They say 83% of all advertising only engages one of our 5 senses. Sure, people still listen to commercial radio . . . somewhere. But ad agencies today are mainly targeting our peepers. Which, according to a charming Swede named Martin Lindstrom, presents a huge lost opportunity.
In his new book, Buyology, Lindstrom, a marketing consultant who has worked for companies like Pepsi and Disney, discusses how certain sounds (a baby giggling, a can of soda being opened, or a steak sizzling on a the grill) easily bypass our cynical, jaded reaction to most commercial propoganda (i.e., advertising) and trigger our nervous system in ways we are powerless to resist.
TV advertisers are already weaving aural cues into their spots, but it's actually retailers - and shopper marketing agencies - who should start letting simple, copyright-free sounds enhance the path to purchase.
The 0101 department store in Japan, for example, has been designed as a series of soundscapes, playing different sound effects such as children at play, birdsongs and lapping water in the sportswear, fragrance and formal-wear sections.
Lindstrom is also consulting with a European supermarket chain to pipe the sound of percolating coffee or fizzing soda into the beverage department or that of a baby cooing into the baby-food aisle.
Steak sizzling in the meat department, anyone?
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