Importance of All Five Senses in Branding

My wife, who subscribes to the New Yorker, directed me to a fascinating article on how our sense of taste is affected by all five senses. The article is based on extensive research. I will provide a link to the article at the end of this blog post. 

This reminds me again about creating multi-sensory experiences. The Roman Catholic church developed their worship experience to include breathtaking cathedrals, beautiful stained glass windows, beautiful robes, incense, holy water, music and pageantry. This was not by accident. The church leaders wanted to create an experience that was attractive to as many people as possible. There are also breathtakingly beautiful mosques in the world. I have visited some of them. Again, their design was not by accident.

Many years ago, I had put together a business plan and was seeking funding for a spiritual spa that was designed to calm and center people through all of the five senses including jetted hot tubs, massages, ecstatic dancing, yoga and stretching, yogic breathing, aromatherapy oils, healing sounds and music, healing foods and drinks,  sacred geometry, full spectrum lighting, light therapy, fragrant flowers, waterfalls and reflective pools. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. I got my inspiration from Ten Thousand Waves, a Santa Fe, New Mexico spa that I have visited more than a few times.

While the church and spa examples may seem like digressions, they are not. Every brand should design a multi-sensory experience. While a small percentage of retail, restaurant, nightclub and spa brands have done this, my observation is that most brands fall far short of this goal. Many brands have done well to the extent that they have created nuanced visual identity systems beyond the brand name, logo, type fonts and colors.

Think beyond visual identity. Think about how your brand can successfully engage all five senses.

The New Yorker article, entitled "Accounting for Taste," is available to read here: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/02/accounting-for-taste.