Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 57 (2020) 102185

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Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services

journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jretconser

Applying the multisensory sculpture technique to explore the role of brand

usage on multisensory brand experiences
Fernando Rey Castillo-Villar *, Ana Josefina Villasante-Arellano
Graduate Department of Management and Marketing, UPAEP University, Mexico

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Service firms have turned their attention to the design and development of multisensory brand experiences to
Multisensory branding positively influence customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. However, the role of brand usage and the appli­
Brand usage cation of effective sensory evaluation techniques have been overlooked when designing multisensory brand
Multisensory sculpture technique
experiences. The current research addresses this gap by conducting sixteen interviews employing the multi-
Service sector
sensory sculpting (MSS) technique with heavy and light customers (classified based on the extent of brand
usage) of a restaurant. The results show that it is important to consider how heavy and light users receive, select
and ascribe meaning to sensory experiences to design effective multisensory brand strategies. Moreover, the MSS
technique is recommended as an effective means to understand consumers’ perceptions of multisensory brand
experiences.

1. Introduction
Brand experience, defined as “sensations, feelings, cognitions, and
behavioral responses evoked by brand-related stimuli that are part of a
brand’s design and identity, packaging, communications, and environ­
ments” (Brakus et al. 2009, p. 52), has gained increased importance in
the marketing domain due to its positive influence on diverse
customer-level outcomes such as consumer satisfaction and brand loy­
alty, among others (Khan and Rahman, 2015; Dwivedi et al. 2018).
Brand experience consists of four dimensions: sensory, affective,
cognitive, and behavioral (Wiedmann et al. 2018). The present study
focuses on the sensory dimension, which is related to experiences
generated by a brand through the involvement of consumers’ five senses
(de Oliveira Santini et al. 2018). In service settings, sensory brand
experience has proved to be crucial in generating positive word of
mouth (Xie et al. 2017) and in building brand equity (Hepola et al. 2017)
and brand strength (Wiedmann et al. 2018).
Given that consumers regularly involve their five senses at the same
time to understand and assign meaning to a brand (Hult�en, 2011; Stach,
2015), “multisensory branding” has emerged as a novel and useful
concept for service providers who seek to generate memorable brand
experiences in consumers’ minds (Roper et al. 2019). However, there is a
paucity of research on multisensory branding (Roper et al., 2019)
despite its importance for the study of brand experiences (Iglesias et al.
2019). Notably, most multisensory branding studies have been devel­
oped at a conceptual level without providing empirical evidence that
could expand knowledge of this phenomenon (Haase et al., 2018). This
void in the literature may be attributed to a lack of development and
application of appropriate research methods and techniques to examine
and evaluate multisensory brand experiences (Stach, 2015; Scott and
Uncles, 2018).
Therefore, the main objective of this study is to address these
research gaps by applying the MSS technique to heavy and light users of
a restaurant to understand how they perceive and interpret brand sen­
sory experiences through the involvement of their five senses. The MSS
technique is regarded as an adequate method for the analysis of brand
sensory experiences (Von Wallpach and Kreuzer, 2013). On the other
hand, the concept of brand usage has been overlooked in the sensorial
marketing literature despite its potential to explain brand experiences
(Kumar and Kaushik, 2020). This study is thus expected to make prac­
tical contributions aimed at improving the design of multisensory brand
experiences by service providers.
This article is structured as follows. In the first section, a theoretical
framework focused on the definition and relevance of multisensory
branding experiences in the brand management literature is provided as
well as a discussion of the limitations of research concerning brand
usage and of assessments of sensory techniques. The next section de­
scribes the methodology used and our 16 MSS interviews with heavy and

* Corresponding author. 17 South, Barrio de Santiago, Puebla, 72410, Mexico.

E-mail address: fernandorey.castillo@upaep.mx (F.R. Castillo-Villar).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102185
Received 18 December 2019; Received in revised form 28 May 2020; Accepted 5 June 2020
Available online 23 June 2020
0969-6989/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
F.R. Castillo-Villar and A.J. Villasante-Arellano
light users. Then, results of our fieldwork are discussed to make theo­
retical and practical contributions to current research. In the final sec­
tion, conclusions, limitations and avenues for future research are laid
out.
2. Literature review
2.1. Multisensory brand experiences
In recent years, brand experience has drawn considerable attention
among both academics and practitioners as an important brand man­
agement concept (Coelho et al., 2020; Fernandes and Pinto, 2019) due to
its positive influence on different consumer-level outcomes such as
brand loyalty (Brakus et al., 2009), consumer satisfaction (Nysveen et al.
2013), word of mouth recommendations (Klein et al., 2016), brand
equity (Lin, 2015) and repurchase intentions (Ebrahim et al., 2016).
Brand experience may be understood as a distinct aspect of the con­
sumer experience (Kuehnl et al., 2019). Whereas consumer experience
refers to consumers’ spontaneous and nondeliberate responses to
particular stimuli from either managerial or consumption processes
(Becker and Jaakkola, 2020), brand experience captures consumers’
responses triggered by their interactions with brand-related stimuli
(Chen et al. 2015; Lemon and Verhoef, 2016). Such stimuli include a
brand identity’s elements (colors, shapes, typefaces and slogans),
packaging, and marketing communications and the environments in
which a brand is marketed or sold (Brakus et al. 2009; Abimbola et al.
2012).
As interactions serve as a “building block” to generating a consumer
experience (Hoffman and Novak, 2018), brand experiences can occur
through direct (e.g., shopping for, buying and consuming goods or ser­
vices) or indirect (e.g., advertising and marketing communications) in­
teractions between a consumer and brand (Moreau, 2020; Yasin et al.
2020). This implies that a brand can be experienced by both users and
nonusers of the brand (Prentice et al. 2019). Hence, brand experience is
defined as consumers’ subjective and internal responses activated
through different levels of direct and indirect interactions with
brand-related stimuli (Brakus et al. 2009; Ebrahim et al., 2016). Con­
sumers’ responses to brand-related stimuli cover four dimensions: sen­
sory (sensations perceived through the five senses), affective (emotions,
moods and sentiments), cognitive (thoughts) and behavioral (actions)
(Brakus et al. 2009; Ding and Tseng, 2015).
The current study is focused specifically on the sensory dimension of
brand experience, which refers to ways in which brands stimulate con­
sumers’ five senses (Iglesias et al. 2019). According to Hepola et al.
(2017), the sensory dimension is central to brand experience since
consumers always initially use their senses to perceive marketing of­
ferings. Moreover, prior studies indicate that sensory brand experiences
implemented in service settings strengthen brand equity and competi­
tiveness (Iglesias et al. 2019; Kumar et al., 2013). However, a brand is
not perceived through a uni-sensory experience (Hult� en, 2011). Indeed,
consumers regularly involve their five senses at the same time to un­
derstand and assign meaning to a brand (Stach, 2015). For instance,
when consumers think about Starbucks, they connect different sensory
experiences (e.g., a green and white logo, the smell of freshly ground
coffee, relaxing background music and comfortable caf�e furniture) that
together generate a coherent brand image in the consumers’ minds.
Therefore, service firms should seek congruence between multisensory
experiences to project a consistent brand identity to consumers.
Despite recognition of multisensory branding as an effective means
to generate solid and more memorable brand experiences in consumers’
minds (Hepola et al. 2017; Herstein et al., 2014), scant research atten­
tion has been given to the effective design of multisensory brand expe­
riences, particularly in the service sector (Wiedmann et al.2018). This
echoes Roper et al. (2019) call for more studies aimed at expanding the
subdomain of multisensory branding within the brand management
literature. Hence, the main aim of the present study is to address these
2
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 57 (2020) 102185
gaps by applying the MSS technique to the analysis and interpretation of
the multisensory brand experiences of heavy and light users of a service
brand. In the next theoretical section, topics related to brand usage and
to the assessment of sensory information are addressed to support the
central objectives of this study.
2.2. Brand usage and assessment of sensory information
As mentioned above, multisensory branding refers to the diverse
experiences consumers perceive from brand-related stimuli through
their five senses. These experiences are stored and collected in con­
sumers’ minds as brand knowledge. However, the extent of brand
knowledge stored by consumers depends on how many experiences they
have had with a given brand (Romaniuk and Gaillard, 2007). For
instance, when developing a marketing strategy, it may be risky to as­
sume that heavy and light users hold the same extent of information and
knowledge on a particular brand. The analysis of different categories of
brand users is relevant for the purpose of this research because brand
knowledge differs by the extent of brand usage. Even though two con­
sumers may be exposed to the same brand-related stimuli, the ways that
they store and interpret such experiences depend on the number of times
they have interacted with a brand. Oakenfull and McCarthy (2010)
assert that consumers with more brand usage experience tend to exhibit
more brand-specific associations, which are multidimensional by na­
ture. On the other hand, consumers with few experiences using a brand
tend to exhibit more product-category associations, which are more
fixed.
It is worth mentioning that nonusers are not considered in this study
for several reasons. First, there is a clear distinction between brand
exposure and brand usage. Baumann et al.(2015) point out that brand
exposure is related to indirect interactions with a brand such as adver­
tising and recommendations from other persons. On the other hand,
brand usage refers to the actual use of a brand. In this case, brand users
have more brand knowledge than nonusers due to their direct in­
teractions with brands (Buil et al.2012). Second, the higher the level of
consumer brand usage, the stronger and more vivid brand episodic
memories are (Herz and Brunk, 2017). Such memories store detailed,
contextualized information about personal brand experiences. Third,
most of the human senses (namely, smell, sound, taste and touch) are
more effectively stimulated through direct interactions with a service
brand (Hult� en, 2011; Cho and Fiore, 2015; Reitsamer et al. 2020). All of
these arguments are relevant because MMS is a collage technique that
relies principally on the strength of sensory brand experiences stored in
consumers’ memories to retrieve embodied brand knowledge. This is
coupled with Herz and Brunk’s (2017) finding of brand users spending
more time on elaborating their collages than nonusers due to a more
intense processing of their brand memories. Hence, nonusers do not
qualify as ideal participants for the present study.
The role of brand usage in the development of multisensory branding
experiences is important, but it is also necessary to use appropriate
techniques to measure the nature of these experiences. The memory
system through which consumers experience brand-related stimuli via
their multiple senses is known as experiential thinking (Koll et al.,
2010). From this memory system, consumers can make sense of their
realities and generate embodied knowledge of nonverbal form (Koll
et al., 2010). However, brand knowledge (consumer’s perceptions of
brands) has been investigated mainly via questionnaires with scales that
address a brand as a verbalized construct (Cian and Cervai, 2011).
Verbo-centric methods only allow access to conscious brand
knowledge, which runs contrary to the way that consumers encode
multisensory information at an unconscious and nonverbal level (Koll
et al., 2010). Therefore, an effective way to identify and elicit emotional
thoughts and unconscious thinking related to brand knowledge involves
the use of projective techniques and especially methods that use meta­
phors (Hofstede et al. 2007). Brands are considered embodied knowl­
edge derived from multisensory brand experiences (Von Wallpach and
F.R. Castillo-Villar and A.J. Villasante-Arellano Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 57 (2020) 102185

Kreuzer, 2013), and metaphors are central to interpreting and express­ Table 1
ing this knowledge (Zaltman, 1997). Design of the MSS toolkit.
For this research, the MSS technique developed by Von Wallpach and Sense Object Objects
Kreuzer (2013) is used to retrieve embodied brand knowledge from characteristics
consumers via multisensory metaphors. The MSS technique overcomes Touch Softness Cotton, plasticine, foami
limitations of the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET), Hardness Stones, metal pieces, glass, wood, unicel
including the assessment of one human sense (visual) and the exclusion spheres, wooden sticks
of other types of nonverbal metaphors. Regarding the development of Nature Natural plants and leaves of roses, sand,
stones
multisensory brand strategies, MSS may allow companies to identify Malleability Foami, plasticine
multisensory experiences reflected in consumers’ minds. Warmth Different types of wood, cotton, yarn,
In sum, multisensory brand experiences are valuable because they pieces of blanket
generate a solid and durable brand image in consumers’ minds (Hult�en, Taste Spicy Spicy peanuts
Sweet Gummy bears
2011). However, how consumers store brand knowledge from multi­
Salted Salty peanuts
sensory experiences has not been thoroughly analyzed. The present Hearing Active music Rock and pop songs
research focuses on two aspects related to this problem: brand usage and Calm music Songs without lyrics and with relaxing
sensory evaluation techniques. The former addresses consumers’ in­ melody
teractions with brands whereas the latter is focused on the nature of Sounds of people Murmur of people
Sounds of nature Sounds of nature (birds, water falling)
sensory experiences. Therefore, an analysis of multisensory brand ex­ Scary sounds Scary sounds
periences applying the MSS to different types of consumers (heavy and Sight Colorful Foami with bright colors, plasticine,
light users) is conducted to develop effective and congruent multisen­ colored wooden sticks, pieces of Chinese
sory brand experiences. paper, human and animal figures with
different colors, gummies
Brilliant Glitter, silver corrugated cardboard,
3. Methodology jingle bells
Opaque Foami with opaque colors, stamen, light
A qualitative approach was adopted to analyze the nonverbal and brown corrugated cardboard, pieces of
opaque color blanket, human and animal
unconscious nature of multisensory brand experiences. Hence, MSS (a
figures in white, grey and black
qualitative technique) was used as a research method to identify and Smell Fruity aroma Fruity scent
interpret sensory information via multisensory metaphors. Specifically, Citrus aroma Citrus scent
the MSS technique was applied to customers of a Mexican sushi Dessert aroma Vanilla scent
restaurant with a strong brand and special focus on the delivery of Natural aroma Vanilla scent, plants, leaves of roses
Introspection in Funny Gummy bears, human figures, colored
sensory experiences. Experiences with restaurants extend over time,
emotion paper, jingle bells
thereby affecting how such experiences are evaluated by consumers Scary Scary sounds
(Brakus et al. 2009). Moreover, the restaurant sector tends to regularly Relaxing Calm music, cotton, vanilla scent
use sensory experiences to deliver memorable experiences and create
emotional linkages with consumers (Hult� en, 2015).
The first step of the present research involved the elaboration of a Our application of the MSS technique was divided into two stages. In
toolkit with abstract construction materials to stimulate different senses. the first stage, respondents were provided with a simple task descrip­
Most materials selected by Von Wallpach and Kreuzer (2013) were tion: “Please build a sculpture that represents what the brand means to
included in the toolkit. However, a few elements were added following you by using the materials available in this room” (Van Wallpach and
two in-depth interviews with the owners of the restaurant, through Kreuzer, 2012: 1328). Then, an unstructured interview was carried out
which relevant insights were gained about the values and multisensory to encourage the respondents to verbally explain their selection and
experiences they wanted to transmit through the restaurant’s brand. The arrangement of materials and the overall meanings of their sculptures
main purpose of the toolkit was to provide a vast array of materials to (Table 2). At the end of each interview, the researcher took a photo of
the participants so that they could freely elaborate on sculptures based the brand sculpture created for further analysis.
on their own interpretations of the sensory brand experience. For the analysis of data, two researchers separately interpreted both
After developing the MSS toolkit (Table 1), the next step involved its the sculpture and the verbal explanations of each respondent. It is worth
application to 8 light users and 8 heavy users of the restaurant (see mentioning that the interviews were tape-recorded with the partici­
Appendix 1). This categorization was important to better understand pants’ consent. Moreover, quotes used in this article were translated
differences concerning how the extent of use and interactions of con­ from Spanish to English in collaboration with a translator to avoid any
sumers with a service brand shape how consumers interpret and make loss of meaning (Van Nes et al., 2010). Then, interpretations were
sense of multisensory brand experiences. The number of participants compared to reach a consensus on the meanings of visual and verbal
was determined according to Von Wallpach and Kreuzer’s (2013) rec­ metaphors. A third researcher was also invited to analyze the method­
ommendations to test samples of 15–20 participants. Other studies using ological and interpretation process to strengthen the credibility of our
techniques similar to MSS have tested samples of participants close to findings (Barusch et al. 2011).
this range. For instance, Anghelcev et al. (2015) applied a variant of the
ZMET technique to 12 participants while Hofstede et al. (2007) used 4. Analysis of results
mood boards (a qualitative collage technique) to conduct a study with
16 participants. The restaurant’s clients were categorized into heavy and 4.1. Multisensory brand experience designed by the restaurant’s owners
light users according to the number of times they had visited the
restaurant over the last four months. Participants were considered light The first part of the analysis involved holding an interview with the
users if they had visited the restaurant no more than twice over the last owners of the restaurant. The main goal of this interview was to un­
four months and heavy users if they had visited the restaurant three derstand how the owners conceived the restaurant’s brand identity and
times or more during the same period of time (see Jewell and Unnava, its projection to consumers. The main associations related to the res­
2004). The sample included of 9 women and 7 men. The participants’ taurant’s brand identity fall under three categories:
ages ranged from 20 to 34 years. Young adults are the most frequent
customers of the restaurant.

3
F.R. Castillo-Villar and A.J. Villasante-Arellano
Table 2
Examples of participants’ explanations on the materials’ arrangement and the
sculpture overall meanings.
User Sculpture Meanings associated
with the sculpture
Light … They prepare food
user with animals that are
(L1) not at risk of
extinction, which is
why my sculpture is
obviously, it is, sort of
like the earth and
water with their
respective animals at
risk of extinction …
the union between
earth and water,
because, well it is
important that we are
all connected … water
and trees, I believe
that is life.
Heavy … The first thing I
user look was trees,
(H1) because of the green,
for the eco-friendly
concept, and the
green roof that the
restaurant has …
everything that
represents (brand’s
name) in terms of
taking care of
animals, the care that
they are not at risk of
extinction, the care
for giving you healthy
food; all of that means
love to me, I mean,
literally love to the
client and to the
brand … I chose
everything green
because of the eco-
friendly.
� Sustainability and environmental care: Sustainable building and
design of the restaurant, recycling of garbage and respect for nature
by avoiding the use of endangered fish to make sushi.
� Friendly and youthful image: A restaurant with a fresh, progressive
image where patrons can bring their pets (pet friendly), spend time
with friends and enjoy unique experiences.
� Specialization in sushi rolls: Unlike other sushi restaurants in
Mexico, the restaurant only offers sushi rolls and uses high-quality
ingredients in their elaboration.
These three elements were portrayed through different sensory ex­
periences: the natural scent of plants (smell), the sustainable design of
the restaurant, which includes a rooftop garden on its second floor
(sight), eating with one’s hands instead of using chopsticks (touch),
relaxing music (hearing) and sushi rolls made with fresh ingredients
(taste).
4.2. Multisensory brand experiences perceived by consumers
As mentioned in the methodological section, participants created
their own brand image of the restaurant through materials provided by
the MSS toolkit. After the activity, they proceeded to describe their
sculptures while drawing on their perceptions of experiences delivered
by the restaurant. The analysis of the users’ perceptions is divided into
two parts: 1) Explanation of the users’ perceptions of the brand through
each sense (sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste) and 2) Integration of
4
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 57 (2020) 102185
the users’ perceptions into the full brand experience.
4.3. Sense of sight
The perceptions of light users focused on describing the nature of
visual stimuli rather than on their relations to the brand experience.
Light users were able to identify and pay attention to visual cues, but
these stimuli were understood as isolated aspects without clear con­
nections to the brand image. On the other hand, heavy users perceived
visual stimuli as reflections of core brand elements and especially of
sustainability and environmental care. Elements such as trees, leaves
and green colors were considered reminiscent of the restaurant’s eco-
friendly philosophy. As another visual element, heavy users widely
mentioned views from the restaurant’s rooftop garden. Heavy users in
turn expressed experiencing a sense of calm associated with being in
contact with nature.
H3. “… it gives you the sensate that you are in a natural environment,
which feels fresh, so that’s why I place the tree and some leaves over
here, and this plant …”
4.4. Sense of smell
Heavy and light users struggled to find a specific link between smell
stimuli and the brand experience. However, light users referenced nat­
ural scents of vanilla, coconut and citrus fruits to elaborate on their
sculptures even though they did not perceived these scents during their
experiences with the restaurant. Through these natural scents, light
users strengthened their views of nature and sustainability as brand el­
ements of the restaurant. Indeed, for most of the sculptures, smell stimuli
were related to visual cues of the restaurant (i.e., cocoa smells repre­
senting the restaurant’s green design), possibly due to the positive effect
of a congruent smell in recalling visual memories (Krishna, 2012).
L7. “… to me, it smelled more like coconut, because it reminds me of
tropical weather. I mean, if I think about the restaurant, I think about a
tropical scent.”
4.5. Sense of touch
Touch experiences predominated the heavy users’ perceptions. The
restaurant offers the unique experience of eating sushi rolls with one’s
hands (without chopsticks), inspiring a full comprehension of the food
and its textures. Freshness was also mentioned by heavy users as a
feature identified from touching the sushi. This perception aligns with
the findings of Hasnain (2018) on the relevance of sight and touch for
consumers when assessing the quality and freshness of food. On the
other hand, light users expressed few experiences related to their sense
of touch without providing a stable link to the brand experience. Most
did not mention the experience of eating with their hands.
H5. “… it’s like tasting or feeling the food. They don’t give you any
forks, knives or chopsticks. Instead, you grab your food with your own
hands and eat it, so you can feel the, how would you say it, the textures
of what you’re eating …”
4.6. Sense of taste
The taste of food is considered a key element consumers’ food
choices (Gvili et al. 2017). Hence, we expected taste stimuli to have
strong effects on heavy and light users’ perceptions. However, light
users barely mentioned experiences related to their sense of taste in their
sculpture descriptions. On the other hand, heavy users described the
different flavors (salty and sweet) and ingredients of sushi rolls as
important elements of their experiences with the restaurant. Heavy users
may be more knowledgeable about the taste of a restaurant’s food due to
their number of visits to the restaurant. Thus, their past experiences
F.R. Castillo-Villar and A.J. Villasante-Arellano
contribute to their formation of specific preferences. After visiting a
restaurant more than 2 times, heavy users can focus on other aspects of
the restaurant’s experience.
H2. “… the different colors of the Chinese paper represent the mango
that they put inside (the rolls) … also, the thin shapes are similar to the
thin slices, which feel nice in your mouth.”
4.7. Sense of hearing
In contrast to the other senses, hearing stimuli had more effects on
light users than heavy users. Songs selected were similar between heavy
and light users, but brand associations of selected songs were more
present in the light users’ descriptions. Light users used songs in their
sculptures to describe the restaurant’s casual and youthful image and
eco-friendly philosophy. Heavy users also used songs in their de­
scriptions, but only as additional elements of the restaurant environ­
ment. It is worth mentioning that the present study focused on ambient
music as hearing stimuli while ignoring other sounds such as waitresses’
tones of voice, geophony sounds (sounds of wind, rustling leaves or
fountain water) and sounds of people talking.
L5. “… it is nature. In fact, that’s why I chose that song. That’s why I
liked it.”
L6. “… reggae is a joyful and peaceful kind of music; it’s relaxing.”
4.8. Multisensory brand experience
After describing users’ perceptions of the restaurant experience
through each sense, the next step was to better understand heavy and
light users views of the restaurant’s multisensory brand experience. The
first aspect distinguishing heavy from light users is brand knowledge.
From the users’ answers, heavy users were able to better describe their
sculptures due to their familiarity with the brand. After visiting the
restaurant more than 3 times, they could identify how different expe­
riences delivered by the restaurant expressed something about its brand
identity.
On the other hand, light users focused on describing the diverse
stimuli they perceived during their visits to the restaurant to generate a
superficial view of the restaurant’s brand image. For light users, nature
and sustainability were the most important elements of the restaurant
brand due to clear cues pointing out to these elements (green design and
use of green and brown restaurant furniture). However, the restaurant’s
commitment to environmental protection extends beyond these stimuli,
as the restaurant engages in other activities such as recycling and the use
of nonendangered species of fish in its sushi rolls.
From the results for each sense it was possible to identify other
important distinctions between heavy and light users. Heavy users
referenced visual, taste and touch stimuli in describing the restaurant’s
brand experience. Visual stimuli were related to themes of sustainability
and environmental care while taste and touch stimuli were related to the
food experience. On the other hand, light users paid more attention to
visual, scent and hearing stimuli in describing the restaurant’s brand
experience. Instead of discussing their food experience, light users
instead referenced songs and scents in complementing the brand’s sus­
tainable image.
5. Conclusions
The main objective of the present work was to interpret, using the
MSS technique, the brand sensory experiences of heavy and light users
of a service brand. A theoretical exploration of the brand experience
literature was needed to understand the relevance of sensory experi­
ences to interactions between consumers and brands. From this explo­
ration, multisensory branding emerged as a novel concept in holistically
analyzing the involvement of consumers’ five senses in brand
5
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 57 (2020) 102185
experiences. The MSS technique was selected as the most appropriate
means to interpret embodied brand knowledge derived from the sensory
brand experiences of heavy and light users of a restaurant.
The findings suggest that even though multisensory brand experi­
ences may serve as an effective means to transmit a consistent and
memorable brand identity to consumers (Hult�en, 2011), it is also
essential to understand how heavy and light users receive, select and
ascribe meaning to sensory experiences. Unlike the heavy users studied,
light users found it challenging to combine all of the sensory stimuli they
had perceived into a unique and coherent idea. Hence, it seems that past
direct experiences and the accumulation of brand knowledge are crucial
to comprehending the set of sensory experiences delivered by a service
firm. In the next section, theoretical and practical implications and av­
enues for future research are laid out.
5.1. Theoretical implications
The present study sheds light on the relevance of brand usage and the
application of the MSS technique to the conceptualization of multisen­
sory brand experience. First, the results of the study prove that brand
usage may have a strong influence on the richness and depth of con­
sumers’ brand descriptions. According to Herz and Brunk (2017), when
a consumer experiences high levels of brand usage, this creates strong
associations in his/her memory, which in turn leads to more brand
knowledge. Second, the results suggest that visual stimuli may be rele­
vant in transmitting brand identity to consumers regardless of their
extent of brand usage. Consumers find it easier to store visual infor­
mation (Huang et al. 2015), which in turn facilitates the interpretation
of brand image through visual experiences.
Third, it is crucial to design an integrative strategy that considers the
5 senses in the delivery of a brand experience. Nevertheless, not all of the
senses have the same level of influence at the first encounter between a
consumer and firm (Hepola et al. 2017). The heavy users studied were
better able to describe their brand experiences related to food con­
sumption (taste and touch) while light users mainly-based their de­
scriptions on visual cues. Finally, the MSS technique proved to be an
effective means to understand consumers’ perceptions of multisensory
brand experiences. In line with Stach’s suggestions (2015), qualitative
methods based on the use of metaphors (such as the MSS technique) are
adequate to elicit brand associations from consumers.
5.2. Practical implications
The study provides interesting guidelines for managers in the service
sector. First, managers must acknowledge that light users require
different treatment to improve the effectiveness of multisensory brand
strategies. An effective strategy targeting light users may involve owners
or employees providing a description of a brand’s identity. This strategy
could enable light users to make sense of the purpose of different sensory
experiences delivered by a company. As a complementary strategy,
managers may harness the potential of visual stimuli to draw the
attention of light users and enhance their understanding of a brand.
Second, managers must also consider heavy users, who are more
demanding in terms of the quality of sensory experiences. In this case,
managers may use the MSS technique to fully understand the percep­
tions and opinions of their heavy users and thus keep improving the
design and development of multisensory brand experiences. It is also
important to constantly update sensory experiences, as consumers may
grow tired of repetitive sensory experiences. Therefore, managers must
update and offer new sensory experiences while also eliminating nega­
tive and contradictory sensory stimuli that could endanger the harmony
of brand identity (Pine and Gilmore, 1998).
5.3. Limitations and future research
The present study is not exempt from limitations, which highlight
F.R. Castillo-Villar and A.J. Villasante-Arellano Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 57 (2020) 102185

promising avenues for future research. First, empirical evidence was
gathered exclusively from consumers of a restaurant. The present work
should be extended to other types of service firms such as hotels, retail
stores and banks to develop a broader understanding of the influence of
brand usage and of the effectiveness of applying the MSS technique to
the design and development of multisensory brand strategies. Second,
age and gender were not considered when selecting study participants.
Consideration of these variables may yield interesting results on
different perceptions of brand sensory experiences. Finally, future
research may expand the scope of this study by studying nonusers and
addressing the influence of brand knowledge on perceptions of multi­
sensory brand experiences.
Declaration of competing interest
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Appendix 1

List and classification of participants into light and heavy users.

Classification Subject Age Gender No. of visits to the restaurant

Heavy Users H1 23 Female 10

H2 23 Female 4
H3 28 Female 8
H4 24 Male 5
H5 30 Male 5
H6 30 Female 3
H7 28 Male 4
H8 25 Male 3
Light Users L1 23 Female 2
L2 28 Female 2
L3 30 Male 1
L4 23 Female 1
L5 23 Male 1
L6 27 Male 1
L7 26 Female 1
L8 32 Female 1

Appendix A. Supplementary data

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102185.

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