Sensory marketing is a technique developed in the 80’s to increase customer’s response to marketing. SM consists of introducing elements perceived by the senses: sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing. Companies’ started to use this technique for the effectiveness of brand awareness. Customers are more likely to recognise brands if they have a sensorial experience before.
Studies confirmed that people remember 1% of what they touch, 2% of what they hear, 5% of what they see, 15% of what they taste and 35% of what they smell. Therefore, using senses like the smell companies catch customer’s attention and raise the brand above the competitors.
The main objective is to create an emotional relationship with customers. Also to build associations of the brand with different elements. Sometimes this association is subconscious so we are not fully aware of perceiving the element. Nevertheless, the association is still in our minds. SM is also used to distinguish brands from the competitors of the sector, is easier to remember a smell than a name.
The Goal
Both big and small companies are using these effective techniques in their marketing campaigns, along with other traditional marketing methods such as search engine optimization. There are many examples of SM in our daily day that customers cannot even recognise them.
Examples
The most common example of sensory marketing using the sense of smell is the one used in bakeries. These shops use a perfume that copies the smell of freshly baked bread to attract customers. Thus making it hard to resist stopping at a bakery with that smell. Another example where companies use the SM is cloths brands. The perfume in the shops, which also stays in the clothes are the same everywhere in the world in case of an international company. Therefore, no matter where you are the perfume remind you that brand.
Another common example of sensory marketing is the small samples that takes place in supermarkets normally, is common to see in the busiest hours giving away samples of a product. The product is more likely to be recognised in the future when it has been tried before.
In case of being an international brand or looking forward to commercialising abroad is important to take into account differences and similarities in the countries operating. The objective is to create a campaign that pleases as many markets as possible.
Is a challenge to implement sensory marketing on campaigns online, however companies have found a way to reach our senses through screens. Thanks to new technologies the approach to customers through the senses has become easier. Yet, implementing campaigns like this requires a big amount of economical investment and a constant maintenance to ensure everything is working properly.
Virtual Tour
In order to show the product of the shop or the venue companies decided to create a virtual tour exactly like the original. Gives the opportunity to have a shop experience perfectly adjusted to reality from a computer. Customers using the virtual tours avoid queues, although they will not have the product instantly in their hands.
4D Cinemas
Thanks to the 4D technology used in cinema’s companies have found a way to implement a sensory marketing camping. Commercials that connect people with the brand through the senses are going to be a trend in the next years. This method requires a big investment, however, the number of impacts generated from this kind of campaigns make it worth it every penny.
In conclusion, companies are catching up with new technologies and are using the most of them to attract customers. So as a customer get ready to experiment adds as never before, where even our senses would be altered.
Rehan is a student of Masters at the University of Birmingham. He loves writing about business, finance, technology, and life. He believes that sharing knowledge with the public is the best thing that one can do for the world and humanity.