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The opinions we have about brands are developed through conscious and un-conscious experiences. This study looks at how a method called multi-sensory sculpting (MSS) can be used to retrieve brand knowledge.

In the Age of Now many brands have moved beyond implementing pleasant atmospherics and have begun developing immersive sensory experiences for good reason – sensory appeal increases engagement, percentage of footfall in stores and overall sales.

This article details three experiments where the element of touch is explored in terms of its ability to increase persuasion. The “research extends previous work by including involvement in the context of an appeal by a nonprofit.” The Madison Symphony Orchestra is the subject of one experiment.

This article finds that “product scent is more effective than ambient scent at enhancing memory for product information. The results suggest that, although ambient scent has received the bulk of attention from researchers and managers in recent years, greater focus on product scent is warranted.”

Chances are your favorite erasers when you were a child were scented. This wasn’t because they made erasing any easier, but the scent added novelty to an otherwise generic item. You might not care for scented items now, but a recent study shows that you will remember a product more if it ignites your olfactory system.

Delight through design creates the positive emotions that are essential to the development of brand relationships. Not only will multisensory packaging make shopping a more exciting and fulfilling experience, but it has the ability to transform stores into theatres of dreams.

Unlike sight, sound, touch and taste, the sense of smell cannot be switched off and thereby provides brands the opportunity to engage consumers at an intimate, sub-conscious level. Here are some examples of the use of smell in advertising and communications by companies such as Bloom, Emack & Bolio’s, and Saatchi & Saatchi Prague.

Rather than focusing solely on signage to attract shoppers, retailers are realizing the effectiveness of stimulating the senses in-store to encourage consumers to spend more time browsing and possibly ring up another sale at the cash register.

Sensuality, along with Mystery and Intimacy, is one of the three magic ingredients in a Lovemark. Sight, scent, hearing, touch and taste are gateways to the emotions and a powerful means of connecting with the consumer.