Every brand wants to be memorable. From small local shops to international corporations, marketers want to solidify their business as the go-to choice in clients’ minds. And while most marketing professionals know their brands inside and out — and could talk about them all day long, it takes more than words to capture an audience and turn them into loyal customers. Instead, we must figure out how to make brands tangible. To accomplish this, many are turning to sensory marketing.
Humans are naturally sensory beings. We engage with the world through our five senses every single day. Marketing strategies have evolved beyond traditional advertising to engage consumers on a deeper level, tapping into their emotions through sensory marketing.
Sensory marketing is, simply put, marketing strategies that engage one or more senses. But, as simple as it seems, research has shown that neuromarketing is incredibly effective. By appealing to the five senses, marketers can use sensory branding to establish strong connections that drive brand engagement and loyalty.
When it comes to sensory marketing, you have a 5-in-1 opportunity to connect with potential customers! There are five different sensory channels through which marketers can communicate with consumers: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Each of these senses can be strategically employed to evoke specific emotions, memories, and associations, ultimately influencing purchasing decisions.
This is the most widely used sense in traditional advertising! We all know the importance of a recognizable brand. From color selection to typography, every aspect of your visual brand communicates something important to consumers.
This is another popular way for brands to communicate with consumers through recognizable auditory cues. From theme songs and jingles to digitized sounds that have come to be synonymous with a brand, audio is a great way to solidify your business in consumers’ minds.
Have you ever caught a whiff of a scent that “smells like home”? Human minds store powerful memories through scent. Many companies have learned how to leverage this fact, helping create connections between consumers and products through carefully placed – and timed – smells.
Not every brand will be able to incorporate taste into their sensory marketing, but for those who do, taste-based marketing has proven to be highly effective. Giving consumers a literal taste of what you provide highlights the quality of your brand in their minds.
We remember a little bit of what we see and hear each day – but when we add tangible texture into an experience, our brains latch on to it for the long haul. Not only are you providing real-life context for your product or service, but you’re creating an experience, which is much more likely to be remembered by your target audience than words alone.
Across a wide variety of industries, brands have effectively integrated sensory elements into their marketing campaigns, leading to increased brand awareness, sales, and customer satisfaction. Here are just a few of our favorite sensory marketing strategies.
Dunkin Donuts decided to target city transportation riders in their latest sensory marketing campaign.
When the company jingle played on municipal buses, an atomizer released a signature Dunkin Donuts coffee aroma. The results were amazing: visits to Dunkin Donuts near bus stops increased by 16% — and sales at those retailers grew by 29% over the duration of the campaign.
Singapore Airlines wanted to give every passenger a signature experience, so they partnered with the popular fragrance brand Stefan to create Floridian Waters, a fragrance designed to connect passengers with travel memories. Travelers will recognize this scent throughout the Singapore Airlines experience, from check-in counters at the airport to VIP lounges and even onboard their aircraft. The scent aids in “fostering an emotional connection with passengers and creating memories that last a lifetime.”
Apple has captured the importance of visual branding with its signature minimalist look. From product packaging to in-store experiences, consumers can easily recognize the clean, white look that’s come to be synonymous with the tech brand. The modern luxe approach clearly works — as of 2022, Apple had sold over 1.3 billion iPhones — their most popular product — worldwide, and that number continues to grow.
There’s nothing better than finding a package waiting at your doorstep, but Lemonjelly decided to enhance that experience even further. Each of their shoes is infused with lemon, so when customers open their shoebox, they get a fresh burst of citrus scent. This is the power of sensory marketing: when Lemonjelly customers smell lemons, they’ll think, “I should buy some new shoes!”
Have you heard the term “sonic branding”? Netflix sure has. When users open the streaming app or begin a show, they’re greeted with the now-classic “tah-dum” sound. Netflix, in fact, has become synonymous with streaming in many ways — it’s the largest streaming service on the market. At the end of last year, they had just over 260 million paid memberships globally, up nearly 13 percent from 2022. Their signature sound no doubt plays a part in their success!
At Redstory, we know the power of sensory experiences. As an experiential marketing agency, we connect brands to people through innovative marketing efforts designed to make a lasting impression. Want to engage the five senses of your target audience? We’d love to help you find a creative way to connect with them. Reach out to us today.