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To impart a more “Asian”
brand supporting a recent strategic
brand repositioning, DBS
Bank
has introduced a fragrancing and music
styling solution developed by environmental
brand consultant Equal Strategy. The solution will initially run as
a pilot scheme in DBS Bank’s Shenton
Way Branch at DBS Building Tower One in Singapore.
DBS Bank had
taken the decision to emotionally communicate the
brand’s Asian heritage and specialisation as part of its overall
brand positioning.
The Bank’s
Shenton Way Branch was recently renovated to reflect a distinctly Asian aspect
- table corners are curved to represent
Asian warmth rather than the cold "right angles" characteristic of western
designs. Instead a bi-sensory Asian experience, the branch now incorporates a
quad/Quattro-sensory approach.
To complement the Asian theme, Equal Strategy proposed an
integrated approach which embraced both
fragrance
and music styling. An Asian themed
fragrance was selected together with a
remotely managed play list of music
with subtle Asian elements to suit both the time and day of the week.
The environmental branding
solution achieved two key objectives simultaneously – to reinforce the DBS
brand image and to create the right
environment and set the mood for DBS customers. The main priority was to turn
the archetypically passive customer
experience of being in a bank
into both a pleasurable and memorable one.
The
pilot service by Equal Strategy will run for a period of 3 months. The
fragrancing and music styling
(otherwise known as Location Media Management) have been installed on the first
floor (at the bank entrance) and
also at the main banking hall in
basement 1.
The
fragrance recommended for DBS by
Faure-Field was Ginger Flower, a floral
fragrance
with top notes of ginger flower, green floral and citrus, middle notes of
jasmine, violet, rose and muguet (Lilly of the Valley), and a vanilla bottom
note.
Said
Simon A. Faure-Field, CEO of Equal Strategy, “Banks have begun looking beyond simply products and service to
differentiate themselves, they are now
exploring ways to make the actual experience of
banking pleasurable for their customers. What DBS has succeeded in
doing through this pilot scheme at their Shenton Way branch is to show that
time spent waiting for service or attention can be pleasant and enjoyable
rather than a necessary chore.”
“At
the same time our choice of both music
and scent serves to reinforce the brand
proposition of DBS Bank which is of
a distinctly Asian flavour, so strategic objectives are also met as well” said
Mr. Faure-Field.
Equal
Strategy has consulted numerous retail
brands and
hotel chains including OCBC Malaysia, Courts Singapore,
Mercedes-Benz, Westin Hotels,
Starwood Hotels and Pan Pacific.
Since 1999, Mr
Faure-Field has been the only consultant in Asia specializing in combining
music with
fragrance to synergise a consistent
brand experience for customers. His work is grounded in behavioural
science research and draws extensively upon research into the effects of
background music and atmosphere on
retail environments.
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