Sound Branding: gli stimoli sensoriali della musica come leva competitiva nel marketing esperienziale

I N T R O D U Z I O N E
Nell'era in cui i consumatori sono costantemente bombardati da una miriade di
messaggi promozionali, distinguersi e lasciare un'impronta indelebile nella mente
dei consumatori è diventato essenziale per qualsiasi azienda che miri a prosperare
in un mercato competitivo. L'evoluzione del panorama del marketing ha portato
alla nascita di nuove prospettive innovative volte a catturare l'attenzione e
coinvolgere i consumatori in modo significativo. Nel cuore di questa
trasformazione, l'approccio esperienziale al marketing ha assunto una posizione di
rilievo, consentendo alle aziende di stabilire legami significativi e duraturi con il
loro pubblico.
In questo contesto, l'impiego strategico del suono, più specificamente del
concetto di Sound Branding , si er ge come una potente leva competitiva in grado
di modellare l'identità del marchio e di esercitare un profondo influsso sulle
percezioni dei consumatori.
L ’idea di questa tesi nasce in risposta alla crescente consapevolezza
dell'importanza dei fattori sensoriali nel branding e nell'esperienza del
consumatore. In questo scenario, il potere dei sensi nell’influenzare le percezioni
e le emozioni dei consumatori diventa cruciale. T ra i vari stimoli sensoriali, la
musica emer ge come strumento versatile e potente per trasmettere messaggi,
evocare stati d’animo, suscitare ricordi e creare connessioni profonde con il
pubblico. Questo fenomeno è alla base del concetto di Sound Branding , ovvero
l’uso strategico del suono per creare un’identità uditiva distintiva e memorabile
per un marchio.
Il seguente elaborato si propone di esplorare il campo del Sound Branding e
approfondirne l’impatto nei contesti operativi del marketing esperienziale,
andando quindi a contestualizzare sia i concetti chiave che i principi psicologici e
neuropsicologici che guidano la reazione umana alla musica. In particolare, si
concentrerà sulla comprensione delle dinamiche che sottendono all’ef ficacia della
musica e degli elementi sonori nel promuovere esperienze coinvolgenti e
plasmare l’immagine di un brand nella mente dei consumatori.
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L ’obiettivo ultimo della ricerca è analizzare alcuni casi studio in cui la musica è
stata implementata con successo come parte integrante delle proprie strategie di
branding. Attraverso l’analisi di questi casi reali, si mira a consolidare la
comprensione delle pratiche e delle strategie vincenti nell’implementazione del
Sound Branding , contribuendo così a fornire una prospettiva pratica su come le
aziende abbiano saputo sfruttare in modo innovativo il ruolo cruciale del suono
nell’ambito del marketing esperienziale.
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C H A P T E R 1 - E X P E R I E N T I A L M A R K E T I N G
1.1 From traditional marketing to experiential marketing
In the 1960s, consumers were believed to be able to objectively and rationally
evaluate the costs and benefits associated with a product or service. According to
this perspective, a rational consumer would only need information and, once
obtained, would choose the path that maximised his or her utility , balancing the
benefits against the costs associated with that choice.
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However , it is now clear that this traditional marketing paradigm has certain
limitations, first and foremost the assumption that consumers are subjects
endowed with linear thinking; in reality , people do not always act in this way and
their thought processes are multiple and, above all, dif ficult to predict. The
purchasing act of the modern consumer is characterised by a complex and
increasingly dif ficult preference structure.
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This means that demand has evolved:
from a desire to satisfy relatively simple needs, there has been a shift to a
demanding and tar geted request aimed at satisfying desires of increasing
complexity .
This phenomenon of 'upward translation' of the consumer preference structure
has led to a significant increase in the intangible component of the product or
service itself. In a context in which the distinctions between goods and services,
products and processes, consumers and producers tend to blur , the notion of
consumer experience becomes the very essence of the relationship between
supply and demand and the interaction of the consumer with his or her
environment. It is in this perspective that a new approach to marketing, known as
Experiential Marketing, develops.
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G e n t i l e C . , L a m b e r t i L . , N o c i G . , S p i l l e r N . , i b i d e m .
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G e n t i l e C . , L a m b e r t i L . , N o c i G . , S p i l l e r N . , “ I l M a r k e t i n g E s p e r i e n z i a l e c o m e e l e m e n t o i n c e n t i v a n t e
a l l ’ i n s t a u r a z i o n e d i r a p p o r t i d i c o l l a b o r a z i o n e l u n g o l a s u p p l y - c h a i n : u n ’ i n d a g i n e e s p l o r a t i v a n e l c o n t e s t o d e i
b e n i d i l u s s o ” , W o r d P r e s s , 2 0 0 6 .
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“ D a l m a r k e t i n g t r a d i z i o n a l e a l m a r k e t i n g e s p e r i e n z i a l e ” , A I S M , 2 0 0 9 ,
w w w . a i s m . o r g / d a l - m a r k e t i n g - t r a d i z i o n a l e - a l - m a r k e t i n g - e s p e r i e n z i a l e / , c o n s u l t a t o i l 1 2 g i u g n o 2 0 2 3 .
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The concept of experience was introduced and consolidated thanks to the
pioneering article by Holbrook and Hirschman (1982), who emphasised the
importance of the experiential aspect in consumption processes, demonstrating
both theoretically and empirically that consumer choices are influenced by
rational/functional as well as emotional/hedonistic components.
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This approach
definitively challenged the idea of the univocity of consumer rationality and
emphasised the subjectivity of consumption processes.
When addressing the topic of experience in the world of marketing, we cannot
but take authors Pine and Gilmore as a reference. In their book 'The Economics of
Experience' (1999), they state that 'experiences constitute the fourth form of
economic supply , as distinct from services as services are from products and
products are from commodities, but hitherto lar gely unrecognised as such...'.
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Experiential Marketing, as defined by Pine and Gilmore, introduces a new
definition that represents an essential component of economic of ferings.
Subsequently , thanks to Bernard Schmitt, professor of marketing at Columbia
Business School in New Y ork, it is possible to systematise a clear distinction
between traditional and experiential marketing. In fact, Schmitt, who had
previously elaborated a definition of traditional marketing, in the following years
proposed a definition for experiential marketing as well, developing a conceptual
framework to understand its key aspects. His fame in the academic world derives
mainly from his contributions to the understanding of customer experience and its
definition; it is for this reason that he is recognised as its pioneer .
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In particular , in one of his books, entitled 'Experiential Marketing: how to
develop a consumer experience' , Schmitt undertakes to define the peculiarities of
this type of marketing,
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(Fig. 1) which can be summarised as follows:
I. Customer experience
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F e r r a r e s i M . , S c h m i t t B . , M a r k e t i n g e s p e r i e n z i a l e : c o m e s v i l u p p a r e l ’ e s p e r i e n z a d i c o n s u m o , F r a n c o A n g e l i ,
M i l a n o , 2 0 1 8
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S a m e S . , L a r i m o J . , “ M a r k e t i n g T h e o r y : E x p e r i e n c e M a r k e t i n g a n d E x p e r i e n t i a l M a r k e t i n g ” , 7 t h I n t e r n a t i o n a l
S c i e n t i f i c C o n f e r e n c e , V i l n i u s , L i t h u a n i a , 2 0 1 2 .
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P i n e J . B . , G i l m o r e J . H . , L ’ e c o n o m i a d e l l e e s p e r i e n z e . O l t r e i l s e r v i z i o , R i z z o l i E t a s , 2 0 1 3
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H i r s c h m a n E . C . , H o l b r o o k M . B . , “ H e d o n i c C o n s u m p t i o n : E m e r g i n g c o n c e p t s , M e t h o d s a n d P r o p o r t i o n s ” ,
J o u r n a l o f m a r k e t i n g , 1 9 8 2 .
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It is formed through sensory , emotional and cognitive impulses that the
customer perceives during the buying process. Experiential marketing focuses
precisely on these stimulations, seeking to actively engage the customer and
arouse positive and memorable emotions that go beyond the simple business
transaction.
II. Consumption as a holistic event
Unlike traditional marketing, which focuses primarily on specific types of
products and competitors, this approach to marketing focuses on the entire
consumption context, and thus on all those variables that can positively or
negatively influence the act of consumption.
III. Consumers as rational and emotional beings
Buyers are often driven to make purchases primarily because of the emotions
that that product may arouse at that particular moment. Customers want to be
attracted to the product, become emotionally involved and have a memorable and
rewarding experience involving all their senses. This aspect emphasises how the
traditional marketing perspective is insuf ficient.
IV . Eclecticism of methods
While traditional marketing focuses on analytical and quantitative
methodologies, experiential marketing takes an eclectic approach. This means that
a variety of methods and tools are employed that are considered most appropriate,
trying to adapt them as much as possible to the specific situation and objective.
Fig. 1: Peculiarities of experiential marketing
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In addition, according to Schmitt, experiences can be divided into five groups he
defined as "strategic experiential modules" (from the English acronym SEM ,
Strategic Experiential Module ), each of which corresponds to a module of the
human mind capable of generating an "experiential benefit”
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(Fig. 2). These
modules are:
● SENSE
Through this module, the aim is to stimulate the client to have a sensory
experience, through the use of the five senses. The experience of the senses is
solicited in order to achieve social impact on current and/or potential customers
with the aim of adding value to the brand or product identity .
● FEEL
It refers to the experiences that arise around customers' feelings, which take on
an af fective value. The objective is to create af fective experiences which, positive
or negative, can influence the choice of a product or service and bind the
customer to a brand by increasing trust in it. An example of a company that relies
heavily on feel marketing is Coca-Cola , since, in addition to selling the product
itself, it also focuses on selling emotions such as lightheartedness, happiness, fun
and enjoyment. An interesting step taken by the company a few years ago was
when it chose to launch personalised bottles with people's names and the message
'shar e a coke with' .
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In this way , the company aimed not only to sell a simple
drink but to create something more in the customer's mind, who would thus
associate the drink with a product to be consumed in moments of joy , sharing and
companionship.
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“ M a r k e t i n g C o c a - C o l a : c o m e h a o t t e n u t o t u t t o q u e s t o s u c c e s s o ? ” , 2 0 1 9 ,
w w w . a g e n z i a w e b e u r e k a . i t / m a r k e t i n g - c o c a - c o l a / , c o n s u l t a t o i l 1 7 g i u g n o 2 0 2 3 .
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F e r r e r o G . , M a r k e t i n g e c r e a z i o n e d e l v a l o r e , G i a p p i c h e l l i e d i t o r e , T o r i n o , p . 2 0 9 , 2 0 1 3 .
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