How can you use sensory marketing to make your event unforgettable?

Kirshna, who conducted extensive academic reserach on sensory marketing defines it as "marketing that engages the consumers’ senses and affects their perception, judgment and behavior. From a managerial perspective, sensory marketing can be used to create subconscious triggers that characterize consumer perceptions of abstract notions of the product (e.g.its sophistication or quality)” (An integrative review of sensory marketing: engaging the senses to affect perception, judgment and behavior. 2012, p.332). As Petit points out(2019),when consumers experience multiple senses together, the perception of pleasure from stimuli increases exponentially. We can confidently say that the more senses you appeal the more your event will leave a mark.

Scent and Sonic Marketing have taken the marketing world since almost a decade now by storm. A majority of the target audience is now able to ignore the so called 'evident marketed content' subconsciously and it raises serious concerns if you are spending purely in the visual aspects of branding. Sensory marketing ensures that your brand is delivered subtly to the memory storage. Brand recall becomes easier with the given stimuli, with or without visual context. It can be noticed in some cases that sensory marketing conditions user to recall the brand largely at a subconscious level.

Do you experience a tingling sensation in your brain when you see the ASMR video where someone whispers? If so the chances are you’re receptive to ASMR, or automated sensory meridian response. And that's a sensory marketing. ASMR also known as "brain massage," is a relaxing, often sedative content that triggers sensation by placid sights and sounds such as whispers, accents, and crackles. Research highlights that Gen Z put on long-form ASMR videos, while doing their day-to-day task and marketers are perfectly leveraging the power of sound (not jingle) as the dominant device in Indian food advertising . ASMR Sensory Marketing can entice, engage, and increase brand affinity.

According to Elliot,A. J.'s 2015 research (Color and Psychological Functioning:A Review of Theoretical and Empirical Work)colors can affect energy levels, sleep patterns, blood pressure.The feelings created by colors should match the feeling of your event. Another critical point is cultural differences. The meanings of colors vary greatly depending on the culture. For example, purple, known as the color of nobility in Europe, may have a different meaning in Turkey. Similarly, a certain shade of green may have different connotations in Muslim countries than in other countries. Therefore, when researching the color effects, make sure that the sources are as representative as possible of the geography in which your event will take place.

Having a critical role in the brain's most important task of survival, smell has kept us and our ancestors away from spoiled food, bacteria-filled environments and dirty water for years, and enabled us to take faster action in disasters such as fires. Brands are well aware of the memorable impact of scent. Research shows that hot patches infused with cinnamon, which is defined as a warm scent, are perceived as more effective by customers. Fashion brands are not only using their signature scents in-store and on their products, but also on the street, attracting potential customers walking down the street.

According to research, smell has a strong memory-stimulating power. Smell, in short, can not only evoke pleasant feelings and memories but can also be a reminder of a certain event in the future. Using a 'main smell' by diffusing it in a non-intrusive way can be a good practice to implement. However, it must not be annoying or too diffuse, to avoid consumers associating a negative feeling with it.

To make your event unforgettable using sensory marketing, focus on creating a multi-sensory experience. Consider elements like lighting, music, scents, and textures that align with your event's theme to engage attendees on multiple levels. Incorporating unique and memorable sensory stimuli can enhance overall event impact.

Independientemente del tipo de evento que se realice y al público al que esté dirigido, los seis sentidos tienen que estar presentes, sí, leiste bien, porque incorporo a la intuición, que te ayudará a tener esa percepción única y que, tal vez, te inspire a terminar de interpretar el producto o servicio que se está promocionando, para irte del evento con una real certeza de lo que te gusta, necesites o desees.