Smell Good, Feel Better: How Brands Sense Connection Through Sensory Marketing

Have you ever heard the saying “look good, feel good”?

Well,  some of the most well loved brands, know this saying very well and even take it a step further. Brands are able to connect to their consumers on a deeper level, so deep you can feel it through your senses.

Brands overtime, have adapted to using sensory marketing to really allow consumers to feel that deep connection.

What Is Sensory Marketing?

Sensory marketing is a marketing method that is meant to appeal to consumers’ 5 senses. By appealing to the 5 senses (sight, touch, sound, taste, and smell), sensory marketing allows consumers to build their own personal connections and memories to the brand and its output.

Sensory marketing keeps consumers engaged, which is beneficial when building brand loyalty. Consumers connect differently to what is marketed to them, allowing sensory marketing to be more personal.

How Do Brands Utilize Sensory Marketing?

It’s common to see brands using a combination of sensory marketing to appeal to their consumers, whether that’s combining sound and visuals, taste and smell, smell and touch, etc. Using a combination of the sensorial appeals creates an immersive experience for consumers that can make brands more memorable.

Brands are able to utilize sensory marketing in multiple forms.

The most common way to appeal to a consumer’s sense of sight is through visual appeal. Consumers are able to observe and visualize the brand’s ideas and intentions, which allows the consumer to build their own thoughts and connections to the product or service. 

When it comes to utilizing the sense of touch, consumers are able to feel and experience physically what is being marketed to them. This can be achieved through in-person experiences (i.e., stores, pop ups, and events).

In order to create a full experience, we may see brands include ways to appeal to the sense of sound. This is achieved through the use of music or audio triggers. Having a signature sound allows brands to be more recognizable. 

The two senses, taste and smell, can be used to associate with familiarity. Appealing to these senses grants consumers a distinct connection to brand-specific products, making it easier for them to associate that specific taste or smell with their favorite brands. 

How Sensory Marketing Builds Brand Loyalty

Sensory marketing has played a big role in building brand loyalty in the past couple of years. 

We see this through campaigns done by popular brands such as Rhode Beauty, Laneige, Snif, etc to name a few. When brands are able to appeal to consumers through their senses, consumers are able to build personal connections to the brands and their products/services. 

Since sensory marketing allows consumers to make memories with what’s being presented to them, it would be beneficial if the connection and memory are positive.

Keeping consumers engaged with the brand could also build excitement for future projects, which could attract and appeal to other consumers who are unfamiliar.

Brand loyalty could translate into market growth as well, especially in this era of social media and digital marketing.

More Brands That Embrace Sensory Marketing

Cyklar

Cyklar by Claudia Sulewski is a luxury skincare brand that focuses on advanced nutrient-based skincare products enriched with luxurious fragrances. The main sensory appeals that the brand appeals to would be touch, smell, and sight.

Some of their products are a brightening gel deodorant, sensorial body washes, a foaming body polish, nutrient body creams, perfume oils, etc, all sold in different scents.  The product is shown to be very sleek, minimal, and classy. 

With the website being visually appealing, it shows the fragrance ingredients that are paired with the product and how the products look on the skin.

The visual aspect of Cyklar is consistent and aesthetically pleasing. Not only would it have your skin looking good, but their products would also make you smell and feel good. Their appeal to smell and touch goes hand in hand, using high-quality ingredients and luxurious scents.

Dedcool

Dedcool is a functional fragrance brand that encourages users to embrace the “smell good, feel good” experience. Their product line consists of incense, laundry detergent, perfume, room sprays, dryer sheets, body lotions, etc. 

This brand’s sensory appeals would be smell and touch. The brand’s focus on smelling good and feeling good allows consumers to experience the product not only on their body but in intimate spaces such as their homes.

Not only do consumers have the chance to create their own personal scent bubble, but they are also able to bring the scents they enjoy into larger spaces. Providing multi-functional products allows consumers to use their favorite scent across a wider range.

The Edition Hotel X Le Labo

The Edition Hotel is a hospitality establishment that embodies luxury and experience in some of the world's most visited cities. 

The establishment is known for providing patrons with luxurious forms of comfort, including its signature scent. The Edition is known not only for its hospitality, but for its private collaboration with the widely known brand, Le Labo.

By having this signature scent they are able to set the mood for luxury and comfort. The Edition appeals to sight, touch, and smell. Appealing to these three senses allows The Edition’s patrons to have an overall enjoyable experience.

The hotel does include its signature in forms of a lotion, body wash, and hair products that are exclusively sold through the establishment.  

Conclusion

The impact of sensory marketing is shown in many successful campaigns we see today. Brands have been able to lock in on building memorable impressions by connecting to consumers’ senses. 

With the use of sensory marketing the memories, connections, and impressions are made more personal for consumers. By building such personal connections, these brands you may scroll past or walk by just catch you by surprise and become a fave. 

Everyone’s experience and connection is unique to themselves, but two things you can’t deny are when you look good, you feel good and more importantly when you smell good, you feel better. 

✍️ Written by Angelique Gonzalez