THE ROLE OF SENSES, EMOTIONS AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES THE ROLE OF SENSES AND EMOTIONS IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

Abstract

Sensory features of products and services affect emotions, memories, perception, choices and consumption. The creation of new emotions or emphasising of existing ones can increase the appeal of the product or service. Furthermore, it is important for the creative industries to create products and services that inspire, include and reflect consumer values. The creative industries-which include advertising, architecture, arts and crafts, design, fashion, film production, video, photography, music, the performing arts, publishing, research and development, software and computer game development, and electronic publishing, as well as TV and radio-are elements of the creative economy. Creativity is also one of the drivers of the experience economy. According to theorists of experience economics Joseph Pine and James Gilmore, the most prolific experiences are authentic, remain in the memory and change human notions by stimulating all five senses (vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch), provoking emotions and feelings, and allowing people to participate and be involved. The research question of this paper is as follows: how are senses and emotions linked with experiences, when they are used in the development of creative products and services? Therefore, this paper proposes a theoretical review of how to incorporate senses and sensory design into a more comprehensive understanding within the creative economy, as well as the experience economy. Introduction With the recent development of the creative industries, the aspects of added value and the experience provided to the consumer have become even more important than the product and service themselves; furthermore, the understanding of design has transformed from a problem-solving method into a way of creating meaningful experiences. According to Pine and Gilmore, businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers, and that memory itself becomes the product: the "experience" [Pine & Gilmore 1998]. The research question of the paper is: how are senses and emotions linked with experiences, when they are used in the development of creative products and services? Sensory experience, which combines all five senses-sight, smell, hearing, taste and touch-creates intense and special effects. Products and services of creative industries can also be developed using related creative industry products which are sensory-for example, storytelling, design, gastronomy, art or crafts-thus creating a special atmosphere and emotions. The process which includes these actions and strategies is called sensory marketing. Sensory marketing tends to focus on building a temporary or permanent environment specifically for conveying a message, establishing a brand, or arousing feelings and engaging the senses [Buford 2017]. Bernd Schmitt presents five types of sensory marketing approaches, referred to as "strategic experiential modules": "sense, " "feel, " "think, " "act" and "relate." [Schmitt 2010]. According to Schmitt, the first stage, "sense, " appeals to consumers' senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell); "feel" relates to inner feelings, moods and emotions; "think" appeals to the intellect and cognitive experiences; "act" targets physical behaviour, lifestyle and interactions; and "relate" creates experiences and involves desires. The first stage-sense-is often neglected with several messages, visual triggers and information overload. Sensory aspects also lack a systematic approach and place into the disciplines of experience economy and creative economy. The next stage-feel-is crucial for creating experiences. Emotions are subjective and affective; they are states of mind, and are created by certain events and stimuli. The manifestation of emotions is related to the fulfilment of individuals' expectations and needs. This means that emotions define levels of satisfaction and the process of decision making. The contents of the paper are structured as two sections. The first section is dedicated to the relation between emotions and experiences, thus providing a conceptual background. Then follows the second section, which addresses aspects of senses and emotions and their importance in the development of creative products and services.