How to influence audience perception and what tools can you use?
People are slaves to their own perception. Any of our actions is subject to how we perceive the world around us. At the same time, let's not forget: what we see and what actually exists are different things.
For this reason, human perception is becoming one of the most sought-after fields of activity for modern marketing solutions. Advertising no longer tries to convince anyone. It is necessary to act more subtly, more intelligently. In an overloaded information sphere, the consumer should not even notice that he is being influenced by marketing. This is where sensory marketing comes into play.
What is sensory marketing?
Sensory marketing is usually always discussed through the prism of the senses. Countless articles say things like:
“We need to engage channels such as hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste – this way the consumer will receive more information about our product from different sources and will be more likely to make a decision in our favor.”
But such reasoning is too superficial; it puts the function first and does not mention the purpose of this promotion tool at all.
Sensory marketing works with the senses – so why do we perceive this method so technically and formally? Do you really think that in the past no one used different sensory channels to promote their products?
Any outerwear seller will tell you how the “smell of a new item” affects the buyer, and most importantly, how to “recreate” this smell. The same with private car sellers. Do you think they started using these simple olfactory tricks after reading an article about sensory marketing?
After all, visual experience is also sensory. And it took people a long time to figure out how to use visuals in promotion. Some of the first visual advertisements appeared in the 1890s — they were soap advertisements.
In fact, it is a much more subtle tool of influence than one might imagine. It is true that it is important to use the channels of perception. But the most important function of sensory marketing is to create a controlled impression.
Creating conditions for a unique consumer experience and receiving positive emotions from interaction with the brand. This is what sensory marketing means.
Why sensory marketing?
The most successful brands are those that convey feelings and emotions. Stimulating our senses conveys emotions and encourages learning.
This type of unconscious communication is very effective for brands because our senses are directly connected to the limbic system. This is the part of our brain that is responsible for memories, feelings, pleasure, and emotions. If a brand stimulates multiple senses, we will also connect with it on a deeper emotional level.
Thus, sensory marketing can not only increase brand awareness, but also increase brand recall and loyalty. Research by Hollis (2007) shows that the more sensory sensations a person experiences when thinking about a particular brand, the more loyal they are to that brand. 28% of participants indicated that they had a first choice product when they could recall one dimension of sensory experience (e.g., vision), while 59% did so when they could recall four to five dimensions of sensory experience.
Visual
If we were to tell the full story of the evolution of visual advertising media, then even a whole book would not be enough. But if we talk about some general truths, then the approach itself has not undergone significant changes.
Visual sensory marketing is broken down into different approaches. There is an art and science behind it that convinces people to buy.
Colors
Color schemes affect people differently and give a brand a different look and feel. For example, red represents passion and emotion, while green is more holistic and eco-friendly. Each color has feelings and emotions that we associate with them. The better you understand them, the more likely you are to choose the best ones to attract your customers.
But! If you work in the international market or enter an exotic market, be very careful when choosing colors. In European culture, white is the color of purity, but in Buddhism it is the color of death.
Images
Using images in advertising is a great way to quickly grab attention. For example, photos of faces, hands, poses – all work with the innate interest in other people that we all have. When we see other people doing something, we are more likely to try it ourselves.
Some companies also use interiors or decorations in their images. This helps to create a broader idea of the brand and to interest the person viewing the advertisement.
Text
You might not immediately think of the written word as a visual medium, but that’s exactly what it is. The ability to influence with words may be the oldest form of marketing. A simple sign on a door advertising a business is a form of visual marketing. This written blog is also a form of visual marketing. Any headline in an advertisement, accompanied by images and the right fonts, can have a significant impact.
Graphic arts
Sometimes, instead of photography, some companies prefer to use graphics such as illustrations, diagrams, symbols, and computer generated graphics.
Video
The next step in the evolution of images is moving images and video marketing. Television was the first method by which companies could do visual marketing. With the increase of video advertising on the Internet over the last 25 years, video marketing has become very popular. Stock video is used in many online advertisements to show the user how the product can be useful for them.
Light
Lighting is a type of visual marketing that can change the look and feel of a brand. Some retail stores use decorative lighting or table lamps instead of ceiling lights. This way, they influence the mood of the customer.
Example: Apple
Apple's visual branding is a true work of art in the world of sensory marketing. The company's branded stores are white, minimalist and clean – this gives customers the feeling of a modern, stylish and high-tech company. The buyer experiences the same feelings from the packaging of gadgets – it is also white and minimalist.
With its recognizable minimalist style, Apple has created a trend for personal visual branding of companies.
How to apply this in business:
Use photos that show faces, hands, poses to grab the audience's attention and generate interest in the product or service.
Incorporate decorative elements into your promotion. This will help create a broad idea of the brand and interest potential customers as something holistic.
Reflect the uniqueness of the brand in the fonts you use. Depending on the lifestyle you are communicating, these can be strict, rounded, decorative, and aesthetic fonts.
Video marketing will make your brand more alive, help demonstrate the product or service in action. It is the most popular and easy to implement method, do not neglect it.
With lighting, you can create a unique visual perception and brand atmosphere. But it is important to use this tool wisely. Your conceptual idea should not interfere with the functional side of lighting.
Sound
The ability to use sound as an advertising tool came with the widespread use of radio.
Thus, in 1926, the world of radio advertising jingles was born when an a cappella group called the Wheaties Quartet sang about a General Mills breakfast. Jingles soon became a popular form of advertising, where words describing a product were turned into music to increase entertainment value.
In today's world, audience marketing is a part of almost all marketing campaigns on television, radio, podcasts and online advertising.
The most common audio marketing tools
Voice acting
Since the popularization of radio advertising in the 1920s, the use of voiceovers for promotion and persuasion has become common practice. Voiceovers are when a person reads a script of an advertisement aimed at eliciting an action from the listener. Often, it involves explaining products and services, as well as their features and benefits.
Sound effects
Similar to movies, the use of sound effects in advertising helps to enhance the drama that is part of the advertisement. Some brands use sound effects to represent their brand. An example is the T-Mobile ringtone, which is used in all audio and video advertisements.
Thematic music
Having background music in your ad adds meaning and mood to the words and images. Many companies now offer music tracks to add to video ads.
Example: Mastercard
As part of its audio strategy, the company is using sensory branding to create a new identity for consumers using credit cards, a “sound identity.” Users hear a beep when a transaction is completed. This sound is symbolized by the intersection of the red and yellow circles in the Mastercard logo.
Example: VISA
VISA began using sensory branding at the end of transactions that users complete. The company discovered that sound plays a role in how consumers shop. After a cardholder has paid for a purchase and officially completed the transaction, they hear a branded sound that the company has specifically created to appeal to the consumer through their sense of hearing.
How to apply this in business:
Add voiceovers. Human voices have a profound effect on us. Our hearing has evolved over millions of years to better capture the sounds of human speech.
Incorporate sound effects. Subconsciously, we tend to believe that any object that can produce sound is somehow spiritual and intelligent. Creating a sound association will help people strengthen their connection with the brand’s product.
Use background music in video and audio advertising. Music is extremely effective in influencing mood and helps to enhance the emotional impact on the audience.
Finally
Even the best sensory marketing tools will not be effective without an effective strategy. To effectively implement sensory marketing and achieve high results, a company must skillfully use the available tools.
When launching a sensory marketing campaign, collaboration with the Neurovision team becomes an integral factor for success. Our team specializes in using marketing techniques that interact with human perception at the subconscious level. We influence consumer choice through indirect, “subtle” methods of influence.
Along with the classic direct sales method, you will get the opportunity for additional positioning, built on the basis of a sensory map. What does your brand sound like? What does it look like? What color scheme does it use and what mood does it set? All these are controllable variables that directly affect sales.
The next article will focus on less obvious ways to engage your audience through sensory input.
