What is Sensory Marketing?

Sensory Marketing

Marketing is a very important feature for any company, as it creates awareness of a particular brand’s product or service. There are several different types and ways of marketing a product, but some may suggest that the most effective way is to use ‘Sensory Marketing.’ It is used to stimulate certain or several senses of the body which then immediately builds a connection to the product or service. Which then will result in a higher chance of the consumer purchasing the product or service.  

‘Sensations aim at expressing a brand's identity and values as something distinctive and sensorial, in facilitating the multi‐sensory brand experience.’ (Hultén 2011)

This quote from the journal article Sensory Marketing by Bertil Hultén states that the marketing technique which stimulates the senses is what makes the brand have its own identity. Each product or service of a particular brand will show the most important values, which will be the core of the experience that the product provides. The consumers will automatically recognise a brand through the senses, such as taste and smell.

Vision – The easiest way to recognise a brand is through sight. Consumers will be able to identify the brands clearly by their logos and the colours that are used. Colour is very important when determining a brand’s logo as each colour can represent different meanings and emotions. For example, the colour ‘red’ can stimulate hunger as research has shown. This is why most restaurants and fast food places have used red in their logo. This is a great way to encourage hunger and they are therefore more likely to buy a product from the organisation. One particular brand that has taken full advantage of this is the very popular brand ‘Coca-Cola’. The logo is red and white which consequently boosts your hunger levels.

Smell – Another powerful way to engage with consumers is through smell. This is known as the ‘limbric system’ of the brain. Although this can be one of the most difficult senses to stimulate as it depends on the way a product or service is marketed. For example, products such as perfume and aftershave are goods that are clearly emphasised on smell. If a specific perfume is being advertised in a magazine, how will the customer know if the product smells nice if it is on paper? The solution to this is marketing a magazine that includes ‘scratch and smell’, this allows the consumer to scratch the paper which leads to a release of the perfume smell, which will then result in the customer smelling the product and possibly purchasing it. Smell can also help to activate memory which can either be positive or negative, therefore the product can connect with the consumer on an emotional level or experience.

Touch – Also known as the ‘haptic sense’, touch can be a great way to market a product or service. Most stores now have several products on display as it is a chance for the consumers to actually try these products first hand. Phone shops present the latest phones in the shop as it allows potential buyers to touch and feel the products before they purchase them. Clothes shops also have most of their products on display as customers like to know the texture and material of the product before they buy them. This immediately creates a connection from the product or service to the customers. Nowadays, young children love to explore their surroundings by touching them, so the texture and consistency of the product needs to be just as appealing as the look of it.  

Taste – The taste of a food or drink product should be at a high value in order to have loyal customers. Food and drink must have a good quality standard to build up a positive reputation on a particular brand. However, brands and logos may not always be the best products as more and more people now are all about ‘good value for money.’ More customers are paying less for unbranded products that are at the same standard and quality as the leading big brands. For example, cheaper supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi, market their products by doing blind taste tests. This consists of the customer tasting the same product from two different brands. One of the brands will be the more expensive, popular and well known and the other will be a cheaper and unknown brand. The interesting research shows that most customers cannot tell the difference between the products. By showing this on media such as television, potential customers will see this and may purchase the cheaper product as it still has the same quality value as the more expensive products from the bigger brands.

Sound – Music and noises can help to market products. This is due to the fact that music and sound can influence people’s mood. It can impact the emotions, thoughts and feelings of an individual which can either lead to a positive or negative impression.  The speed of sound can affect the responsiveness and the direction of the consumer. Hearing a specific song or sound can help to motivate, connect and inspire the customers therefore creating an interest in a product or service.

All of the senses have a huge impact on the way we perceive products, brands and services. They can work together to create an emotional connection to the individuals when marketing goods and produce.

Thank you for reading my blog, I hope that you find it interesting.

Naomi Pearson