Branding with the senses is powerful. The sound of honking horns always said New York to me...

that is, until I visited Cairo. It is my second trip to Cairo and I am amazed at the consistency of the brand sound.

As soon as I left the airport, I could tell I was in Cairo just from the ambient noise. Unlike the intermittent honking you hear in New York, Cairo has a steady stream of honking. In Cairo, your horn is as essential to driving as the gas pedal. (Mainly because lanes were painted on roadways mostly as a suggestion. Most two-lane roads have three or four lanes of traffic driving on them).

It reminds me of how all the senses can be engaged in branding. Next time you are in NYC or Cairo or in your local Target store for that matter... close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you.

Can you recognize where you are?