The strongest brand experiences aren’t just seen; they’re sensed and felt. Building loyalty not with logos, but with scents, sounds, and textures that bypass the rational mind and embed themselves directly in memory. This isn’t just a new tactic; it’s the next frontier in brand strategy, transforming fleeting impressions into unforgettable experiences.

 

To understand why multi-sensory marketing is the future, let’s look at the psychology and business impact of engaging beyond the visual.

How Multi-Sensory Marketing can Drive Consumer Behavior

For years, brands have assumed that images, logos, and colors alone are enough to create lasting brand loyalty. But what if I told you that by tapping into consumers' senses of smell, sound, and touch, you could drive consumer behavior and emotional connection in ways that visuals alone simply can’t? Imagine a world where your brand is not just seen, but fully felt, creating powerful experiences that stick in consumers' memories long after a simple ad would fade.

This shift in branding isn't just a trendy idea—it’s an essential evolution in business, known as the renaissance of bricks-and-mortar stores or Marketing 5.0. In this landscape, brands that create immersive, sensory-rich experiences are leading the way.

 

This sensory approach is rooted in embodied cognition, the understanding that our bodily sensations influence our minds in subtle, powerful ways. Research shows that sensory cues affect emotional processing, and this impact is often unconscious (Schreuder et al., 2016). By appealing to multiple senses, brands can produce stronger, more consistent, and more holistic experiences.

For example, scent alone can trigger memories and emotions far beyond what visuals alone can replicate (Stierwalt, 2020). Smell directly activates the brain's limbic system, the part responsible for emotions and memories, giving it a lasting effect (Walsh, 2020). Similarly, sound and touch are deeply connected to emotional processing. Merely touching an object can increase a consumer’s sense of psychological ownership, even if it’s virtual or augmented.

This feeling of ownership strengthens brand loyalty and drives purchase intent. For instance, studies show that sensory engagement through touch, such as a handshake or even digital haptic feedback, makes people feel safer and more comfortable, often encouraging them to spend more (Brengman et al., 2018). And when emotions are contagious—like through the subconscious “emotional contagion”—brands can foster a genuine connection with customers. Evidence suggests that this phenomenon works by transferring emotions subtly, such as when music in a store relaxes customers or an upbeat fragrance energizes them (McDonough, 2024).

 

Examples of Multi-Sensory Marketing in Experiential Design

Let’s look at brands that have mastered this. Tech-giant Apple doesn’t just sell products, it creates a full, multi-sensory retail experience. Apple stores invite customers to interact with products, stimulating not only their sense of sight but also their sense of touch. This tactile interaction deepens the emotional connection with the brand.

 

 

Glossier offers another powerful example. Their ASMR experiential pop-up in London in 2023, dedicated to the scent "Glossier You," brought sensory marketing to life. This experience allowed customers to interact with the fragrance through sound (satisfying ASMR), touch (scented hand massages), and sight, all dedicated to creating a memorable experience. Customers could also purchase products, including candles, beauty items, and even a red glossier pepper grinder, further reinforcing the emotional ties and (somewhat odd) memory with the brand. Each room in the pop-up hosted unique personalities and emotions, helping to create an immersive experience that words alone could never capture (Coates, 2023).

  

 

Beyond the obvious sectors like retail and beauty, other sectors are also excelling and experimenting within this new wave of marketing. Take Mastercard for an example, stepping into this sensory world by developing a “brand taste.” They introduced custard apple and Japanese yuzu flavor macarons to embody their brand, launching at the New York Food Festival in 2019 and then sold at Laudrée in SoHo (Turner, 2014).

This strategic branding decision allowed customers to now connect Mastercard with delicious, exclusive pastries (that look like the Mastercard logo) purchased not in their traditional customer touchpoint - a bank - but in an authentic boulangerie. With 75% of our feelings being triggered by smell, Mastercard here is able to tap into memory like no other. Talk about differentiation, multi-sensory marketing and definitely memorable marketing!

Multi-Sensory Marketing in The Digital World

 

While multi-sensory experiences are most obvious in the physical world, they are increasingly present in the digital space. Brands can engage multiple senses even in online environments through tools like sound and vibration feedback via haptics. This kind of touch-based feedback mimics the physical sensation of interacting with a product, creating a more intimate and memorable digital experience.

 

Furthermore, digital marketers can capitalize on "mirror neurons"—brain cells that activate when we observe others' actions (Myers, 2023). For example, watching someone smile or interact with a product online can make viewers feel as if they’re doing the same, thanks to this built-in empathy mechanism. This is why video content and live demos – aka unboxing videos or influencer marketing - are so effective at engaging customers’ emotions.

 

The Business of Multi-Sensory Marketing

Finally, let’s talk return on investment – is it really worth it or just a nice to have to invent a brand smell, taste, touch or sound?

In short, yes, multi-sensory marketing offers a powerful competitive advantage with a tangible ROI. By engaging multiple senses, brands move beyond simply "showing and telling" to providing experiences that resonate deeply with customers. Studies demonstrate that multi-sensory engagement leads to higher conversion rates, as customers are more likely to act when they feel emotionally connected (Krishnaprasad, 2020).

While each sense plays a unique role at various points in the customer journey, the combined effect of engaging multiple senses creates a more memorable and impactful experience, leading to increased customer lifetime value and greater market share. In today’s saturated market—where consumers encounter between 4,000 and 10,000 ads daily—brands that employ multi-sensory strategies are more likely to stand out. By integrating sensory elements brands can create a distinct sensory identity, enhancing consumer retention, boosting brand recall, and encouraging strong recommendations.

Ultimately, multi-sensory marketing builds sustainable brand loyalty, helping comapnies establish emotional bonds with their audiences. This connection turns customers into brand advocates, generating word-of-mouth promotion and social sharing. In an era where consumers value authentic connections, multi-sensory marketing has become a business imperative, setting brands apart and paving the way for enduring success.

 

Why Multi-Sensory Marketing is The Future of Branding

So, what does your brand smell like? Taste like? Sound like?  Feel like? If you’re ready to explore multi-sensory marketing, consider starting by defining your brand’s sensory identity. Identify which senses align most with your brand’s values and personality. Map out how different senses can be activated along the customer journey. Vision and touch, for instance, trigger conscious responses, while taste, smell, and hearing impact emotions on a deeper level.

Next, invest in experience-driven spaces, whether it’s a pop-up event, an in-store display, or an immersive digital campaign. Create spaces where customers can fully experience your brand with soundscapes, scents, and textures that communicate your brand story in a subtle, memorable way. Lastly, ensure that your sensory identity is consistent across all channels. Digital touchpoints like haptic feedback, auditory elements in videos, and immersive visuals can replicate the sensations felt in physical stores.

 

The future of branding is about connecting on an emotional level that goes beyond what we see. As we move into an era where consumers look for brands that speak to their values and resonate on a personal level, multi-sensory marketing becomes a powerful way to form emotional connections that last.

When a brand engages the senses, it doesn’t just become a product in someone’s life—it becomes part of their experiences, memories, and emotions.

Photo by engin akyurt via UnSplash

References for The Psychology of Multi-Sensory Marketing

Brengman, M., Willems, K., & Van Kerrebroeck, H. (2018). Can’t touch this: the impact of augmented reality versus touch and non-touch interfaces on perceived ownership. Virtual Reality. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0335-6

 

Coates, H. (2023, November 15). From ASMR To Pure Theatrics: Step Inside Glossier’s Latest Pop-Up In London. British Vogue.

 

Krishnaprasad, A. (2020). Designing for a Multi-Sensory Experience Beyond Vision.

Lorge, J. (2022, June 15). Words of wisdom from the world’s greatest branding experts. The CEO Magazine.

 

McDonough, M. (2024). The Connections Between Smell, Memory, and Health | Harvard Medicine Magazine. Magazine.hms.harvard.edu.  

 

Myers, A. (2023, March 1). Creating Mirror Experiences in Marketing. STORYSOFT.

 

Schreuder, E., van Erp, J., Toet, A., & Kallen, V. L. (2016). Emotional Responses to Multisensory Environmental Stimuli. SAGE Open, 6(1), 215824401663059.

 

Stierwalt, S. (2020, June 29). Why Do Smells Trigger Memories? Scientific American.

 

Turner, B. (2014). The Rise of Sensory Branding Is Music to Our Ears (and Noses and Tongues) | Opus Agency. Opusagency.com.

 

Walsh, C. (2020, February 27). What the nose knows. Harvard Gazette.