“What do you sell these days?”
When this question is asked to some company owners, they will probably answer like this.
“Of course we sell products. This and that, these and those…”
However, to be a leader in the market the answer should not be like that anymore. They have to keep in mind that they should sell more than just products. Nowadays consumers want to purchase special ‘experience’, not only the product. They buy the product and instead of remembering the product itself, they tend to recall the memorable experience they had from the object. Maybe this is natural because a human being lives to satisfy itself through its constant experiences. Therefore, it is important for the firms to make the consumers sense, feel, think, act, and relate something with their brands as it is written in the article we read. On this third post (already!) I want to share an experience from a Korean café/restaurant that impressed me a lot. I believe this café/restaurant has a good ability in sense marketing.
First of all, things that I could saw made me feel like I was at my lovely home. (Actually, it was lovelier than my real home.J) The wall was painted with pastel colors and was decorated with a lot of paintings of impressionism style. Being a great fan of impressionism, I felt like a lucky girl who got a free ticket of a museum! After appreciating all of those, we sat and called the waitress. All the waitresses were wearing a red checked shirt with a red hair band which seemed like a girl living in a fairyland. In the middle of the café, there was a big model of a tree which consumers can write their wishes and hang on it. No wonder thatI wrote something on it too! 
Minto also touched my sense of hearing. At Minto, I have never heard a pop music. Instead, classical music was played all day long. I was able to chat with my friends and read a book, write a letter in a quiet and cozy place for a long time. It seemed to make not only the consumers but also the employees more calm which makes them to work in a sound place. I couldn’t hear one the day I went there, but I heard that sometimes one of the people coming there plays piano touching others’ heart as well as auditory sense.
My sense of touch was greatly satisfied every time when I visited Minto. Its sofas and chairs are made of cloth and it’s not a manufactured goods but a hand-made. I heard that it invests a lot in interior to make the café not just as it, but rather to make it as a place of art. If the chair was too hard I could have left earlier, or if it was too soft I could have felt lazy. However, the absolutely moderate softness enabled me to stay there as long as I wanted.
One thing that made me especially more comfortable in Minto than any other places was the scent, I guess. I don’t remember whether they had some seats only for smokers, but fortunately I was free from the smell of cigarettes at Minto. Since none of my family or my close friends are smokers, I am not used to its smell. However, many people smoke these days so I had to leave earlier from some restaurants several times. Happily, I didn’t have to worry about those at Minto. The scent of their own tea was scattered in the whole café. Not only that, but also the delicate scents of flowers they have put on several places were pleasant. Mild natural fragrance in Minto really made the environment more romantic and fresh.
Last but not the least, the taste of the teas and foods provided by Minto is surely memorable. Minto has its own tea named ‘Minto tea’. It offers both sweet-smell like a coffee and lightness like a green tea. Furthermore, it has 28 types of ades and 17 types of other drinks including caffe latte and powder made of mixed grains. Especially, 18 types of coffee only exist there to suit Koreans’ taste. I think I tasted 4 different drinks since those can be refilled for 4 times. Remember that I called Minto not only as a café but also as a restaurant at the beginning? Minto is nearly a café, but actually it also serves many foods! Chicken salad, rice cake, and noodles were the things that I ate every time I went there. Plus, I could have had grain breads as many as I wanted! These were fantastic for me who enjoys eating but do not like big meals that much.
Typing this post, I really wished to go to Minto as soon as possible. It’s not only because of the various types of tea or tasty meal, but because it is the place which makes me and my friends live in a romantic world. You can chat with your chums here, you can have delicious foods here, or you can even have a seminar here! You can do everything here and it will definitely satisfy your senses. I strongly recommend you to visit here once you come to Korea J
Sally,
답글삭제Hmm..I'm missing Minto tea, too. I was always wondering the recipe of the Minto Tea. Because of all those sensory experiences that visitors can get in the cafe, the place could turn into a romantic world for you and your friends. For the future blog, try to cite some literatures that you learned in the class and readings. Good job!