Emotional Branding: The Top 20 Sensory Brands
How deep can branding go to involve the customer’s emotions? Is it enough to rely mainly on sight and sound to build brands, or can we enhance a brand’s appeal by going deeper?
I’ve been reading Martin Lindstrom’s book, BRAND sense. It’s a fascinating and authoritative book on sensory branding, based on the (2005) largest study ever conducted on how our five senses affect the creation of brands. Did you know that a full 75% of our emotions are generated by what we smell? If the element of smell isn’t part of your brand, just think what you’re missing out on in terms of grabbing people’s emotions!
How about these startling facts:
> the gratifying “new-car†smell is actually from a factory-installed aerosol can
> Kellogg’s Cornflakes’ crunchy sound and feel were created in sound labs and patented
> Singapore Airlines has patented a scent that is blended into the hot towels served before takeoff and used in the female flight attendants’ perfume
> the sensory appeal of Starbucks is much more strongly associated with the interior design of its cafes and the logo design than with the smell and taste of the coffee itself!
Lindstom’s study reveals the world’s top 20 brands from a sensory excellence point of view; the study also makes it clear that a very limited number of brands today leverage their sensory potential. In fact, even from the list of the top 20, based on input from focus groups from around the world, even these excellent brands have even more potential to leverage their sensory opportunities  just think where Starbucks can go with their coffee!
The World’s Top 20 Sensory Brands
1. Singapore Airlines
2. Apple
3. Disney
4. Mercedes-Benz
5. Marlboro
6. Tiffany
7. Louis Vuitton
8. Bang & Olufsen
9. Nokia
10. Harley-Davidson
11. Nike
12. Absolut Vodka
13. Coca-Cola
14. Gillette
15. Pepsi
16. Starbucks
17. Prada
18. Caterpillar
19. Guinness
20. Rolls-Royce
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