Sensory Marketing and Product

Design
 sensations
• We live in a world overflowing with
sensations:
• Some occur naturally (e.g. sound of rain,
shades of evening sky, barking of a dog, smell
of perfume someone next to you wearing)
 Among sensations
are messages that
marketers send to
us (e.g. pop-up ads,
product packages,
radio and television
commercials, and
billboards).
Channels to receive sensory inputs or
stimuli:
– Sight (e.g. we see a billboard),
– Hearing (we hear a jingle),
– Touch (we feel softness of a cashmere sweater),
– Taste (e.g. we taste a new flavour of new ice
cream), or
– Smell (e.g. we smell a leather jacket).
 Sensation
• Sensation also refers to immediate response of our sensory
receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers, skin) to basic
stimuli such as light, colour, sound, odour, and texture.

• It is the process of “sensing” our environment through 5

senses.
 Perception

• Perception is the process by

which people select,
organize and interpret
these sensations (raw data).

• The study of perceptions

focuses on what we add to
these raw sensations in
order to give them
meaning.
 Sensation vs. Perception
• Perception is a three-stage
process that translates raw
stimuli into meaning.

• Perception is the process by

which sensations are selected,
organized, and interpreted.

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education 5-7

Figure 5.1 Perceptual Process

We receive external
stimuli through
our five senses

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education 5-8

 The stages of perception

• We only notice (pay attention to) very small

proportion of stimuli present in the environment,

• Of those stimuli we notice, we deal with (select)

only a smaller portion,

• We interpret the meaning of a stimulus in a

manner consistent with our own unique biases,
needs, and experiences.
 Stage 1: Exposure

• We are not capable of receiving all types of stimuli.

• There are some stimuli that people can’t simply perceive

because they are below their sensory threshold (e.g. there
are sounds that dogs can here, but we can’t).

• Exposure occurs when a stimulus (e.g. sights, sounds,

smells, taste, texture) comes within the range of
someone’s sensory receptors (eyes, ears, nose, mouth,
skin).
 Perceptual selection:
• because the brain’s capacity to process
information is limited, consumers are very
selective about what they pay attention to.

Perceptual selection:
• People deal with only a small portion of the
stimuli to which they are exposed.
 Factors affecting perceptual selection
• Person-related factors
• Stimulus-related factors
Do you see an old woman or a young woman?
 Person-related factors:
Person-related factors:
• Perceptual vigilance (we are more likely to be aware of
stimuli that relate to our current needs. For example, we pay
more attention to ads about food when we are hungry)

• Perceptual defence (we tend to see what we want to see.

For example, heavy smokers block out images of cancer-
scarred lungs)

• Adaptation (the process of adaptation occurs when we no

longer pay attention to a stimulus because it is so familiar.)
 Stimulus-related factors
• Size: Larger ads grab more attention

• Color: Yellow attracts attention

• Position:
– Products displayed in stores at eye levels grab more attention,
– Ads in magazines placed towards the front of the issue particularly on the
right hand side

• Novelty
– Stimuli that appear in unexpected ways or places grab more attention
– Examples: Places such as back of the shopping carts, walls of tunnels,
floors of sports stadiums, public restrooms
 Interpretation
• Interpretation refers to the meaning we assign to the
stimuli.

• People might assign different meanings to the same

stimulus.

• People can hear or see the same event but interpret it

differently.

• The meaning we assign to a stimulus depends on our

schema (our set of beliefs)
 The meaning we assign to a stimulus depends on our schema
(our set of beliefs)

• Example #1: In this ad for Toyota, the living

room evokes an image of a car because of the
seat arrangement.

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education 5-17

 Sensory input from the external environment
can generate internal sensory experiences

• Example: a smell of
a particular perfume
can remind you of
your first date, or
hearing a tune on
radio might remind
you of your first
date’s perfume!
 Example

• The smell of coffee for many people summons

up childhood memories of their mothers
cooking breakfast, so the aroma reminds of
home.
In the era of sensory marketing, companies think
carefully about the impact of sensation on our
product experience.
• In addition to their utilitarian values, we
purchase products for their hedonic values
(Even in some cases we might buy a product
only because of its hedonic value).
Enhancing involvement through
messages/experiences that are
appealing to our senses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-lPuVYY5i4
 Perceptual positioning
• Our evaluation of a product is typically the result of what it
means (overall value) rather than what it does (functionality).

• This meaning (value) as perceived by consumers constitutes

the product’s market position.

• Expected value (meaning) of a product or expectations of its

performance are communicated through different stimuli
such as its packaging design, the way it is distributed, its
price, and marketing messages such as advertisements.
 Perceptual positioning
Example:
• A products is rarely strictly functional. In
addition to its functionality, the design of a
product (hedonic aspects) can also be a driver
of its success or failure.

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education 5-24

Marketers messages are more effective when they appeal to several senses.
 Sensory branding
• Sensory branding is a type of marketing that
appeals to all the senses in relation to the
brand.

• It uses the senses to relate with customers on

an emotional level. Brands can forge
emotional associations in the customers'
minds by appealing to their senses.
A brand’s sensory system
Our senses play quite a role in the decisions marketers make.

• Marketers rely heavily on visual elements in advertising, store design, and

packaging. They communicate meanings on the visual channel through a
product’s color, size, and styling.

• An interest in scent has spawned new products. Some brands utilize scent
easily.

• Stores and restaurants often play certain kinds of music to create a certain
mood.

• Recent research found that participants who simply touch an item for 30
seconds or less had a greater level of attachment with the product. This
connection in turn boosted what they were willing to pay for it.
Sensory branding
 Vision

• Marketers rely heavily on visual elements in

advertising, store design, and packaging.

• Marketers communicate meanings on the

visual channel through a product’s:
– Color
– Size, and
– styling
Colours may directly influence our emotions:

Examples #1:
• Some colours (e.g. red) create feeling of
arousal and stimulate appetite and others
(e.g. blue) create more relaxing feelings.
 Example #2

• Men rate women who wear red as more

attractive than those who wear blue!
Which one do you choose?
Different colours might influence our emotions
differently based on our biological and cultural
differences.
Hispanics tend to prefer brighter colors that keep their character
in strong sunlight.
Scandinavian color palette
Different colours might influence our emotions
differently based on our biological and cultural
differences.
• Examples:
• Older people like white tones!
Scandinavian color palette
• Because colors elicit such strong emotional
reactions, the choice of a colour palate is a key
in package design.

• Decisions on colors for product packages

shapes our expectations of what is inside the
package.
 Example:

• Castello Bianco (white cheese with a red package).

• Red was initially chosen to maximise visibility on store shelves.

• The sales were disappointing because red package and the name
(Bianco) gave customers wrong associations with the product type
an its degree of sweetness.

• The company relaunched the product in a white packaging and

named the product “white Castello”.

• Almost immediately sales increased.

 Scent
• Similar to color, odor can also
influence emotions and
memory.

• Odours can sometimes

relieve stress.

• Marketers are seeking ways

to exploit the power of scent.
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 Scent Marketing
• As scientists continue to discover the powerful effects of
smell on behaviour, marketers come up with ingenious
ways to exploit these connections (scent marketing).

• Scent Marketing is a form of sensory marketing.

• Manufacturers find new ways to put scents into

products, including men’s suits, lingerie, detergents, and
aircraft cabins (examples of scent marketing).
 Sound
• Music and other sounds affect people’s
feelings and behaviours.
 Example:
• Coca cola:
• https://tastethefeeling.coca-cola.com/gb/intro
 Touch
• Touch sense plays an important role in consumer
behaviour.

• It influences customers’ confidence in judgments about

products.

• “We are more sure of what we perceive when we touch

it”.

• This is challenge for firms that sell their products online.

 Taste
• Our taste receptors contribute to experience
of some products (e.g. medicine, drinks, gums,
toothpaste, mouthwash, lipsticks).

• Cultural factors determine the tastes we find

desirable.