The Second Sense: Sight
Today is the fifth part of my Six Senses of Marketing series, with Sight: The Second Sense of Marketing.
Take a moment and mentally describe your home to me. Chances are you’d describe what it “looks” like; the size, shape, colour, and textures. Visual elements are usually the first things we convey when we’re asked to describe something because Sight is one of the first senses we use when we interact with a person or object. For those of us who are able to use our sense of vision, it becomes one of the dominant senses. We often consider how things look as much as how well they work before buying them, and sometimes even more. The overall image of our brand is very important to whether it gets chosen over a competitor and there are many different visual factors to consider.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and when you’re trying to make your company beautiful to as many people as possible; it can be a difficult task. But as many a mother has said before, everyone is beautiful in their own way; the trick is to find out what makes your company beautiful and ensure that your beauty isn’t only skin deep!
The Beauty of Youth These 2 terms have become synonymous for some. To those, age and beauty are in an inverse correlation. As age increases, beauty decreases. Look no further than your nearest supermarket check-out line and the beauty magazines there to see images of the beautiful young faces that show us what true beauty is supposed to look like.
To others; who put value on experience, history and tradition, as age increases beauty and value do as well. Art and jewellery appreciate with age and so too can architecture; which proves that age does not always come second to youth when it comes to beauty.
There are even those who may proudly wear their scars or imperfections to show that they’ve overcome an obstacle and triumphed. Take for instance the Liberty Bell; would it be famous if it hadn’t been cracked? Or the Venus de Milo statue without arms, the Sphinx who’s missing a nose? And let’s not forget that the Grand Canyon is in fact an erosion scar upon the earth made by the Colorado River.
Whether you’re promoting your youthful, classic or flawed visage, know that it will reflect on the overall perception of your brand and your share of the marketplace.
Show your true colours A lot of work has gone into the psychological inferences of colours. Purple is creative, blue is professional, yellow is happy, green is clean, orange is energetic and red is passionate. The colours you proudly wave can mean a great deal and choosing them can be difficult.
Does Santa Claus now don a red suit due to being a spokesperson for the Coca-Cola brand? Do girls still dream about getting a tiny blue box from Tiffany’s? Does anyone have an opinion on the monochromatic vs rainbow Apple logo? Do the golden arches mean as much to kids as they used to?
Choosing colours that fit your overall intended image for your company is another important element and, as in the case of Apple’s change from rainbow spectrum to monochrome, usability of those colours can also be a concern. Choose colours that convey the intended theme, mood, personality, and overall intended feeling you want your customers to have about your brand.
The shape of things Size and dimensions are huge in how we describe things, and when deciding them for your company, it can be what makes or breaks your distinction. The shape of your sign, building, the product, and of course the packaging can all become part of how your company is known. Think Toblerone, or Pom Wonderful or this brand. They each use unique design elements to set their brand apart from competitors in a very heavily populated and competitive market. The shape of your product or its packaging is also another way to differentiate your company and in case you think there is no other new way to design the packaging of your product, think again.
You’ve got the look Whether you find a unique shape to your product or its packaging, colour it differently, find a clever and colourful logo, settle in unique buildings or convey a youthful or vintage façade, the look of your brand is arguably the most important part to completing the sense ensemble for your brand.
What ways are you using Sight in your sensory marketing ensemble to differentiate?
Are there any companies that are doing well at this?
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