Ever Heard of Sensory Marketing?

I’ve heard a bit about “sensory” marketing – does this actually work?
Adam Ferrier
Wednesday, 14 September 2011 14:56
www.startupsmart.com.au

I’ve heard a bit about “sensory” marketing, which appeals to people’s senses. I run a gadget shop and I wondered if there

are any kinds of sights, smells or sounds that would work well to encourage people to come in and spend their money?

Don’t let anyone fool you, all marketing is sensory marketing.  It’s just that we need to acknowledge there are at least

five senses we can use to engage people with.

Consider the work we’re doing with the Renault Latitude at the moment. We’re using Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) to

measure peoples stress levels driving their regular car verses the Renault Latitude.

You can see the responses at www.stresstestdrive.com.au. The point being that this involves sensory technology to dramatise

the benefit of the car, but it’s still just marketing.

Further, another part of the campaign encourages people to actually sit in the massaging seats, smell the sophisticated air

freshening capabilities and listen to the Bose sound system.

Again, this is engaging the senses of consumers.

Remember you have at least five senses to engage people with, and tell your story with.  A good marketer will use these

senses as a checklist and ensure they have considered, although not necessarily used, all of them when considering their

marketing activity.

Perhaps the most interesting macro change in marketing communications is moving from the one-way passive image based

advertising of yesterday to interactive, immersive and engaging advertising of the future.

With this being the case, all the senses, not just eyes and ears, will become more and more important.

Adam Ferrier is a consumer psychologist and founding partner of Naked Communications Australia.  He began his career as a

forensic psychologist. Adam then had a stint at Saatchi & Saatchi before starting Naked Communications in 2004. He was also

State under-12 Chess Champion in WA. www.nakedcomms.com.au

Ask Amanda or any other StartupSmart Mentor a question here.

MY THOUGHTS

How do you do this when you're doing internet marketing?  Maybe just appeal to the senses?  A good enough appeal so

potential customers can imagine smelling and tasting and touching?  Something that will make them want to actually hold a

product in their hands and see how it smells or tastes?

Not sure.  Any ideas?