Multi-Sensory Experiences on Marketers' Minds as Covid-19 Impact Begins to Ease

After 18 months of pandemic disruption, marketers have begun to consider multi-sensory experiences and brand design systems as an important future part of their brand differentiation plans, according to research conducted by Isobar.

The Dentsu International-owned agency’s annual Creative Experience survey has aimed to discover marketers’ plans moving forward from the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown restrictions—still in place in some parts of the world but beginning to lift in Europe, following vaccination programmes.

With over 800 global chief marketing officers (CMOs) participating in the latest survey across eight markets—Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, U.K. and U.S.—the requirement for physical experiences and multi-sensory design is a consideration for 86% of respondents this year, researchers found.

Respondents came from across sectors such as automotive, distribution, finance, health, IT, manufacturing and retail, with the majority (87%) having responsibility for the company’s marketing budget, and a quarter working for companies that employed over 1,000 people globally.

The return of physical experiences

Alongside the increasing importance of physical events, over a third of those surveyed (36%) said that they were seeking new craft skills designed for a multi-sensory world from their agencies.

Marketers are taking the lessons learned during the pandemic and applying them to both digital and physical multi-sensorial experiences, Magali Mayanda at Air France-KLM, told Adweek.

“The pandemic has forced us to redefine the notion of distance,” Magali Mayanda, director of marketing communications, customer loyalty, at Air France-KLM, told Adweek.

“Travel can take on an infinite number of forms: we are capable of going to the edge of the world, but also of being transported to another universe without moving an inch. We have engaged with our members during the pandemic, largely by building emotional connection around that theme with storytelling. With the magic of travel coming back, we take the lessons learned in the past years and are ready to apply that to both digital and physical multi-sensorial experiences.”

The trend ties in with the move towards hybrid events in both real-life and virtual, which were something Heineken-owned brand Desperados began to explore earlier this year with its “Go Desperados” platform, which was enforced with the closure of bars and event spaces.