Simon Faure-Field talks brands. He tosses into conversation such terms as 'brand extension', 'brand values', 'brand positioning', 'brand standards' and 'brand-aligned experiences'.
A nose for profit led the Singapore-based, British-born businessman initially to provide music and voice-recorded messages for clients wanting a 'consistent' image. That led to music styling and, since 2005, the related field of scent branding.
So convinced is he of gaining customer loyalty by aural and olfactory means that he plans to open a sensory-brand consultancy this month in Hong Kong, his second after one in the Lion City. 'We're the only business in Asia that provides music and fragrance to businesses based upon scientific research and in a branding context,' he says.
Once was a time when branding meant searing a mark onto the rump of cattle. Then came trademarks, then jingles, mascots and slogans. With manufacturers recognising how consumers formed bonds with their products the practice turned quickly into shaping personality and building identity. What formerly revolved around backside burns thus came to shape the bottom lines of business.
This is where Faure-Field, 38, hopes to prove the power of, for one thing, our sense of smell. Hotels, supermarkets and even airports have started in recent years experimenting with fragrances, hoping to trigger emotions and affect customer behaviour.
A leader in the hospitality industry was Westin Hotels & Resorts, whose custom-designed white-tea scent was so well-received the fragrance soon became part of its retail line. 'They were doing quite well globally but they had an identity crisis because guests couldn't remember why they chose Westin,' says Faure-Field, whose company, Equal Strategy, works with Westin and its parent company Starwood Hotels & Resorts. An emotional connection was needed, 'and they wanted to achieve that through a multi-sensory approach to their brand', he says.