Abstract
Situated within the clothing retail industry H&M are discovered to be struggling in making each of their stores unique yet recognisable. Thus, this study aims to investigate and develop a sensory design strategy for the improvement of H&M’s in-store brand identity. A conceptual framework has been developed based on theoretical models of brand identity, sensory marketing and Brand Recognition. In order to achieve the research aim, an ethnographic approach that combines direct observations and interviews, a party group and a questionnaire survey were employed as research methods in this study. The field-based ethnographic approach focused on developing a good understanding of how sensory design has currently been implemented by H&M in comparison with other fashion brands. In the party group, power of the sensory stimuli was tested via activities and greater discussion on sensory design and brand recognition was initiated. Finally, a questionnaire survey was conducted to quantify the key findings from the ethnographic approach and party group so as to identify the most powerful sensory stimuli for improving H&M’s brand recognition. It has been found that most of H&M’s stores did not have strategic implementation of the senses that could be considered as expressive of brand recognition. An overall agreement saw the H&M shopping experience was neither memorable nor expressive of brand recognition. Effectiveness of the olfactory sense has been found as the most powerful sensory stimuli for improving of brand recognition.
Keywords
brand recognition; sensory design; H&M
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/eksig2013.123
Citation
Neaves, B.,and Yin, Y.(2013) Improving Brand Recognition through Sensory Design: A Case Study of H&M, in Nimkulrat, N., Niedderer, K., Evans, M. (eds.), EKSIG 2013: Knowing Inside Out – Experiential Knowledge, Expertise and Connoisseurship, 4–5 July 2013, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/eksig2013.123
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Improving Brand Recognition through Sensory Design: A Case Study of H&M
Situated within the clothing retail industry H&M are discovered to be struggling in making each of their stores unique yet recognisable. Thus, this study aims to investigate and develop a sensory design strategy for the improvement of H&M’s in-store brand identity. A conceptual framework has been developed based on theoretical models of brand identity, sensory marketing and Brand Recognition. In order to achieve the research aim, an ethnographic approach that combines direct observations and interviews, a party group and a questionnaire survey were employed as research methods in this study. The field-based ethnographic approach focused on developing a good understanding of how sensory design has currently been implemented by H&M in comparison with other fashion brands. In the party group, power of the sensory stimuli was tested via activities and greater discussion on sensory design and brand recognition was initiated. Finally, a questionnaire survey was conducted to quantify the key findings from the ethnographic approach and party group so as to identify the most powerful sensory stimuli for improving H&M’s brand recognition. It has been found that most of H&M’s stores did not have strategic implementation of the senses that could be considered as expressive of brand recognition. An overall agreement saw the H&M shopping experience was neither memorable nor expressive of brand recognition. Effectiveness of the olfactory sense has been found as the most powerful sensory stimuli for improving of brand recognition.