The Dream Cafe: Lessons in the Art of Radical Innovation

MMULTI-SENSORY

Sensing an Opportunity

Multi-sensory branding has become a constant theme over the past 15 years. However, we are still at a point where the theory is promising more that the practice seems to be capable of delivering.

The origins of multi-sensory brand communication have been influenced by academic and philosophical reflection on empirical practice; including the insights of John Dewey (mentioned in more detail later in this section). Unfortunately, the translation of theory into brand practice – particularly by branding agencies desperate for a new edge – has often led to a diminishment of potential. At The Dream Café, we call this the ‘scratch ‘n’ sniff’ school of brand sense. We think the worst kind of promotions try and reduce luxury experience – for example, a good perfume on a strip of paper that comes ‘free’ with a magazine, which you have to peel open and then scratch with your finger. It is difficult to imagine anything further removed from a luxury experience, apart from a journey on a budget airline that has not moved on from a definition of ‘no frills’ as permission to humiliate passengers.

The Science of Sense

Neuroscience has transformed its approach to the senses over the past two decades. The wave of disruption that has elevated our senses onto the same plateau as visual engagement has been achieved through a growing tendency to question the ...