Today, companies must face a new type of consumer: more informed and, therefore, more demanding customers. This has a direct impact on marketing, which must seek new strategies to capture the public’s attention. More and more organizations are turning to sensory marketing, a type of marketing that tries to attract the attention of consumers through the senses.
What is sensory marketing and how is it applied?
Sensory marketing is the aspect of marketing that is responsible for engaging consumers by provoking reactions through their senses. Professionals in this field use different stimuli to create a 360º shopping experience that appeals to your emotions.
The ideal is to apply strategies aimed at the five senses, since each one provides different sensations to the consumer and can influence the purchase decision in a different way:
- Visual: the presentation of the product is used to create an attractive image that captures the consumer’s attention. Through aspects such as design, color and lighting, brand identity is reinforced.
- Auditory: sounds and music are used to create an atmosphere that positively influences the client’s mood.
- Olfactory: through aromas and fragrances, pleasant emotions can be awakened and associated with the brand. This enhances the shopping experience in a very subtle way.
- Tactile: The sense of touch can be applied through the materials used in the presentation of the product, which will influence the perception of quality and value of the product.
- Gustative: the sense of taste is stimulated through tastings or product samples. It may be the most complicated to apply if the product is not designed to be ingested, but it is also possible to create gastronomic experiences to associate certain flavors with the brand.
Why is it more profitable to appeal to emotional judgment than to rational one?
Traditionally, marketing focused on presenting a series of rational arguments why a product was the best option for the consumer. However, over time, it has been discovered that this is not the most effective way to sell.
Different personalized studies ensure that between 85% and 95% of purchasing decisions occur in the subconscious. Through emotional communication we address the limbic, which is the part of the brain that controls behavior and our emotions. The neocortex then translates these feelings provoked by the limbic into rational thoughts, which are what allow us to make purchasing decisions.
What is the importance of sensory marketing in companies?
Today, companies that do not use sensory marketing are not effectively reaching their entire target audience. Consumers are saturated with information and advertising, and need other forms of corporate communication.
Therefore, sensory marketing has become an imperative for business. Among the benefits that we can find when applying it, include:
- It is a great way to differentiate yourself from competitors, as it creates a unique experience that separates a brand or product from the rest.
- If the user experience with a company is excellent, their time spent in the company’s physical and online stores increases.
- The corporate identity is reinforced and consolidated, since its own unique personality is created.
- Consumers perceive the brand as more human, which makes some of them even identify with it.
Without a doubt, sensory marketing is one of the most efficient branches of traditional marketing. However, many businesses confuse this term with other similar ones and this translates into a poorly executed strategy.
Difference between sensory, experiential and emotional marketing
Sensory marketing is not the only branch of marketing focused on customer experience. Although many of these areas may seem similar and lead to confusion, the truth is that they focus on different goals. The main point of differentiation is the aspect of the human being that is intended to provoke:
- Emotional marketing aims to evoke feelings and thus captivate customers.
- Experiential marketing aims to awaken the customer’s passion for living unique experiences.
- Sensory marketing seeks to create reactions through the senses, and that these then connect with feelings.
Marketing, without a doubt, evolves as society does and it is difficult to predict what its future will be. For this reason, professionals are obliged to master strategies such as those listed above and to closely follow the different innovations within the sector.
