What is sensory marketing? Benefits for your business
Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2024 10:18 am
In a market where consumers are increasingly better informed and more demanding, brands must not only offer quality products, but also experiences that connect with their customers on a deeper level. Today, companies understand that, to stand out, it is not enough to satisfy functional needs; it is crucial to generate emotions and sensations that connect with customers on a deeper level.
For example, it is quite common to come across shops like Llaollao, where you are invited to try frozen yoghurts, or try Vicens nougats when you enter their ig phone number data store. You can even recognise that there is a Massimo Dutti or a Scalpers on a street just by their distinctive aroma. These successful examples of sensory marketing show how sensory stimuli, when used appropriately, can influence the perception of a brand and purchase decisions.
In the face of the growing trend of winning over consumers through unique experiences, stimulating the senses has become established as a differentiating element. According to Gerald Zaltman, professor at Harvard Business School, between 85% and 95% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously . It is common for a purchase to be influenced by the pleasant aroma of a store, the warmth of its colors or the tasting of its products, which underlines the importance of sensory marketing in creating emotional connections with consumers.
Sensory marketing
Sensory marketing is a strategy that focuses on stimulating the five human senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, to create memorable and emotional experiences with a brand or product. Unlike traditional marketing, which tends to focus on visual and auditory aspects, sensory marketing seeks to engage all of the consumer's senses, generating a deeper and longer-lasting connection. In a world where consumers are exposed to information overload, capturing their attention through multi-sensory experiences can be a key differentiator.
In the field of experiential marketing applied to brand activations, sensory marketing is a tool that helps connect in a more meaningful and profound way with the feelings and emotions of consumers, helping to create a lasting bond between them and the brands that put it into practice.
The senses
Each of the five senses plays a key role in how we perceive the world around us, and sensory marketing leverages this perception to influence purchasing decisions.
- Sight: This is the most commonly used sense in traditional marketing. Colors, shapes, and visual designs are powerful tools for communicating a brand's message. For example, the color red is commonly associated with energy and urgency, while blue conveys calm and confidence. In sensory marketing, sight is used to create attractive environments that reinforce brand identity. When designing a set or stand for an event that integrates experiential marketing , it is essential to use colors effectively to provoke those sensations that we want to convey with our brand.
- Hearing: Sound also has a significant impact on consumer emotions and behaviour. Music as part of an event or at your stand during a trade fair can influence the length of time a customer spends there and can arouse very positive emotions and feelings for the brand. Many events, for example, create their own song to foster a spirit of unity among a brand's employees.
- Smell: Smell is one of the most powerful senses for evoking memories and emotions. In the field of experiential marketing, there are many events that create their own fragrances, creating an olfactory experience that can influence customer perception and brand loyalty.
- Taste: At this point, there are many brands that take advantage of events for experiences related to taste or even experiment with caterings that, thanks to their culinary proposal, fit with the values and feelings that the brands want to convey.
- Touch: Texture and material also influence customers' perception of a brand. Working with recycled materials on a stand, for example, can convey a company's image of sustainability, or using cooler materials can contribute to a company's image of technology. Consumers often prefer products that feel good to the touch.
For example, it is quite common to come across shops like Llaollao, where you are invited to try frozen yoghurts, or try Vicens nougats when you enter their ig phone number data store. You can even recognise that there is a Massimo Dutti or a Scalpers on a street just by their distinctive aroma. These successful examples of sensory marketing show how sensory stimuli, when used appropriately, can influence the perception of a brand and purchase decisions.
In the face of the growing trend of winning over consumers through unique experiences, stimulating the senses has become established as a differentiating element. According to Gerald Zaltman, professor at Harvard Business School, between 85% and 95% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously . It is common for a purchase to be influenced by the pleasant aroma of a store, the warmth of its colors or the tasting of its products, which underlines the importance of sensory marketing in creating emotional connections with consumers.
Sensory marketing
Sensory marketing is a strategy that focuses on stimulating the five human senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, to create memorable and emotional experiences with a brand or product. Unlike traditional marketing, which tends to focus on visual and auditory aspects, sensory marketing seeks to engage all of the consumer's senses, generating a deeper and longer-lasting connection. In a world where consumers are exposed to information overload, capturing their attention through multi-sensory experiences can be a key differentiator.
In the field of experiential marketing applied to brand activations, sensory marketing is a tool that helps connect in a more meaningful and profound way with the feelings and emotions of consumers, helping to create a lasting bond between them and the brands that put it into practice.
The senses
Each of the five senses plays a key role in how we perceive the world around us, and sensory marketing leverages this perception to influence purchasing decisions.
- Sight: This is the most commonly used sense in traditional marketing. Colors, shapes, and visual designs are powerful tools for communicating a brand's message. For example, the color red is commonly associated with energy and urgency, while blue conveys calm and confidence. In sensory marketing, sight is used to create attractive environments that reinforce brand identity. When designing a set or stand for an event that integrates experiential marketing , it is essential to use colors effectively to provoke those sensations that we want to convey with our brand.
- Hearing: Sound also has a significant impact on consumer emotions and behaviour. Music as part of an event or at your stand during a trade fair can influence the length of time a customer spends there and can arouse very positive emotions and feelings for the brand. Many events, for example, create their own song to foster a spirit of unity among a brand's employees.
- Smell: Smell is one of the most powerful senses for evoking memories and emotions. In the field of experiential marketing, there are many events that create their own fragrances, creating an olfactory experience that can influence customer perception and brand loyalty.
- Taste: At this point, there are many brands that take advantage of events for experiences related to taste or even experiment with caterings that, thanks to their culinary proposal, fit with the values and feelings that the brands want to convey.
- Touch: Texture and material also influence customers' perception of a brand. Working with recycled materials on a stand, for example, can convey a company's image of sustainability, or using cooler materials can contribute to a company's image of technology. Consumers often prefer products that feel good to the touch.