The Fourth Sense: Touch
Today is part three in my six part series called The Six Senses of Marketing where we’ll be discussing the fourth sense “Touch”.
Touch is an often overlooked sense. We get wrapped up in the sights and sounds of things around us that we don’t think about how think about how our products or services feel.
Good writers understand the need to describe how things “feel” to transport the reader into the moment. The course granular texture of sand underneath ones toes at the beach, the soft, warm caress of a loved one, and the fragile, skin-like petals of the flowers; all remind us instantly of a time when we’ve felt these things.
Do your shopping carts have soft hand grips? Are the chairs near the fitting rooms comfortable? What are the handles on your doors made of, varnished hardwood or standard brushed aluminum? How your product feels will affect how your company is experienced and its overall perception.
I remember as a child when I was browsing through my parents record collection (I loved looking at all the artwork of bands like Molly Hatchett, King Crimson and Queen’s News of the World was always a favourite) when I came across Bachman Turner Overdrive’s Not Fragile album; now if you’ve never seen this album, the image on the front is of a wooden crate full of gears and if they had decided to simply put a picture of it on the front of the album, I probably wouldn’t be telling you this story now. What made this album different was that it had raised areas where the paper had been puffed to create a 3D effect. Each of the bolts that held the wooden crate together were raised, each of the teeth on the gears were raised and it created a Touch sensory effect over many of the other records within my parent s collection, which obviously created a lasting memory and may be why BTO has been an old favourite of mine ever since.
This one simple choice to consider Touch as well as sight and sound made their record stand out amongst an entire collection of like-minded products.
If you’re still a little skeptical about considering all the ways a customer can touch your products, I would ask you to consider Apple’s success with Touch. They’ve created the iPod Touch which is their best-selling iPod device, the iPhone with complete touch technology, AND the fact that you can go into an Apple store and actually try out the products (to be read lay your hands on them).
Also, you may choose to read the related article below as it explains how a study has found that deaf people may sense Touch via the primary auditory cortex. Short form for you – since they’re deaf, the auditory cortex takes on some of the other sensory duties i.e. vision and touch. Which suggests that while you may expect that you’ve covered many of your bases with regards to the immediate sensory concerns for your product or service, have you considered how your product is sensed by those who are missing the ability to sense it in these ways?
In what ways could you add Touch to your brand to complete your sensory ensemble and fulfill the complete experience for your customers?
I have a “Feeling” that you’ll have definite “Feelings” on this topic, why not join in and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Want to Read The Whole Series?