In a market where consumers are becoming more informed and demanding, brands need to not only offer quality products, but also experiences that connect on a deeper level with their customers. Nowadays, companies understand that, in order to stand out, it is not enough to satisfy functional needs, but it is crucial to generate emotions and sensations that connect on a deeper level with customers.
For example, it is quite common to come across shops like Llaollao, where you are invited to try frozen yoghurts, or taste Vicens nougats when you walk into their shop. You can even recognise a Massimo Dutti or Scalpers on a street just by their distinctive scent. These successful examples of sensory marketing show how sensory stimuli, when used appropriately, can influence brand perception and purchase decisions.
With the growing trend to win over consumers through unique experiences, the stimulation of the senses has established itself as a differentiating element. According to Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman, 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 shop, the warmth of its colours 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 the consumer's senses, creating a deeper and more 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 to connect in a more meaningful and deeper way with the feelings and emotions of consumers, helping to create a lasting bond between them and the brands that put it into practice.
Senses
Each of the five senses plays a fundamental role in how we perceive the world around us, and sensory marketing uses this perception to influence purchasing decisions.
- Sight: This is the most commonly used sense in traditional marketing. Colours, shapes and visual designs are powerful tools for communicating a brand's message. For example, the colour red is commonly associated with energy and urgency, while blue conveys calm and confidence. In sensory marketing, sight is used to create appealing environments that reinforce brand identity. When designing a stage design or stand for an event that integrates experiential marketing, it is essential to use colours effectively to provoke the sensations we want to convey with our brand.
- Hearing: Sound also has a significant impact on consumers' emotions and behaviours. Music as part of an event or at your stand during an exhibition 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 togetherness among a brand's employees.
- Smell: Smell is one of the most powerful senses for evoking memories and emotions. In experiential marketing, many events 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 brands want to transmit.
- Touch: Texture and material also influence customers' perception of a brand. Working with recycled materials in 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 tend to prefer products that feel good to the touch.
Benefits of sensory marketing for your business:
Sensory marketing offers multiple benefits for businesses:
- Increased differentiation: In a saturated market, multi-sensory experiences allow a brand to stand out and be more easily remembered by customers.
- Increased loyalty: By creating a deeper emotional connection, brands that use sensory marketing tend to generate greater customer loyalty.
- Enhanced experience: When customers feel good in a place, they tend to have a more positive perception of the brand and its products.
- Brand positioning: A good sensory strategy can help a brand to be perceived as premium, unique or innovative, depending on which senses are activated and how it is done.
Conclusion
In short, we can conclude that sensory marketing is a powerful tool that, by stimulating the five senses, allows brands to create richer and more memorable experiences for their customers.
In a competitive marketplace, companies that use sensory marketing strategies as a tool to emotionally connect with customers at their events have a significant advantage.
Implementing these strategies not only enhances the customer experience, but also strengthens the relationship between the consumer and the brand, driving loyalty.
