today tomorrow feature

7/31/2019 Today Tomorrow Feature

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ODAY TOMORROW TODAY T

THESTRONG,SENSITIVETYPE

With hours of refinement

going into each and every Avensis, the flagship Toyotareally is a feast for the sensesTo find out more, we’ve aske four experts from the fields osound, smell, touch and sighto give us their insights on tnew, special edition Avensis

STORY PHILIP WATSONPHOTOGRAPHY JOHN WYCHERLEY



DAY TOMORROW

Consultants have had a lot of bad press

recently, the word perhaps being unfairly

associated with over-management and

inefficiency. But if your company is going

to be hiring just one consultant this year,

we think we may have the man for the job.

As chairman of The Sound Agency,the

world’s leading sound consultancy, Julian

Treasure helps his clients rid their businesses

of ‘bad’ noise and introduce ‘good’ noise in

its place. And before you think, ‘lift music’,there’s a whole world more to it than that.

Julian advises clients in all aspects of sound,

from the use of music in advertising to noise

levels in shops, hotels and offices. After having

addressed their sound issues, clients such

as Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sky Television

have all noticed an increase in productivity,

sales and customer satisfaction figures.

‘The vast majority of organisations spend

a great deal on how they look, but rarely

consider how they sound,’ says Julian. ‘This

is strange because all the studies show that

sound profoundly affects our emotional state,

for better or worse – think of the power of

your favourite piece of music or the warning

sounds of danger. Research has also shown

that an appropriate sound can increase retail

sales by more than 30 per cent and triple

productivity for some workers.’

Julian argues, however, that there are more

bad business sounds than good; industrial

noise, annoying in-store music and poor office

acoustics all contribute. ‘There’s so much badsound that it’s almost overwhelming,’ he says.

Many of these issues and techniques are

explored in Julian’s book Sound Business ,

published earlier this year. ‘Good, healthy

sound is a form of nutrient energy that

charges our neurological batteries,’ he says.

‘It is not just the icing on the cake; I believe

it’s fundamental. Not only is the effect on

business efficiency quite amazing, but it’s

a chance to make the world sound better.’

Dr Mark Paterson is an expert in touch from

the University of Exeter. A lecturer in human

geography and researcher into the philosophy

and history of touch, he has written two

books that explore the way the senses,

and touch in particular, affect our emotions

and behaviour. He is also interested in the

extension of touch in developing technologies

such as video games and computer-aided

design. The Senses of Touch, his most recent

book, will be published in October.

In a career that has always combined

the philosophical with the practical, Mark

has investigated the ways in which our

sense of touch is about far more than

simply the sensation of something against

our skin. He has shown that touch can

be related to, for example, memory,

movement, balance and space.

He has also looked at how birth and the

tactile experiences of early childhood affect

our sense and perception of touch. And he has

explored the way touch gives us much more

information – from surface and texture to

density and weight – than sight alone. ‘Seeing

is believing, but feeling’s the truth,’ says Mark.

Mark points to the tactile contours of early

glass Coke bottles, the weight and solidity

of Bose remote controls, and the shiny

smoothness of i-Pods as examples of how

touch and feel can communicate positive

messages to us about the quality of a product.

Touch is particularly crucial in the world

of cars, with such elements as seat fabrics,

steering wheels, gear shift levers, dashboard

materials and touch-screen controls playing

a vital role in our driving experience. Research

has shown that the way a car feels is important

to 49 per cent of consumers making a choice.

‘There is a sense that a car acts as an

extension to your body when you drive,’

says Mark. ‘You can develop a real affection for

the way a car feels. Once you’ve experienced

that, you often stay loyal to that particular

brand of car to get that same kind of feeling.

SOUND:THE VERDICT

Car designers give special

attention to sound, carefully

engineering the doors, engine,

gearbox, seat adjusters,

indicators, electric windows,hazard warning lights, and, of

course, the horn and stereo.

Revving the car hard in the

photographic studio, Julian

admired the sound of the

Avensis TR engine. ‘Between

1,000 and 3,000 revs, the engine

sounds very smooth,’ he says.

‘You wouldn’t know it’s a diesel.

It’sone of the best I’ve heard.’

He also liked the sound of the

door.‘It’s quite a heavy door for

a mid-range car, but it closes

very easily and satisfyingly,’ he

says. ‘It doesn’t sound thin and

tinny,or sharp and metallic.

It’sa clean and complete

sound, like a full-stop.’

Julian explains that drivers

are often unaware of the subtle

acoustics of the cabin, the way

the external and internal sounds

are carefully balanced. ‘There is

enough engine noise to let you

know exactly what’s going on,

but even at high revs you can

talk and be heard perfectly

easily. That’s impressive. Toyota

has done a good job here.’

TODAY

TOUCH:THE VERDICT

Mark was impressed by his

tactile experience of the new

Avensis TR. ‘The shape and

design of the seat is very

important because a lot of your body is in contact with i

Mark explains. ‘This seat is ea

to adjust and very comfortabl

I have problems with my bac

especially on long car journey

but the sides of these seats,

especially at the rear,give

a real sense of support.’

Mark was also drawn to the

gearshift lever. ‘After just a fe

minutes you instinctively know

exactly where the gears are

– you can find them purely

by touch,’ he says. ‘The steeri

wheel is also very natural and

comfortable to use. Whatever

position your hands adopt, yo

can feel the stitching under y

fingertips. It has reassuring

associations with solidity.’

He also spent a good amoun

of time experimenting with th

touch-screen sat nav. ‘The scr

is a good size,’ he says. ‘The

controls are well implemente

and the device is very intuitive

‘What I liked most though,’

Mark concludes, ‘was the

fact that you can drag the

on-screen maps with your

fingers. I love that notion.

It’s a wonderful touch.’

‘Good, healthy sound is not just the icing on the cake, it’s a formof nutrient energy that charges our neurological batteries.’

Julian Treasure, sound consultant

‘Seeing is believing, but feeling is the truth. You can develop a real affection for the way a car feels.’ Dr Mark Paterson, AKA Dr Touch



‘The use of sight and sound in marketing

is well established, but very often smell can

have a far greater emotional and evocative

effect,’ she says. ‘A smell makes you more

involved and engaged in a product; you

form a strong connection that means you’re

more likely to be loyal to that product.’

Sarah also explains that while women tend

to be more smell-aware than men, everyone

instinctively understands how powerful a smell

can be, and how each of us associates certain

emotions, moods and memories, both positive

and negative, with certain aromas. Think of

the smell of babies, bonfire smoke, roses or

body odours and you quickly see her point.It has long been the practice in supermarkets,

for example, to place a bakery near the store

entrance or to transmit the smell of freshly

baked bread, significantly improving sales.

‘Even though it would be much more

economical for supermarkets to produce

their bread off-site in a central location, the

in-store bakery has become an essential way

of creating an environment of freshness, as

well as communicating a reassuring and

comforting sense of home,’ says Sarah.

Sarah Harrop is managing director of

The Aroma Company,a UK leader in the

marketing and promotion of products through

the sense of smell. Established in 1994, the

company provides aroma solutions for a wide

range of brands, from household, haircare and

personal-care products to food, beverages and

snacks. Sarah works with manufacturers,

retailers, advertising agencies and events

organisers to create smells in such media

as point-of-sale samples, printed material,scratch cards and magazine inserts.

She advises clients on appropriate

ambient fragrances in shops, hotels, offices

and public spaces. Sarah also helps brands

develop smells and signature scents that

communicate a product’s particular features.

in the world that produces the Avensis;

cars are built here for the domestic,

European and even Japanese markets.

Each part of the production of the

car is a ‘process’ in which a number of

standardised tasks are performed during

a specific time period. In the QA department,

up to 150 checks are carried out in 81

seconds. The engine, exterior and interior

will be comprehensively inspected; no

detail is too small or insignificant. Every

bolt, screw, part, seal, trim, fitting, control,

gap, finish, panel, moulding, mechanism

and safety feature, on each model and

edition, is itemised and checked.

Richard can instantly spot the slightest

defect, variation or abnormality. There may

be tiny scratches to the bodywork, mirrors or

instrument panel. The paint finish must be free

of scuffs, dents, or ‘seeds’ – little specs that

prevent a smooth finish. The shut-lines

between the doors may be slightly out; the

colour of an interior part not completely

correct; a fabric might look or feel different.

Something might be missing, in the wrong

place, or superfluous. It’s as if he has a highly

detailed mental image of the cars imprinted

in his head, any deviation from which

sounds alarm bells in his senses.

ODAY TOMORROW TODAY T

Employed in the Quality Assurance

department of the Toyota production facility

in Burnaston, south Derbyshire, Richard James

describes himself as ‘the eyes of the customer’.

Along with the other members of the rigorous

QA team, Richard makes the final visual checks

of cars rolling off the production line. It is

Richard who ensures that each car meets

the meticulously high Toyota standards

of production, design and finish.

‘We inspect everything that has previously

been carried out on the assembly floor,’ says

Richard, who has worked for Toyota for six

years. Previously, he worked as an antiques

dealer, another job in which his remarkable

eye for detail paid dividends. ‘Toyota prides

itself in manufacturing and selling a quality

product, and at Burnaston I’m the last line of

defence between the plant and the customer.

We have very specific, very high standards and

I make sure that what the customer gets meets

those standards absolutely. If I say that the car

is OK, then it’s OK. The buck stops with me.’

While Burnaston also manufactures the

three- and five-door Auris, it is the only plant

SMELL:THE VERDICT

Cars can create attractive

aromas, none more so than

the near universal appeal of

the smell of a new car. ‘A car

wins on all levels because it h

something for everyone – it’s

multi-sensory – but its smell

is one of the most powerful

and gratifying experiences of

a owning a new car,’ Sarah sa

Research has been conducte

into how in-car aromas might

assist drivers. Sandalwood co

be released into the car to re

owners in traffic jams; citrus

would keep drivers alert.

Different areas of the car

could even emit different smeA passenger might enjoy the

soothing perfume of lavende

or jasmine, while the driver

takes in heartening smells of

leather and wood. ‘Men and

women might be able to sele

different aromas according to

their taste and mood.’

Sarah was enthusiastic abou

the aroma of the new Toyota

Avensis TR. ‘The smell is not

quite as overt as some new-ca

smells I’ve experienced – you

often get a sharp, floral arom

she says. ‘This is pleasingly

understated; it gives you a gr

feeling of warmth, of being

subtly enveloped.’

SIGHT:THE VERDICT‘I’m not sure if this is an Avensis

that I inspected on one of my

shifts,’ says James. ‘The lights in

the studio aren’t as bright as the

ones in our QA department, but

I can tell just by looking at it, just

by sitting in it and getting a feel

for it that this car is faultless.’

The level of perfection Richard

looks for is extraordinary. The

interior assist grip above the

door, for example, must retract

at the correct pace – somewhere

between one and three seconds

is acceptable. ‘Look at this – the

grip is retracting at a nice, even

speed,’ he says, his voice almost

swelling with pride. ‘It doesn’t just

flop back with an ugly thump.’

At the front of the Avensis,

Richard explains that the gap

between the headlight and the

wing must not exceed an exact

1.5mm. ‘You see – that’s super,’

he says, laughing. ‘You won’t

get a better finish than that.’

‘Toyota prides itself on quality.I inspect everything and if I say that the car is OK, then it’s OK.The buck stops with me.’ Richard James, the eyes of Toyota

‘The use of sight and sound inmarketing is well established,but very often smell can have a far greater emotional effect.’ Sarah Harrop, nose for hire


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LIFE IN COLOUR

LET THE NEW FULL-MAP SAT

NAV SHOW YOU THE WAY

The most exciting feature of the new

Avensis is its new sat nav system,

available on T3-S, TR, T4, T Spirit and

T180 grades.

This new feature takes the Avensis

sat nav from a turn-by-turn system

to one that offers full-map, touch-

screen enhanced graphics display

technology.

The 6.5-inch LCD monitor has

3D-effects to help you look out

for key landmarks along the way

and the system will obtain early

alerts to any delays on your route.

It will then automatically offer you an alternative. And it’s

voice-activated, too. Finally, the

lane guidance function will let

you know well in advance when

to move to the right lane at

particularly complex intersections.

Getting lost just became a lot

more attractive…

A V E N S I S T RThe Toyota Avensis just got even better

For ten years now, the Toyota Avensis has been

celebrated for its reliability and its refinement.

Admittedly, though, it has never really been

used as an example of excitement. Until now.

The new Avensis TR is everything the Avensis

embodies, and more. Of course, it includes the

range of feature changes that have been applied

to all grades of the Avensis and in fact has all

the luxuries of the T3-X grade, with one major

difference: it also offers the new sat nav system

(see right) with touch-screen technology.

That means a choice of three engines,

a metallic centre console, dual-zone climate

control air-conditioning, rain-sensitive front

wipers, 16-inch alloy wheels, electric windows

and power adjustable, heated and retractable

exterior mirrors. With sat nav.

So, with prices starting from a modest

£17,530, who says the Avensis TR is anything

less than exciting?

To request a brochure or a test drive of the Avensis, use the reply format the back of the magazine, call 0845 275 5555 (quote TT31) or go to www.toyota.co.uk/avensis

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