The ability to use more than one sense when making a decision is a survival technique. If you are looking to survive (or thrive) as a business, you need to learn how to use sensory marketing.
In a society that thinks with our stomachs, eats with our eyes, and talks with our hands, marketers must learn how to appeal to all five senses. From jingles to TikTok to fresh-baked cookies, keep reading to see examples of sensory marketing that truly work and how to use them in your next campaign.
Sight
Great visual marketing shows how a product can fit into your life. It can show the solution to a problem or engage and leave an impression. Sight might be the most commonly used sense in marketing but that doesn’t make it the easiest.
However, a simple picture is not enough anymore. ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos depict satisfying visuals paired with soothing sounds. They during a visual experience into an auditory one that can even help reduce anxiety: three senses in one (sight, hear, feel).
Burns Cowboy Shop 187, located in Park City, Utah makes custom cowboy hats. While images have always been apart of their marketing strategy, their new claim to fame is TikTok. Their account has blown up after they started posting videos about the process, not just the product. They have gained trust and admiration from fans all over the world by showing how their hats get made.
Touch
In the early 1900’s Coca-Cola was facing a problem. They needed a way to differentiate themselves from copycat brands. In 1915 they decided that they would develop a distinctive bottle and they challenged 10 different glass companies to develop a “bottle so distinct that you would recognize it by feel in the dark or lying broken on the ground”. Now their bottle is as iconic as their ads or taste.
Sound
“Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” or how about “15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance”. Sound familiar? Jingles are a powerful, but difficult tool. A good jingle is short and memorable. Insurance companies have invested millions into their jingles and have created some of the most memorable ones out there. As customers begin to hear it over and over again, the content sinks in. So when you are at home humming “like a good neighbor…” you are thinking about State Farm which is the goal. Never underestimate the effectiveness of a good jingle.
Taste
On paper, having to pay money to go pay more money for groceries is a laughable strategy, but Costco has changed the game. When you walk into their store, you aren’t thinking about bemoaning membership fees, you are so excited for FREE samples! Not only does the sampling convince people that Costco is a fun place to be, it also encourages people to buy more. Exclusive brands, partnerships, and product placement makes Costco a study in business and marketing at every level. While trying to stick to the original shopping list, if a customer tries a new item they may be more inclined to buy it. Paired with creating urgency through a limited-time sale, many customers have fallen victim to the samples.
Wineries also implement taste into its strategy. Many wineries create a whimsical atmosphere where you can visit the vineyard or production facility and taste the wines that they make. This encourages customers who want a nice evening out to try some of their wines and purchase the bottles that they like. Having a few glasses of wine tends rarely leads to less sales so these samplers are going to buy the wine in order to try and replicate the experience at home.
Smell
When you walk into Hollister or Abercrombie & Fitch you are greeted by dark lights and strong frangrances. These stores use scent to present a smell-alike persona for the customers. Want to look like the models on the walls? Buy the clothes and smell how they smell.
Research by Nobel Peace Prize winners Axell and Buck shows that our sense of smell is the most ‘emotional’ sense. This means that we immediately get feelings or memories when we smell specific scents.
Another example of a brand that uses this to its advantage is Mrs. Fields, the cookie company. The smell of freshly baked cookies, just like you had growing up, pours out of their store and pulls you in. For this reason, realtors also bake cookies before an open house in order to promote the feeling of nostalgia.
Level-Up Your Marketing Efforts
Sensory marketing turns an ad or a brand into an experience. Just like a movie with a great soundtrack, great marketing will appeal to more than just the eyes.
Can you think of a picture you can hear, or a billboard you can taste? Let us know your favorite sensory marketing examples in the comments below!
CEO | Brand Champion
Michael Doyle has been changing the face of Brand Marketing for over two decades. He built a tech-based advertising agency, DNA Advertising, into a multi-million dollar company. Michael sold the company as part of a national IPO in 2000. Michael founded Brand Iron in 2002 and has since lent his expertise to hundreds of other businesses in dozens of industries around the world.
