impulses our brain receives and records, be it brand imagery or just emotion.
There is no choice really; Brands of the future will need to connect on a cerebral level.
Jaisurya Das, the maverick media-evangelist eats, sleeps and romances brands !
His cerebral consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable.
He is also Contributing Editor, MxM India and writes a weekly counseling-based column titled ‘Dear MxM’. For more information on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in