Sensory Marketing

Sensory marketing: the multi-sensory brand-experience concept

Bertil Hulten

Kalmar University, Kalmar, Sweden

Received October 2009 Revised December 2009 Accepted March 2010

European Business Review Vol. 23 No. 3, 2011 pp. 256-273 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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Empirical studies relating to sight impressions have been discussed by, for instance, Orth and Malkewitz (2008) and Smith and Burns (1996). The sense of sight is the most powerful one for discovering changes and differences in the environment and is the most common sense in perceiving goods or services.

Impressions of sound have been analyzed empirically by Garlin and Owen (2006), Sweeney and Wyber (2002). The sense of sound is linked to emotions and feelings and the sense impacts brand experiences and interpretations.

Impressions of smell have been discussed by Goldkuhl and Styfve ́n (2007) and Fiore et al. (2000). The sense of smell is related to pleasure and well-being and is closely connected to emotions and memories. 

Taste impressions have been analyzed empirically by Biedekarken and Henneberg (2006) and Klosse et al. (2004). The sense of taste is the most distinct emotional sense and often interacts with other senses. 

Finally, touch impressions have been discussed by Peck and Wiggins (2006) and Citrin et al. (2003), among others. The sense of touch is the tactile one, related to information and feelings about a product through physical and psychological interactions.

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