May 20, 2005

Makes Sense

I remember the first time I smelled the elevators at the Ritz in Boston. I thought I'd fallen into the true lap of luxury. That was years ago...when the marketing power of the senses was not fully appreciated. It's still undervalued in most quarters.

Sure, there's Starbucks with the rich aroma of coffee. And the smell of new cars (totally manufactured). But there's lots more opportunity to put the senses to work in marketing products.

ALL the senses. Not just smell.

Touch, for example. I read that a supermarket took toilet tissue out of its wrapping so customers could touch it. Sales went way up. Don't you love to touch fruits and vegetables, and doesn't it irritate you when they are already shrink-wrapped, or - as often happens in European countries - the vendor yells at you "Do not touch!"

Sound, too, is a potent sales tool. That sound of a car door closing (when we shop for cars, why do we ALL test the car door closing? What's the big deal??!)....that sound is manufactured too. We may know it, but we happily suspend disbelief and go along for the ride.

And consider the sound of music in stores, so carefully calibrated to make us stay, relax, and buy.

I'm going to spend tomorrow checking the senses in everything I do. At the shoe repair, there's a smell we all know...at the gym (ugh...but it COULD be wonderfully invigorating)...at a new restaurant. I'm going to make mental notes of how each place could enhance its sensory marketing. Fun exercise.

And speaking of touch...

The latest in file cabinets is unlocked with the touch of your fingertip. But it's got to be YOUR fingertip, because that's the key. You can choose to program some drawers to be accessible by others (provided that their fingertip patterns are keyed in), and some exclusively for your own use. Of course, if you have an accident and can't get to work, they'll need to cut off your finger to access your files.