What is sensory marketing and how does it work?

There’s new science about how people perceive products – and if you trigger the right sensory touch, you could be a winner, says Professor Charles Spence.

Scientists now understand the way the five senses interact with one another in the brain to influence our perception of everything from the food on our plate to the environments in which we live and work.

Their research reveals that you cannot predict how a person will perceive a product by studying how they respond to each sense in isolation. Instead, marketers need to consider the overall multi-sensory impression created by a product.

There is a real opportunity for manufacturers to develop ‘signature’ sensory attributes that can be uniquely associated with their brand – whether it's Sony Ericsson's scented mobiles, the colour pink for T-Mobile, or the roar of a Harley-Davidson's engine.