FROM THE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR TEXTBOOK 14th edition

CONSUMER INSIGHT 8-2 O I Smell Orange, I Taste Blue, I Feel Silver, I Hear Squiggles The critical importance of cues-brand name, logo, sound, packaging, color, font, smell, feel, taste-to product perception, and particularly interpretation, is widely accepted by marketers. Companies spend heavily to develop the right brand names and design the right logos to communicate who they are, what they stand for, what they promise-in some cases, clev- erly so, with special messagesthe arrow in FedEx, the kiss in Hershey's kisses, the 31 in Baskin-Robbins 31 flavors.78 Microsoft's understanding of the importance of sound to its brand led it to use many musicians from around the world to compose the "inspiring, univer- sal, optimistic, futuristic, sentimental, sexy, emotional ..." musical notes for a new system launch. Intel's use of the four note "Intel bong" is so well known that consumers can sing it on request. Harley-Davidson deemed the sound of its HOG engine to be so impor- tant to its identity that it sought, although unsuccess- fully, to trademark it Each cue is a part that together creates the percep- tion of the whole product. Marketers know that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, but under- standing how all the parts fit together is challenging. This is where synners, as people with synesthesia call themselves, come in. Synners have a neurological condition that crosses two or more senses-letters have colors, sounds have tastes-and puts them in a particularly good position to evaluate how the parts interact and contribute to the whole. An estimated one out of 27 people is a synner, including musician John Mayer, Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman, and rapper Kanye West. As a group, synners appear to have better memories and score higher on tests of creativity. Marketers have come to appreciate synners' unique potential and have begun to incorporate their input into product planning and design. Ford Motor Co., for example, recently created the custom position specialist in cross-sensory harmonization for one of its engineers who is a synner. As his job title implies, he is responsible for working with the designers and engineers to coordi- nate the parts of the car-sound, look, feel, smell-into a harmonizing whole that Ford wants consumers to have of its cars. Marketing attention afforded to synners reflects the increased usage of multisensory marketing to carve out brand image in a world of ever greater competition for consumer attention. This is one reason, for example, that organizations such as Zappos (e-tailer of clothing and shoes renowned for its customer care) are conduct- ing workshops to expose their employees to an appre- ciation of consumer experiences with a multisensory consideration. Of course, there have been previous instances of multisensory marketing-Skittles' tagline "Taste the Rainbow"_but these were scattered. What we are witnessing now is a more focused, defined, and formal strategy that recognizes the potential of syn- ners. Some synners are not waiting for incumbent firms to recognize their potential and have formed their own businesses such as 12.29, an olfactory branding firm founded by two synners that helps hotels, banks, and fashion runways choose the right scent. Critical Thinking Questions 1. Did you know about the insider messages in the FedEx, Hershey's and Baskin Robbins logos? Do you know of any others? 2. What sensory cues do you strongly associate with brands? Stores? 3. When the cues are at odds with one another, con- sumers get mixed messages that can lead to confu- sion and declines in sales (e.g., Pepsi Crystal's taste was cola, but its color was like water). What are other products that flopped because of the mismatch of cues