“Experience happens where the senses meet the story — when what we see, hear, and touch aligns with what we believe and feel.”
— Mountain Stream Group, Experiential Communications Design Framework
Introduction
In an age of constant noise, standing out isn’t about shouting louder — it’s about creating moments that move people.
Experiential Communications Design (ECD) is Mountain Stream Group’s discipline for transforming strategy into multisensory experience. It fuses science, storytelling, and design so every brand interaction becomes tangible, logical, and emotional — an experience that connects, engages, and endures.
Neuroscience tells us that emotion, memory, and perception are inseparable (Harvard Business Review¹). When communication triggers multiple senses, it activates more of the brain, deepens recall, and strengthens loyalty. That’s why ECD exists: to help organizations build communications that are not just seen or heard, but felt and remembered.
Framework Connection
ECD is one of three interconnected disciplines that power the MSG ecosystem:
- 5Ps Brand DNA Communications Framework aligns your People, Processes, Products, Place, and Promotions so every touchpoint reflects your purpose.
- Experiential Communications Design (ECD) transforms that alignment into multi-sensory storytelling that captures both heart and mind.
- Nexus Control Loop drives continuous feedback and improvement, ensuring every experience evolves with insight.
Together, they form a closed-loop system that balances creativity with engineering — turning bold ideas into measurable business results.
Why It Matters
- Emotion drives decision-making. Up to 95 percent of purchasing decisions are subconscious and emotionally influenced (Harvard Business Review²).
- Multi-sensory experiences increase recall by 70 percent (Forbes³).
- Brands that connect emotionally earn 52 percent higher customer lifetime value (Motista⁴).
- Consistent brand experiences boost revenue by 33 percent (Lucidpress/Marq⁵).
When every message, image, and interaction resonates across the senses, you create experiences that drive trust, loyalty, and measurable growth.
Connector
This is the starting point of your experiential journey — where alignment becomes emotion and emotion becomes memory. But to design experiences that truly endure, you must first understand how each sense influences perception.
Continue the Journey
Explore how sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste shape connection in “The Science of the Senses in Business Communication.”
Footnotes / References
1. Harvard Business Review, “The New Science of Customer Emotions,” 2015.
2. Ibid.
3. Forbes, “The Role of Multi-Sensory Experiences in Brand Engagement,” 2021.
4. Motista, “Customer Connection Study,” 2020.
5. Lucidpress (Marq), “Brand Consistency Report,” 2023.
President/CEO at Mountain Stream Group, Inc.
I'm an engineer at heart — learning new things, tinkering and solving problems. I'm passionate about helping companies succeed, manufacturing and promoting the need for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.
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