Sensory marketing tactics: How to give your ads some flavor

We’re living in a world where customers are overwhelmed by the number of advertising messages; they see every day. Promotions are everywhere you look, from the banners in the subway to the sales pitches in your email inbox. It’s no wonder that the average consumer is sick and tired of the traditional marketing experience.

The good news? There is a way to cut through the clutter and noise of these endless marketing campaigns. With #SensoryMarketing brands can appeal to their target audience in a deeper, psychological level, using primal connections to smell, touch, taste, and sound.

Through a multi-sensory campaign that aligns with the essence of your brand, you can show your customers what you’re all about, and make it easier for them to remember your company for years to come.

The question is, how do you make sense of sensory marketing?

Creating something sensational with sensory marketing

Your brand isn’t just what your customers see when they look at your product or website. It’s not your name, your logo, or even the jingle that plays alongside your ads on the radio. Your brand is a complete emotional experience, conveyed through countless consumer touchpoints and interactions.

A sensory #MarketingStrategy is plan that helps you to connect with your target audience more intimately through each of their five senses. Sometimes, this means experimenting with a signature scent for your retail store. Other times, it might mean giving people a free taste of your iconic hotel cocktail. The idea is that by engaging multiple senses at once, you appeal to the emotional elements inside your customer that dictate how they respond to your advertising efforts.

The term “Sensory Marketing” was coined by a woman called Aradhna Krishna, who edited a book about the theory. This text shows countless examples of how the senses can contribute to your marketing campaigns. For instance, one study discovered that slow music helped to increase revenues by 38% in supermarkets, and 41% in restaurants.

If you’ve ever picked up a bottle of Coca-Cola and noticed it’s contour or noticed the modern music in a fashion store, you’ve already been exposed to sensory marketing. However, as a business leader, it’s your task to determine how you can use this simple science to convince customers to fall in love with your brand.

How sensory marketing improves sales

As a kind of #EmotionalMarketing, sensory campaigns are particularly effective at building connections between companies and their customers. Over time, your sensory efforts might even improve your chances of earning devoted ambassadors for your brand. However, it’s worth noting that your campaigns can also have an impact on your bottom line too.

Through carefully-crafted experiential moments created to ensnare the senses, your business can remind customers of what they love about your brand, or even teach them something new about your company. One great example of how sensory marketing affects your bottom line came from Dunkin Donuts in 2012. The Seoul branch of the well-known coffee and donut company launched a campaign that used scent-infusing technology to release the smell of coffee into local buses when the Dunkin’ jingle played on the radio.

The result of the marketing campaign was more than just stronger brand recognition for Dunkin’ Donuts. The company also saw a 29% increase in their sales while the ad played.

How can you use sensory marketing?

The science of sensory marketing indicates that consumers will always make decisions based on emotions first, and logic second.

According to that rule, if you can make an emotional connection with your audience through primal senses like touch, smell, or sound, they’ll be more likely to engage with your company, buy your products, and remain loyal to your brand.

So, how do you get started?

1. Know your brand and audience

As with any marketing campaign, the first thing you need is a well-researched plan. Think about the kind of brand personality that you’ve tried to convey with your other marketing materials, and how you can show the same characteristics through sensory cues. For instance, can you prove that you’re a modern, in-touch fashion company by playing the latest songs in your stores? Or could you show your sweet side by leaving a bowl of candies at your office front desk?

Remember to consider the preferences of your audience too. Various factors like gender, culture and even geographical location can affect how people react to sensory stimuli.

2. Work with the experts

Whether you’re investing in a new design for your marketing campaign, or you need help planning every part of your #ExperientialMarketing strategy, the best thing you can do is work with the experts. When even the slightest error in your sensory tactics can transform the way, your customers feel about you; it’s important not to take any chances.

For instance, did you know that even the symmetry in the facial features of the people pictured on your website can affect how long your customers spend looking at your pages?

3. Embrace the potential of going offline

Finally, remember that sometimes, if you want to get the most out of your marketing efforts, you have to go beyond your digital channels. Social media and websites are great, but they can’t contend with in-person events and experiences when it comes to sensory marketing.

By taking at least some of your marketing strategy offline, you can connect with your customers on levels that are impossible to reach online. For instance, you can invite them to taste your latest creation or hold your product in their hands. Don’t underestimate the power of real-life moments.

Embracing the science of sensory marketing

In today’s competitive world, consumers are more likely than ever to ignore traditional marketing practices. One of the best ways to shake your target audience out of their stupor is to provide them with a fully-immersive, multi-sensory marketing experience.

Sensory marketing allows you to connect with your customers on an emotional level and alter the way they feel about your brand. What’s more, it provides you with the intimate, primal connections that you need to establish the foundations for long-lasting #BrandLoyalty.

To learn more about the potential of sensory marketing, check out our complete guide to sensational campaigns, or reach out to the team at Fabrik today.

In an era where experience is everything, sensory advertising just makes sense.