Sixth Sense Branding:

A brand is a sensory experience, whether through the images you see, the product you touch, or the feeling that the whole brand evokes. But what about the other senses?

Whilst taste and smell are covered if you're a food brand and audio if you produce videos or are in an industry connected to sound, there is still room for non-edible and audio brands to incorporate these senses into their overall brand experience.

Imagine tasting and smelling a brand. It would be pretty memorable, right?

Sixth Sense Branding:

We all experience the world through our six senses. We use our senses daily to connect to the world around us, understand our environment, and interact with other people.

Our brains acquire 80% of information through sight and another 10% through hearing. The remaining 10% is distributed through our smell, touch, and taste senses (source: ResearchGate).

However, taste and smell are two senses that can trigger an emotional response along with memories, digging deep into the memory bank and bringing back often treasured moments temporarily to the present. (Source: Harvard Medicine Magazine).

For example, for me, smelling or tasting cinnamon, nutmeg and oranges instantly transports me to Christmas. A time full of spiced fruit cake, twinkling lights and all things nice. One whiff, and I'm sitting in front of a roaring log fire with a mug of mulled wine and a mince pie, carols playing in the background.

Smells and tastes good

Taste and smell can be very powerful touchpoints in branding, even if you're outside the food or hospitality industry.

For example, a signature scent, or Brand Scent, can be linked to a certain brand. One sniff, and you can name the brand- Pomegranate Noir = Jo Malone. Fierce cologne = Abercrombie & Fitch. Singapore Airlines even has a signature smell incorporated into its soaps and hot towels used on its aeroplanes. (and if you're interested in diving in further about brand scents, The Guardian has a great article).

It's not just for big brands, either. Small businesses and trailblazing entrepreneurs can incorporate a brand scent into their branding. For example, coaches may gift a specific type of candle to clients as an onboarding gift. A light and floral scent would signify growth and clarity, adding an extra dimension to the brand and becoming the scented calling card of that specific coach.

Just like smell, the same is possible with taste. A signature taste could reflect your brand's personality or what's important to it. Gifting cookies to clients could signal a childlike and fun personality, whereas a Fairtrade 80% chocolate bar could demonstrate your brand's commitment to fairness, equality, and quality.

Small details that add up to a big impact with their subliminal messaging.

Earworms: audio branding

10% of information sent to the brain comes through what we hear, and like smell and taste, it's linked to memory recall, too. This is known as Echoic memory. Many big brands use audio branding to prompt memory recall and brand awareness. Think of Audi's car adverts, with their distinctive "click, click" soundbite at the end. When you hear this sound outside of the advert, you'll automatically think of Audi without having to see their advert. The brain can link sound to memory and recall where it has repeatedly heard it or what it represents.

Audio branding is very common in the mainstream- McDonald's whistle, Cadbury's 3 notes on a piano, or the vintage chime of a Windows computer starting- but anyone (or any brand I should say) can create an audio brand. It's just about being creative and thinking outside of the box.

For example, you could incorporate an audio logo into the reels you create for your social media marketing or any promotional content, both internal and external. A 3- or 4-second audio logo at the beginning or end would signal to viewers that it's your content and, therefore, your brand.

Little artisan-style touches that add an extra dimension to your brand and make it memorable on a multitude of levels.

But is it worth it?

Some would argue that branding is complex enough already, with the need to find the right visuals, words, and emotions to embody a brand, without the need to add smell, taste, or sound to the mix.

However, I believe all senses are required to experience a brand fully from many angles. Like a visceral experience, all senses need to be ignited and turned on to make the experience memorable and unforgettable—and in branding, that's what you're aiming for—unforgettability.

A brand is the most important tool in your business arsenal, and while branding can seem complex, it's possible to understand it with the right guidance.

And what fun you can have, too, brainstorming how to bring a multi-sensory experience to a brand! The possibilities are endless- and that’s my passion, creating answers to those possibilities. I even inspired myself by writing this article and so I'm now off to innovate my own signature scent, earworm, and, of course, taste.

I'm thinking Dark Chocolate. Luxurious. Melts in the mouth. Maybe Sourdough and Sea Salt flavour wise? Unexpected, Quirky, and totally delicious. Just like me. ??