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
