Sensory marketing

Sensory marketing targets multiple senses to sway purchasing decisions. Based on research showing how the brain responds to sensory input, this type of marketing acts covertly on the customer.

How it works

Sensory marketing is most obviously used by the food and drinks industries, but its use extends to diverse products and services: computers designed with tactile materials, hotels scented to relax customers, and even fireworks displays featuring edible confetti. Typical channels for sensory
marketing include field marketing (in-store events, samples, and person-to-person sales), direct mail, and product delivery. For online businesses, however, finding a way to use it remains a challenge.

Sight Technology is making advances with this, the most stimulated sense in marketing, by using optical illusions, digital effects, 3-D, and 360-degree photography

Smell Customers are willing to
pay more for a product sold in an environment that is scented appealingly

Taste Taste sensations can be enhanced or subtly altered by combining them with touch, sight, and especially the closely linked sense of smell.

Touch Marketers use 2-D and 3-D textural print techniques for promotional materials and packaging, as well as to sell products with tactile appeal.

Hearing Sound is more effective than sight in triggering the brain areas that process emotions

Attitude, memory, behavior, and mood

The sensory input results in a short- or longterm effect on attitude, memory, behavior, and mood. This can be influenced by the intensity of sensory data and by using it to stimulate more than one sense at the same time.

Perception The brain receives stimuli from one or more senses.

Emotion Sensory stimuli tap into the store of
emotional memories, as Cognition
both are processed by the same area of brain.

Cognition After processing
sensory stimuli, the brain embeds memory,
regulates emotion, and makes decisions.

NEED TO KNOW

Sensory testing Assessment of products by panel members with exceptional sensory perception

Haptic technology Invention that simulates touch through vibrations on computers

3-D marketing An immersive form of consumer marketing

81%
of consumers born from 1980 to 2000 value experience over material items