Sensory marketing is the use of marketing techniques to appeal to the consumer's five senses (sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch). The ultimate goal is to encourage a certain attitude or emotion or action when consumers are exposed to the brand or product or marketing message. In other words, to influence consumer behaviour.
Sound. Marketing experts at the grocery chain Morrisons realised that holiday shopping is stressful and therefore they wanted to send customers out with a smile by having 'cheerier' voices saying prerecorded messages like: 'Have yourself a very merry Christmas, from Morrisons' and 'Don't get your tinsel in a tangle, someone's coming to help'. Clearly, the objective is for customers to feel good about shopping at Morrisons.British Airways is using sound to enhance the taste of its inflight meals, another example of sensory marketing. Based on research that shows how taste is influenced by sound, among other senses, the airline offers 14 musical tracks chosen to complement the foods that passengers eat during flights.
Smell. The frozen food marketer McCains used aroma to advertise a new frozen potato product, pumping the fragrance of freshly baked potatoes into the air in front of selected transit ads (see photo). Thanks to this sensory marketing, the new product attracted a significant percentage of buyers who were new to the category. Every time a perfume marketer offers a free spritz or scents the air in a store, that's sensory marketing.
Sight. Think of those holiday displays in store windows--the use of sensory marketing is a vital element in retailing. Major retailers like Liberty widely publicise the 'unveiling' of their special holiday windows, drawing crowds for weeks. Every rack, every display, every website, every print ad and TV advert employs sight to enhance, influence and reinforce brand awareness, preference, purchase.
Taste. Free food samples are a common example of sensory marketing. When the Saucy Fish Co. began distributing its seafood products through US grocery retailers, it offered in-store sampling so shoppers could taste before making a purchase. Most supermarkets offer food samples during busy shopping periods, letting consumers try risk-free before they pay for something they've never tried before.
Touch. Samples are also important for new products that depend on consumers being able to touch the product, turn it over, examine it carefully from all angles and test its weight or size. Nuby is one of several companies that provide product samples (in this case, of baby products) to subscription sample companies so that customers get a fresh freebie in a box every month. Grocery items are sometimes launched by including a small-size package with a regular-size package.
Next time you see an ad, walk through a store or scroll through a retailer's website, think about how sensory marketing is being used to appeal to your senses and your heart and mind.
