Written by Scott Young, Skyline – Holt Exhibits + Events
Whether the target audience is experiencing your company at an industry trade show, in a branded corporate environment or even at an experiential marketing tour stop, you should be marketing to all 5 senses to give yourself the best chance of being remembered. A total sensory experience is an effective way for you to make a lasting impression.
SEE IT
Humans are very visual creatures. A high-quality design can make all the difference in the world. If you want to be remembered you have to look your best from every angle. Be strategic in how you represent your organisation visually. A well-planned creative design that is appropriately themed and carried throughout the experience goes a long way in helping people to remember you and your messaging. Visual marketing is often the first opportunity you have to introduce your brand and message to the audience.
TOUCH IT
Go ahead and touch it! You know you want to. People like to touch. A good touch can lead to a memorable experience. If you sell products, you will probably still want to have a selection of physical samples on hand for people to touch and feel if possible. But in many cases, physical samples just aren’t practical or interesting. So what is there to touch if there are no products? Why do you think the stress balls continue to be such a popular promotional giveaway at trade shows? Touching can be therapeutic. Insert your favorite fidget device here. And while you are at it, just slap your logo on a fidget cube or fidget spinner and hand those out – with a related story of course! These kinds of touches can help but what you really need is a WOW factor. This is where technology can allow you tell your story and educate your audience in a memorable format. Large format interactive touch screens have a significant ‘bug light effect’ and they can change the way people engage and interact with your organisation. Customised touch screen experiences can perform well in corporate lobbies, showrooms, boardrooms, trade show exhibits, training facilities, traveling road shows and the list goes on.
HEAR IT
Remember those songs that take you back to a particular time and place in your life? People hear a lot of noise. As a marketer, you often have the power to control the noise they hear when they are engaging with your brand. Don’t overlook this particular sense as a significant opportunity. Have your staff properly trained and armed with verbiage and catch phrases that are concise and in line with the overall messaging and experience. Take the time to understand your audience and give them an audible experience that is pleasant, intentional and well-executed. This particular sense can significantly help to support the overall experience you want people to have and remember.
SMELL IT
Yes. I said smell it. Unless you work for a fragrance designer, coffee distributor or a cookie company you, probably don’t have specific smells associated with your brand or organisation. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use the powerful sense of smell to have an impact on the experience of your customers. Smart companies like ScentAir have perfected the science of aroma marketing and it is amazing how well it works. The power of smell is strong and memorable. Scent marketing has been proven to be effective and has a significantly positive impact from a marketing perspective. Use scent marketing to your advantage whenever possible.
TASTE IT
Again, most people don’t work for an organisation that has a particular taste associated with their business. But that doesn’t mean you should ignore the sense of taste from a marketing perspective. People are more likely to remember the company that gave them free food, coffee, candy, beer, wine, lemonade, popcorn and other yummy treats. Especially if the taste was part of a total sensory experience you have created around your brand. Just find a way to promote it and creatively weave it into the overall experience and it will be memorable. Maybe that is as simple as giving the tasty treats creative and funny names that feel like part of your brand and help to extend your key messaging. Who wouldn’t remember that cool car company giving out cups of ‘motor oil’ branded coffee and ‘rubber tire’ doughnuts?
DO IT
Get creative and be strategic and deliberate with your face-to-face marketing and branded environments. At Skyline, we can help you design, develop and deploy a total sensory experience that is sure to make you stand out from the competition and be remembered. We enjoy the process and the results of collaborating with organisations to help them effectively communicate their stories through compelling and informative marketing and sales environments.
About the Author:
Scott B. Young is a Marketing Consultant with Skyline – Holt Exhibits + Events in North Carolina. For the past two decades, Scott has been working with organisations of all shapes and sizes to make marketing and business development efforts easier and more effective.
