The Vine

Good music sounds even better through headphones.

It’s richer and fuller, it has more texture, and you pick up subtleties that you might not hear through speakers. And oftentimes it’s those subtleties that evoke a deeper, more emotional response to the music, beyond just ‘It has a nice beat and I can dance to it.’

The same holds true for many other types of encounters, particularly highly experiential retail ones. When people interact with your product or your brand — that is, when they try on your headphones — will they notice the texture and subtlety beneath the surface?

You experience this in landscaping that appeals to multiple senses and feels, somehow, like a garden. Or in a streetscape that makes you want to take a stroll, even if you can’t put your finger on precisely the reason why.

In a model home complex, I want to see books on the bedstand that tell me I belong here, not just whatever the merchandiser picked up from a used bookstore. With all due respect to Ernie Hemingway, Mysteries of Pittsburgh and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius send very different signals than For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Let’s bring this back to music. The tunes piped through the model home sound system could be a generic satellite feed (or, worse, a local radio station). Or they could be personalized to my taste by Pandora. Or even curated by an audio architect from Muzak.

You could argue these are toppings on the sundae and what matters most is the ice cream.

And I would say you’re right, sort of.

But what is it you’re marketing…a rich, gooey chocolate sundae…or a bowl of vanilla ice cream?

[ NB: For readers who don't know me by sight, no, that's not me dancing. I'm nowhere near that hip. ]