B&T sat down with Nigel Ruffell, CEO and founder of The Company We Keep, to unpack the agency’s philosophy: that the key to memorable experiences is not just what is said or done but how it makes people feel.
B&T: Can you share a little more about the sensory work you are doing with some examples?
Ruffell: Our work has always focused on creating emotional connections, ensuring people feel engaged and impacted by our projects. Maya Angelou’s quote resonates deeply with us: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” We are firmly in the business of making people feel something profound.
To deepen this emotional engagement, we introduced sensory training for our teams. This involves integrating sensory elements into every creative piece we produce. For example, we consider how music can evoke joy or sadness, how visual stimuli can capture attention, and how tactile experiences can create memorable interactions.
We also explore the psychological impact of colours. For instance, red items often appear sweeter due to our primal association with ripe fruits, and studies show that blue is perceived as the most trustworthy colour. We harness these insights to build stronger connections between brands and their audiences.
An example of our sensory work is the creation of orchard areas at events where the audience can pick their own fruit, providing an environmentally friendly and memorable tactile experience. Another example is designing soundscapes and large-scale projection walls to transform indoor exhibition halls into seemingly endless outdoor spaces, enhancing the overall experience.
B&T: Could you elaborate on the science and strategy behind The CWK’s focus on sensory experiences? What led to the decision to expand beyond traditional event production, and how has this shift driven your company’s growth?
Ruffell: Our exploration into sensory experiences began by questioning why people prefer live events like sports or theatre over staying home and watching Netflix or Kayo. The answer lies in the shared experiences and the crowd’s atmosphere.
At events like Wimbledon or international rugby matches which I’ve been fortunate enough to have produced, the crowd’s energy significantly enhances the experience. Emotions, driven by our senses, play a crucial role. Familiar and stimulating environments resonate with people, making them feel comfortable and engaged.
To deepen our understanding, we partnered with Dr. Hannah McCann, a Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies. She helps our team grasp the scientific impact of sensory experiences, and we are commissioning a paper on this topic.
Our goal is to create environments that cater to all, recognising that some individuals (1 in 20 people) can feel overstimulated. Understanding these psychological elements allows us to adapt our experiences accordingly.
B&T: What impact do the senses have on human emotion and consumer action?
Ruffell: Senses are integral to guiding human emotions. Brands like Abercrombie & Fitch leverage familiar scents to create memorable consumer experiences. Their fragrance, Fierce, which is the scent they use in their stores, exemplifies how scent can influence behaviour. Hotels also use scents to evoke feelings of comfort and familiarity.
Sensory marketing taps into our multi-sensory nature, creating memorable and persuasive experiences that enhance perception, emotional engagement, and brand differentiation.
B&T: How does CWK incorporate scientific principles and advanced tech to design sensory experiences? Can you share some examples?
Ruffell: Our creative process involves adding a sensory layer to ensure deeper audience engagement. We use technology like VR and AR to create immersive environments. For instance, we’ve used VR headsets to simulate scenarios that evoke strong sensory responses, such as a virtual elevator ride opening to a sheer drop. Even though the participants know they are safe and sound in an office, there was visual and audible fear because your senses are telling your mind otherwise.
We also utilise 3D audio and spatial sound to create immersive auditory experiences, and interactive displays that react to touch, gesture or proximity to provide dynamic visual engagements. Recent examples include VR simulations and spatial soundscapes for AFL activations.
B&T: How do you tailor sensory experiences to meet the unique needs and objectives of each client? What is the process involved in understanding these needs?
Ruffell: We apply our Sensory Filter layer to align sensory experiences with the creative strategy and brand story. This enhances the emotional connection with the audience. The more sensory touch points we align, the stronger the bond between the audience and the brand.
Why do we do this? Our senses feed directly into our subconscious. We absorb information every second through our five senses – bypassing critical and rational thinking. This is an ongoing process we are all blissfully ignorant of. The subconscious mind goes beyond learning new skills, it affects everything we think, say, do and most importantly – feel. It stores our beliefs and values and connects with and determines our memories. All of this creates an emotional response that is felt deeply. And by understanding and curating sensory experiences, we can influence an audience’s reaction and emotional response to a brand in a deeper and more positive way.
As mentioned previously – the use of advanced technology enables us to customise and elevate experiences to meet the objectives of each client. Through sensory design principles and multi-sensory consistency, we ensure that sensory cues (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory) align to the creative strategy and the client’s brand positioning, creating a powerful and coherent experience.
- Visuals: High-definition screens display product features and benefits.
- Audio: Spatial sound enhances the ambiance, guiding customers through different product zones.
- Touch: Interactive touchscreens allow customers to explore product details. Applying tactile physical activations or moments, pledge trees or visioning moments are simple examples.
- Scent: Automated scent dispensers release a pleasant aroma associated with the brand’s image, curated food aromas.
- Taste: Sampling stations offer small tastes of related products, curated elements, fruit from trees not bowls.
B&T: What challenges have you encountered in designing and executing sensory experiences?
Ruffell: Budget constraints are a common challenge, often limiting our ability to add customisations. Additionally, acquiring the right audience data and knowledge is crucial.
It’s also important for the sensory elements to be genuinely aligned with the brand and not superficial additions. And it’s our role to educate clients to understand this.
Balancing practical needs with sensory preferences is another challenge. For example, natural light promotes creativity and curiosity, but hosting an audience of 10,000 in an exhibition space requires creative solutions to achieve this effect.
B&T: Looking ahead, what are your future goals and vision for The CWK? How do you plan to continue evolving the company to stay at the forefront of the events and sensory experience industry?
Ruffell: At The CWK, we’re constantly looking at new ways to do things. New technologies, new research and findings in human psychology. We were one of the first agencies to produce our events in VR back in the day, allowing clients to review content virtually before onsite execution.
Other examples of how we’re evolving include our introduction of Unreal Engine. This tool was originally created for gaming but has evolved as a force for creating state-of-the-art graphics, animations and photo-realistic renders in a fraction of the time they used to. The main feature of Unreal is its support for high-definition graphics, including next-gen physics, lighting, visual effects and more. We have been using it to create our event environments and fly-throughs that look real when compared to the actual footage as well as the content. The speed and quality is incredible.
We’ve also adopted AI tools for design and research, whilst always making sure it is a safe environment for our clients. We always create the final pieces and check the references.
The most important element, I feel, is never forgetting the people behind it all, what they are experiencing, what they need and bonding the new and old elements so it makes SENSE.
