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DECCAN EDUCATION SOCIETY’S
BRIHAN MAHARASHTRA COLLEGE OF COMMERCE
PUNE – 411004
A PROJECT REPORT ON:
The Power of Sensory Marketing: A study of conscious
associations with imagery and colour.
SUBMITTED TO:
UNIVERSITY OF PUNE
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (BBA)
(YEAR 2013 - 2016)
SUBMITTED BY:
Rishi Dodeja
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:
SHILPI LOKRE

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Acknowledgement
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my teacher Dr. Shilpi
Lokre as well as our Head of Department Mrs. Bharati Upadhaye who gave me
the golden opportunity to do this wonderful project on the topic Power of
Sensory Marketing: A study of Colours, which also helped me in doing a lot of
Research and I came to know about so many new things I am really thankful to
them.
Secondly I would also like to thank my parents and friends who helped me a lot
in finalizing this project within the limited time frame.

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Declaration
I Rishi Dodeja student of Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce (batch
2013-2016) declare that the project entitled ‘The Power of Sensory Marketing: a
study of conscious associations with imagery and colour’ is my own work
conducted under the guidance of Dr Shilpi Lokre.
I further declare that to the best of my knowledge the project does not contain
any part of any work which has been submitted for any other project either in
this institute or in any other without proper citation.
Place:
Date: Signature of Candidate

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Contents
Executive Summary 5
Objectives of the Study 6
Introduction to Sensory Marketing 7
The five senses and the effects of Stimuli on them 14
Perceptual Process 22
Brand Resonance and Brand resonance Model 29
Brand Imagery and Extrinsic properties of Packaging 35
Colour Psychologyand Colours in Detail 39
Research Methodology 54
Assessment of Primary Data 59
Conclusion 73
Suggestions 74
References 75

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Executive Summary
This project is focussed on sensory marketing, and entails the impact of companies
through the medium of their stores, packaging and other variables determined by them
and the impact that this strata of marketing has on the senses of humans.
It then goes on to list the 5 senses, and their responses to various stimuli it encounters,
not only this but an attempt is made to link the same with the perception process which
includes the likes of Selective Perception, Selective Attention and lastly Selective
Retention.
Another growing concept within this project is that of subliminal marketing and
advertising which is a premise that attempts to gain the attention of consumers by
appealing to the sub-conscious or an appeal to the senses just below the threshold of
consciousness.
The six sub divisions within the brand resonance model, is a theory that every
organisation has undergone either with their knowledge of going through this or not, the
brand resonance model consisting of, Brand Salience, Brand Performance, Brand
Imagery, Brand judgements, Brand Feelings and lastly Brand Resonance.
The concept of brand imagery has been highlighted in relation with extrinsic properties
like that of its aesthetics, size, finishing and colours of the packaging of the product, with
an extended focus on the colours being utilised in the package.
The psychology of colour, how various colours create an impression of different qualities
associated with or perceived by looking at various colours. The colours black, white, red,
blue, green, orange, yellow, brown and grey and the feelings they elicit in consumers just
by a look.

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Objectives of the Study
 To determine the effectiveness of sensory marketing.
 To understand colours and the effect they have on consumers.
 To identify brand associations with colours.
 To gain insight as to what differentiations are made on the basis of colour by a
consumer.
 To comprehend the stages of consumers behaviour pertaining to the brand resonance
model.
 To comprehend the concept of brand imagery.
 To draw attention to the reaction of our senses to various stimuli and emphasize the
perception process.
 It also deals with the brand resonance model which consists of brand salience,
performance and imagery, judgements and feelings, and finally brand resonance.
 To identify the various extrinsic aspects such as the size and dimension of the
product, the visual aspects, aesthetics, finish of the product and the packaging colour.
 The paper also underlines the colours associated with various ideas in different
cultures and stresses the importance of choice of the correct colour.

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Introduction To
Sensory
Marketing

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Our experience of the world involves a number of senses like sight, hearing, touch, taste, and
smell. These senses are not isolated from one another. They work together, providing a robust
and coherent awareness of our environment. Neuroscientists have also found that the more
senses we use when engaging with content, the more emotionally and cognitively attached we
become. That means people are much more likely to remember highly multisensory
experiences later on. Consider the situation where a person is entering a good restaurant: they
see the décor and the other patrons, smell the pleasing odours wafting from the kitchen, hear
the pleasant music and sound of conversation, feel the comfort of the seating, and, finally,
savour the taste of the food. In order to understand sensory marketing better, the meaning of
sensory has been highlighted.
Sensory comes from the Latin word “sentire”, meaning "to perceive or feel”.
In a literal sense the word sensory means relating to sensation or the physical senses that are
transmitted or perceived by the senses.
Sensory can be defined as
1. Relating to sensation or that is felt with physical senses.
2. Connected with the physical senses of touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight.
3. Transmitting impulses from the sense organs to the nerve centres.
4. Of or relating to the senses or the power of sensation.
5. Relating to those processes and structures within an organism that receive stimuli
from the environment and convey them to the brain.
These definitions let us know that the word sensory has been derived from a Latin word and
simply relates to the sensation that is felt by individuals, us as humans with or because of our
changing surroundings.
We can also consider sensory to mean a transmission of the information, as a result of the
changing stimuli surrounding us. It is a natural impulse that ensures that our senses are
tingling according to various surroundings we might encounter throughout an ordinary day in
our life.
Sensory is a word that generally comes associated hand in hand along with our five senses, of
touch, smell, taste, hearing and vision. Sensory is the transmission of information, wherein
these senses act as receptors and transmit information to the brain for it to better understand
the surroundings it is in, and maybe force a response to the stimuli offered in the
surroundings.
To simplify the meaning of sensory, further examples can illustrate its true meaning; An apt
example to better illustrate the meaning of the word sensory would be to stick a knife into a
toaster which will give you a sensory experience, but so will smelling a rose. And I would
suggest that you stick with the rose.
Another apt example could be of the utilisation of various senses while driving, as anyone
who has ever driven on a road in India would know that it is not a task wherein only one of
the 5 senses can be used.

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Sensory Marketing
From a research perspective, sensory marketing implies an understanding of sensation and
perception as it applies to consumer behaviour.
Sensory marketing can also be defined as
1. Marketing that engages the consumer’s senses and affects their perceptions,
judgement and behaviour.
2. Engaging multiple senses of the target audience and gaining their interest.
3. The marketing practices that aim to use one or more of the five senses to favour the
purchase of a product or service.
4. Marketing techniques that aim to seduce the consumer by using his senses to
influence his feelings and behaviour. (American Marketing Association)
5. Ensemble of all the variables of action controlled by the producer or retailer to create,
around the product or service, a specific multi-sensory environment, either through
the product itself or the communication or the environment in the point of sale. (S.
Rieunier)
Sensory Marketing is a way of:
• Measuring and explaining consumer emotions.
• Spotting and capitalizing on new market opportunities.
• An opportunity to maximize product profitability.
• Ensuring first and repeat purchase (loyalty).
• Ensuring long-lasting product success.
Sensory branding is based on the idea that consumers are most likely to form, retain and
revisit memory when all 5 senses are engaged in the experience.
Given the scope of advertisements that consumers see every day for the thousands of
products that are available in the marketplace, it seems that unconscious triggers, like those
appealing to the basic senses, may be a more efficient way to appeal to consumers. Also,
these sensory triggers may result in consumers' self-generation of (desirable) brand attributes,
rather than those verbally provided by the advertiser.
Thus, sensory marketing could be better understood as a method of marketing, or ensuring
that the end users are aware of the products in a way that tickles their senses and has an effect
on the way they perceive, judge and behave in response to the marketing techniques towards
the products. Sensory marketing makes a conscious attempt to use the primary senses of
consumers as a gateway to altering their brand preferences and loyalties.
Sensory marketing can also mean to engage the senses of a customer in a way that implies
that the interests of the company and the consumer is on the same wavelength. In addition,
sensory marketing talks about the appeal of the product towards one or more of the 5 senses
of an individual in order to ensure that the consumer inches towards purchasing the product.
Integrating all of the senses into the marketing program is about capitalizing on what we
know about consumers sensory links to recall emotion and leveraging that information to
strengthen brands and increase sales. The solicitation of the consumer’s senses is mainly done
through the product or at point of sale but it also plays an important role in customer loyalty
through user experience.
For brands struggling to compete in today’s crowded marketplace, strategic use of sensory
information can provide a critical advantage. When we appeal to multiple senses, our efforts
are multiplied, creating powerful brands with lasting consumer connections.

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Sensory marketing can be used to create subconscious triggers that characterize consumer
perceptions of abstract notions of the product (e.g., its sophistication or quality). Given the
gamut of explicit marketing appeals made to consumers every day, subconscious triggers
which appeal to the basic senses may be a more efficient way to engage consumers. Also,
these sensory triggers may result in consumers' self-generation of (desirable) brand attributes,
rather than those verbally provided by the advertiser. The understanding of these sensory
triggers implies an understanding of sensation and perception as it applies to consumer
behaviour.
According to Rieunier (2002), the sensory marketing approach tries to fill in the deficiencies
of the “traditional marketing” which is too rational. Classic marketing is based on the idea
that the customer is rational, that his behaviour is broke up in defined reasoned steps,
according to the offer, the competition, the answer to his need. By contrast, sensory
marketing put the experiences lived by the consumers and his feelings in the process. These
experiences have sensorial, emotional, cognitive, behavioural and relational dimensions, not
only functional. It aims to create the adequacy of the products with their design and their
packaging, and then to valorise them in a commercial environment to make them attractive.
Sensory Marketing, in other words, is an application to the understanding of sensation and
perception in the field of marketing. It involves the five senses: including sight, sound, taste,
smell and feel. It is designed to appeal to all the human senses, to engage emotions and
thereby influence purchasing behaviour. New technology is helping brands provide sensory
experiences that are more immersive.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that while groups were exposed to a multi-sensory
environment, they tend to always outperform those placed in a uni-sensory one.
Companies invest millions in engineering studies and product development to
create packaging, store ambiances and “try-me” type displays that would better invite people
to reach them, touch and handle the products.
It has been noted by Aradhna Krishnan that the basis of marketing appeals made to
consumers could be subconscious triggers which may appeal to the basic senses, and be a
more efficient way of engaging the customer’s interests. She also argues that sensory
marketing can be manifested in two ways; which are
1. Used subconsciously to shape consumer perceptions and abstract qualities of a
product or service like its warmth, quality, ruggedness and modernity.
2. Shape the perceptions of the specific products like that of colour, taste, smell or touch.
The majority of us are true blue slaves of the five senses. We can easily be seduced to
commit the most illogical and impractical act by anyone who can artfully manipulate
anything in our surroundings to appeal to any or all of our senses.
Sensory branding is based on the idea that we are most likely to form, retain and revisit
memory when all five senses are engaged. By going beyond the traditional marketing media
of sight and (sometimes) sound, brands can establish a stronger and longer-lasting emotional
connection with consumers.
One major importance of sensory marketing is that sensory marketing is an effective tool in
gaining sensory consumer insights for a marketing strategy. It measures and explains
emotional consumer decision-making by variability of products, concepts, packaging, and
marketing mix scenarios to ensure long-lasting success.

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Examples of Multi – Sensory Marketing
Using all the Senses to create an “Experience”
1. The Holiday Inn hotels chain has been using scents combined with the right kind of
music to invite you to stay longer in their rooms, lobbies and bars. The company uses
a rose scent for weddings and a leather-based scent for business meetings and similar
functions. Even the chlorine pool smell comes from a bucket of powder that is added
to the air system in the mornings! Should you have something to celebrate; the
Holiday Inn will make your party smell fruity! This type of sensory marketing is used
by many hotel chains.
2. The scent masters at Aromasys have been involved in choosing the right scents for the
right resort. The Mirage hotel and casino uses a scent that is based on Polynesian
tones and the well known Bellagio may subtly remind you of Italy. The Venetian uses
a strong Aromasys scent called Seduction, with strong notes of musk. The scents are
aimed at the type of surroundings, the theme of the venue and the type of clientele
visiting the venue. Musk is often referred to as the strong manly scent of success.
3. Apple is famous for creating a unique brand experience using all the senses. A
customer can “experience” the brand in its full form in any Apple concept store. In
any of these stores customer can see, touch, listen and even smell Apple. Buyers of
Apple computers, iPhones and other products know it all too well, the smell of a new
device. This very specific smell is rumoured to come from inside the devices, but
some have suggested that the packaging is responsible. The plastic iPhone has the
same smell as the aluminium MacBook, so the scent is probably not added to the
plastic. Apple has never owned up to these tactics, but an Apple Mac scent has been
produced by the Air Aroma company, combining the smells of cardboard, ink and
other ingredients.
4. Starbucks firmly believes in the philosophy of providing a complete brand experience
by engaging the various senses. A Starbucks restaurant smells like freshly ground
coffee. They even stopped serving breakfast because the smell of eggs interferes with
the rich aroma of coffee. Add to it, the cosy interiors, the nice baristas and you get the
“Starbucks experience”.
5. Singapore Airlines pioneered sensory branding the airline industry. The staff uniform,
the make-up of the attendants, their mannerisms, the unique perfume inside the flight
all evoked feelings of comfort and luxury and uniquely associated these feelings with
the brand. Singapore Airlines has used its scent called Stefan Florida Waters, on its
hot towels and on its flight attendants. This way the plane smells fresh when you
board, and the scent is spread every time an attendant walks past. According to the
airline this enhances the travellers’ experience of a relaxed flight

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6. Häagen-Dazs is using augmented reality to entertain consumers while they wait for its
ice cream to become soft enough to scoop. The brand’s Concerto Timer iPhone
app can project a virtual violin concerto on top of a tub.
7. Kellogg’s takes full advantage of the sound element. Its Rice Krispies have the classic
“snap, crackle, pop,” but the crunch of the Kellogg’s cornflake was carefully
developed in sound labs and by introducing a distinctive sound to its breakfast cereal,
the company integrated four senses into its product: taste, touch, sight and sound.
8. Coors is the rare company that capitalizes on temperature marketing with its
innovative temperature indicator. When a Coors bottle hits the optimum degree of
coldness, mountains on the label turn from white to blue.
9. Dunkin’ Donuts in South Korea: When a company jingle played on municipal buses,
an atomizer released a coffee aroma. The campaign increased visits to Dunkin’
Donuts outlets near bus stops by 16% and sales at those outlets by 29%.
10. Westin’s white tea scent which gained so much popularity that they began selling it
for home use.
11. Yahoo! Have trademarked their jingles.
12. Harley Davidson has been unsuccessful in the trademark of its distinctive engine
roaring.
13. A very good example of sensory branding is the ‘Aamsutra’ campaign run by PepsiCo
for its fruit flavoured soft drink brand, ‘Slice’. The imagery is perfect — a fairytale-
like orchard setting, a dreamy beauty seduced to the brink of delirium by the thick,
orange-yellow, fruity, aromatic ambrosia-like liquid bursting out of a ripened mango
and landing right on her lip. You can almost smell a faint aroma of ripe mango when
you watch the advertisement.
14. Rob Valsler posted a photo of some chapattis on his blog in the Millward Brown
Greenhouse (the company’s own social network). Chapattis, thin flat rounds of
unleavened bread, are ubiquitous in Indian and South Asian cooking, but unlike most
of their kind, these chapattis had writing on them. Apparently the Hindi script on the
chapattis asks, “Did you wash your hands with Lifebuoy?” The chapattis were
distributed to thousands of pilgrims from a stall set up by Lifebuoy at Kumbh Mela,
the world’s largest religious gathering. In his post, Rob asks if the tangible dimension
of handling the chapattis adds to the “experience” of the communication. Does the
physical act of touching food increase receptivity to the message about hand washing?
(He suggests the connection does little for enjoyment of the chapattis).
15. For example, people who had briefly held a warm beverage were more likely than
people who had held a cold one to think that a stranger was friendly; this was
demonstrated in an experiment by Lawrence E. Williams.
More generic examples would include, the visual wholesomeness of an organic food retail
brand can be captured by using various shades of leafy green, fruity orange, yellow and red,
earthy browns for organic spices and condiments. While vivid and packing variety, these
colours and shades also communicate the ideas of freshness and taste, which we associate
with the concepts of ‘healthy’ and ‘delicious’. The brand message can include words like
‘crunchy’, ‘juicy’, ‘pulpy’, ‘aromatic’ and ‘zesty’, to engage the auditory, tactile, and
gustatory senses by alluding to, say, the sounds that are made when you bite into a fresh
apple. ‘Juicy’ and ‘pulpy’ allude to the texture of the product and these words engage the
sense of touch (here, mouth-feel). ‘Zesty’ associates the brand with the flavour of organic
condiment while the brain associates the word ‘aromatic’ with all the pleasant, benefice
olfactory memories it has stashed away over the years.

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Sensory branding is a branding strategy that fashions the brand message and personality in
such a way that it targets the consumers’ senses to draw them in, touch a personal chord and
make the individual consumer relate more strongly with the particular marketer’s or
manufacturer’s product or service. It is an emerging business discipline that applies analytical
techniques to amalgamate the use of sensory stimuli such as scent, sound and texture in order
to develop strong brands that are more memorable for customers than conventional visual
branding techniques alone.
Sensory branding is a type of marketing that appeals to all the senses in relation to the brand.
It uses the senses to relate with customers on an emotional level. Brands can forge emotional
associations in the customers' minds by appealing to their senses. A multi-sensory brand
experience generates certain beliefs, feelings, thoughts and opinions to create a brand image
in the consumer's mind.
For instance, a food brand may be developed around its taste, colour, texture, and aroma. All
marketing and advertising campaigns will be designed to uphold these sensory characteristics
of the brand to make the product appear more tempting and appetizing and lure people to try
it.

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The Five Senses
and Effects of
Stimuli on them.

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A study has proposed that the interest an individual has towards a piece of cake is more if the
fork is in the general direction of the cake, on the side which consists of the dominant side of
the body, however it was also mentioned that the attraction to consume the cake is
significantly lesser if the dominant hand of the individual is pre-occupied. Yet another theory
suggests that both adults and children both would go in for glossy products over products that
have a matte finish because of glossy being associated with water, which is the basis of
survival of humans. These are some of the reasons for which extensive research is taking
place on humans and their senses, and the relation to the five senses, as to which colours, or
any other feature of packaging or layout would affect or trigger certain responses to the
stimulus.
A study by Lindstrom and Calvert (2008) showed that combining sensory experiences makes
them stronger and, where they are complementary, more appealing. The regions of the brain
stimulated by a combination of visual and auditory input showed that the subjects were:
a) paying close attention,
b) liked what they saw and heard,
c) found the combination pleasant; and
d) Would recall the brand, and probably over the long haul.
According to Rieunier (2000), some of the main components of our atmosphere are: -
 Visual factors: Colours of the surrounding, Materials, Lights, and Layout (space,
cleanness)
 Sonorous factors: Music and Noises
 Olfactory factors: Natural smells and Artificial smells
 Tactile factors: Materials and Temperature
 Gustative factors: Sampling
Sensory marketing is a technique of marketing that includes changing the pre-set notions or
perceptions that consumers might already have about brands by using or appealing to the 5
senses of any consumer, the perception is the way in which a consumer judges or creates an
image about the product.
Sensory marketing may also act as a method of retention of information for any consumer,
which means that, retention generally takes place whether through selective or partial
retention, the former talks about the consumer not concentrating enough and hence retaining
only parts of the information and blocking out parts of the information being imparted to
them, whereas the latter is retention of only a fraction of the information.
These components of our atmosphere that have been highlighted by Rieunier and each of
these appeal to the various senses of individuals and make an attempt to stimulate purchases.
These factors through sensory marketing have been taken up and various studies have
provided us with inputs of human responses with various stimuli that they are exposed to
which were previously unavailable, providing an aid to marketers to now generate marketing
campaigns that appeal to individualistic or multi senses of a human, while simultaneously
attempting to create brand loyalty by utilisation. Within this chapter, the 5 senses and the way
in which they have an impact on a consumer’s outlook towards products is highlighted,
alongside examples wherever required.

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Touch (Haptics)
Marketers try to take in account the emotions sparked off by this touch during the conception
of the product (pen, clothes, car steering wheel) or its conditioning (perfume bottle, crisps
pack). For instance, the bottle of the French mineral water brand Valvert evocates through its
rough touching the natural origin of its source in the heart of the mountains. Marketing
sensoriel, provocateur d’émotion - Faire Savoir Faire Magazine – 2004 Marketing
dissertation 2008 – Högskolan i Halmstad. In a restaurant, the weight of the cutlery, the
softness of the napkins and the comfort of a chair can affect the perception the customers has
of the atmosphere since, according to Rieunier, the touch is one of the major determinants of
the well-being sensation. Thus, sensory marketing is a deep and complex concept, as it deals
with the subconscious of the consumers: their perceptions, feelings and tastes. This approach
is necessary as it allows marketers to control the atmosphere.
Touch means and talks about the extrinsic parts of a product while focussing on the
packaging of the product and its feel to a consumer. A number of companies have attempted
to add various shapes and textures to their products to improve their sales and customer
perceptions about the product. The touch need not pertain to just the packaging and could
also mean the feel of the product in itself, the way holding a product induces certain
memories or perceptions about the product and leads to a positive or negative feel about the
product, which in turn will mean that the brand has retained a consumer through brand
loyalty or has been unsuccessful in doing so.
The human skin has more than 4 million sensory receptors that can easily be influenced
through the material, softness, texture and weight of your product. Touch induces a personal
association with the product and in turn, a brand. This is the reason that the way products feel
is being given an increasing amount of importance by sensory marketers.
This factor of touch not only depends on the feel of the product, but also in some cases
aligned with the way in which they are arranged in super markets on the shelves, that is, the
products are judged according to other products they are arranged next to, the toiletries
cannot be arranged next to food items, products like toilet paper should not be arranged next
to food items, which will reduce the demand for the products.
Touch is the first sense gained and the last sense that is lost by us through our ageing process.
In an application it was noted that those individuals with a high Need For Touch(NFT) are
more confident and less frustrated about their product evaluations. Findings of Brasel and
Gips also suggested that if the consumer touches the screen within the parameters of a
purchase of a computer system, this touch will stimulate a sense of psychological ownership
and provide a higher chance of purchase, which also implies that the days of e-commerce
giants because of the absence of haptics may be numbered
Aristotle proposed his theory of aisthesis or sensation which suggests that our five senses are
ordered hierarchically, with “touch” on top, and the other senses increasing the acuity of the

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touch sensation. Per Aristotle, touch provided a true picture of the intrinsic nature of the
object, so that the soft coat of a kitten would be indicative of its innate softness of character
Within touch, it has been understood that people can be categorised into 2: people that have a
high need for touch and people that have relatively low need for touch. To test this and really
understand this, a study by Peck and Childers in 2003 tested, 199 subjects who were asked to
evaluate a sweater and a cell phone. Half of the study participants were given the chance to
touch the product whereas others could only see it through plexi glass and could not touch the
products. They found that the high overall NFT people were more confident and less
frustrated about their product evaluations when they could feel the product; for low NFTs,
touching or not made no difference. Written descriptions of how the product felt if one was
able to handle it helped alleviate to some extent high NFTs' frustration. However, this was the
case only for the more concrete haptic quality of cell phone weight, but not for the less
concrete quality of sweater softness.
Additional credence for haptics and inter-personal behaviour came from an experiment that
was conducted by Williams and Bargh in 2008 which examined the effect of temperature on
social judgment and gift giving. In this experiment, people who had signed up to do a study
were met by an experimenter in the lobby of a building. When they were being taken up to
the study room in an elevator, the experiment asked them to please hold his coffee cup while
he did something. The coffee was either hot or cold The participants were then asked to judge
a target person's personality. It was found that people who had held the hot coffee judged the
target person as being “warmer,” that is, more generous and caring. After holding hot coffee,
participants were also more likely to buy a gift for a friend versus themselves. These results
show that physical warmth generates interpersonal warmth, the neuro-physiological
explanation being that the same part of the brain is activated for physical warmth as for
interpersonal warmth.
High-end electronics company Bang and Olufsen carefully selects its materials to underline
the importance of craftsmanship and robustness in its product design. The company’s
universal remote has been described as “heavy, solid and quite distinct” and marketing
materials highlight the product’s heft and balance, aligned by a tungsten weight inside. While
technology has evolved to enable ultra-light electronics, Bang and Olufsen focus groups have
shown that customers equate some measure of heft with quality.
Smell
Our sense of smell is the most impressionable of all the five senses and every smell evokes a
distinctive feeling.
 Just 1 drop of perfume is enough to be noticed in a three room apartment.
 Our sense of smell triggers as much as 755 of our emotions.
 Smell is a major distinguishing factor for what we taste.
 Human beings are capable of distinguishing over 10,000 different odours.
Smell is a sense that triggers a number of memories within us since we associate a number of
smells that we already have been through, on a daily basis in our entire lifespan. The smell
could be associated with positive or negative memories, based on the smell and the activity
that we were actually carrying out at the time.
Scent encoded information is one that generally triggers memories that are autobiographical
in nature and it has also been noted that stores which have a pleasant smell within the stores
generally have customers lingering within the premises which in turn will result in higher
sales.

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The impact of smells on customers’ behaviour has been definitely certified. First, researchers
proved the positive impact of a smell on the evaluation of a product (Laird, 1935; Cox, 1969).
According to Spangenberg, Crowley & Henderson (1996), a pleasant smell positively
influenced the evaluation of the customer on a point of sale (and some of its products), the
intent of walk-through, of buying, as on the time spent inside (real and perceived). However,
the precise olfactory characteristics that could be at the origin of these influences are not yet
determined. It is difficult in the way that the perception of smells is different from one person
to another, and there are plenty individual variants that marketers have to take in account.
The first differentiation is the sex of the person: Hirsch & Gay (1991) have noticed that
women are more sensitive to smells than men. However, each sex doesn’t have the reaction
faced on the same smell: for instance, men stay longer than women in a shelf perfumed with
spicy scent (Wall Street Journal, 1990), when women are more sensitive to the smell of
shampoo than men.
In this way, there is also a difference between generations: persons born before 1930 are
more likely to call up natural smells, younger people report more food or artificial smells.
(Hirsh, 1992) Therefore, the use of olfactory marketing can be interesting for a brand,
provided that it knows how its target, to avoid a bad perception and then a negative impact.
Scent has also been incorporated into advertising. Magazine perfume ads are, of course, the
logical application. But Pepsi, Kraft, McDonalds, and Domino’s are other example of
companies incorporating scent into their print materials. 39 scented inks, scent strips, and
Rub’nSmell technology are some of the various ways marketers are leveraging scent in
magazine adverting and direct mail. In 2006, the California Milk Board used scent in its Got
Milk? advertising campaign, incorporating a cookie scent into five bus shelter installations in
San Francisco. The theory was that consumers would smell the scent of cookies, associate the
scent with milk, and crave a glass of dairy.
Sound
Sound doesn’t only mean the music or songs, it can also mean the tempo of these can
determine the speed or amount of time that a consumer will spend in a store. It can also refer
to the tone in which people speak which could be harsh or mellow and pitch of their voice. It
is in fact a part of sensory marketing that has a strong impact on the presence of the other
senses and the stimuli they are responding to.
As a marketing tool, sound is a messenger of sorts, often reaching us before we reach a
product or even have a visual image. We have little ability to block out sounds, except by
artificial means such as earplugs, which are impractical for day-to-day living. Sound, then, is
an effective brand cue, particularly when stretched beyond the bounds of traditional broadcast
advertising. It can evoke a sense of quality, increase consumer relevance, boost recall, and
impact purchase intent.
Marketing communications are, more often than not, done through sound or the tone in which
the words are communicated within the advertisements. Languages often have their own
perceptions, especially in bilingual countries where English is the secondary language like
India, Japan and Korea. English works to provide a sign of sophistication and a cosmopolitan
atmosphere. Some ambient music has also been shown to influence consumer behaviour and
the time they spend in the store.
To use sounds is known in advertising and to associate music to a message is a good way to
make the consumer remember it. However, music is also important for sensory marketing
users, since researches underlined the impact of music on behaviour, in a point of sale for
instance. Sounds could also consist of jingles and the tone in which taglines are read out.

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But music can also act on the “crowd management”, by influencing the time spent inside by
the customer. For example, according to two studies from Roballey and Ali (1985) and
Milliman (1986), a fast-tempo music will push the customer to leave earlier. On the other
hand, slow music played at low volume will increase the time and the money spent inside.
The same studies revealed also that clients will eat faster and consume less with a loud
volume and fast tempo music. Another research from Smith & Curnow (1966) revealed that
in a point of sales, customer adopts his walk speed according to the tempo of the music.
Taste
This factor talks specifically about food products, in one of 2 ways, sampling the products in
order to make a purchase within a supermarket, or having consumed the product and then
making a decision about whether or not to re-purchase the product, which could also mean
the taste of products within a restaurant, and creating a sense of loyalty or a retention of the
customers for a brand.
Humans are said to be able to understand the sense created by five basic tastes which are
sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. The latter comes from Japanese food research and means
‘savoury’ or ‘tasty’ because it relates to the taste of pure protein and monosodium glutamate.
Taste perceptions depend on other factors like how the food looks and smells. Another thing
that has been duly noted is that ingredients within yoghurt are beneficial for the same.
On the other hand, ingredients like balsamic vinegar, soy or any other unpleasant tasting
ingredients may affect the consumption of the product if the consumer knows about them
before consuming the product. Thanks to scientific advancements, this sense is now highly
mastered and exploited by producers in order to adapt their products to regional preferences:
e.g. German consumer likes the sweet-salty mix, softly sour for the British one (Célier,
2004). Recent studies aimed to understand better the mechanism of taste and explore the
existing relations between, for instance, taste and colours. Thus, scientists now know that the
four basic gustative sensations, sweet, sour, bitter and salty, are respectively linked by
consumers to the red, green, blue and yellow colours (Célier, 2004). This might be important
in the packaging design process of a product for instance. In a promotional way, companies
often use gustative marketing to convince customers, by making blind-tests (through
comparative advertisements for instance) or directly with sampling or free-tasting
promotional operations. According to Rieunier (2002), such operations can be a determinant
in the food industry, as customers are more enthusiastic to purchase a product that they have
already tasted and liked. This method of linking the extrinsic colours and their packages and
linking it with tastes inside will ensure that there is a link between the extrinsic and intrinsic
parts of the product. This link that has been created between them enables a customer to be
able to have certain expectations that are linked to the packages and their colours.
Vision
Sight is the most used sense in marketing, as it is the most stimulated by the environment.
The choice of colours and forms in the conception of a product, the layout of a point of sale,
the realisation of promotional campaigns are key factors of success (or failure), well
understood by marketers. Colours and shapes are the first way of identification and
differentiation. Many brands are associated to a specific colour, then it is memorised more
easily in the consumers’ unconscious: Coca Cola is red, Kodak is yellow… The company can
be identified even though the customer didn’t see the name! According to memory retention
studies, consumers are up to 78% more likely to remember a message printed in colour than
that in black and white. In the food and beverage industry, the impact of colours is obvious

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and sharply defined. Different sounds evoke different feelings in us and we have always been
sensitive to different sounds. The light is also a major component of the environment.
According to Rieunier (2002), the differences come from the light source and its intensity:
natural light, or a softened artificial one, will increase the sensation of well-being and the
time spent in a point of sale. On the other hand, artificial and intense lights will increase
customers’ dynamism.
Since the genesis of advertising and branding, our sight has played a major role. Advertising
and branding, over the years, has predominantly catered to our eyes. And rightly so.
 92.6% of the population puts more emphasis on visual factors such as colour and
shape when buying a product.
 Visual factors such as colour and shape are dominant factors in creating first
impressions about a product.
 Colour influences on- shelf product visibility in a mall by as much as 80%.
 Colourful ads are read more by 42% than black and white ads.
 Market researchers have also determined the influence of different colours on different
kinds of shoppers.
Visual perceptions within this study are of primary essence, within which the focus will be on
the packaging colours and the way in which every colour is being perceived by consumers,
however for the sake of this portion of the study we will enlist vision as not only pertaining to
the packaging but also factors like the layout and the lightings within a physical store.
Visual perceptions are extremely important to any store or brand because of the way that they
create perceptions, not only about the product but also about the brand in general. The visual
aids or stimuli provided by the brand is one of the first things that are noticed by any
consumer and even within other facts like food it is said that any consumer first feasts with
his eyes, making vision of the utmost importance.
Visual perception biases are important within the domain of consumer behaviour because
they affect judgments of product sizes and of consumption; these judgments in turn can also
affect actual consumption.
Visual effects have been studied in detail in an advertising context. Many visual perception
biases or illusions exist in our day to day consumer behaviour. For example, people judge tall
thin containers to contain more volume than short fat ones, but after drinking from the same
people actually feel they have consumed more after consuming from the short fat ones, over
adjusting their expectations. Even the way on which way the mug is placed in an ad can have
an impact on the consumption behaviour of the same. A mug that was pictured with the
handle on the right side has shown to elicit more mental stimulation and product sales from
right handed people as opposed to when the handle is placed on the left side.
It is no wonder that maintaining colour and shape consistency across all marketing and
branding collaterals is one of the main pillars of branding
Experiments conducted in a restaurant showed that when music that is slower than the rhythm
of heartbeats was played, the customers ate more.
Examples
Some of the examples that can be highlighted for sensory marketing are-

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Examples of Auditory Branding
 When whirring and tinkling sounds were removed from slot machines in Las Vegas,
earnings fell by 24%.
 Audi associated the sounds of a steady heartbeat, a piano and a breath with its
automobiles.
 Mercedes Benz assigned a team to create the most appealing sound for a closing car
door.
 The distinctive “chug” of a Harley Davidson motorcycle has elevated its position
among motorcycles. In India, Royal Enfield uses the same sound to distinguish its
motor cycles from the rest. Tempo aside, companies choose music congruent with
their brand identity.
 Abercrombie and Fitch uses loud upbeat music with a heavy bass and eliminates gaps
between tracks, creating a youthful nightclub-like atmosphere in its teen focused
clothing shops.
 Victoria’s Secret, on the other hand, plays classical music to evoke a sense of upscale
exclusivity for its brand.
Examples of Olfactory Branding
 Rolls Royce combines the smells of mahogany wood, motor oil and leather to convey
the luxurious identity of the brand.
 Some real estate companies sold more houses by using the aromas of freshly baked
cookies and popcorn (to evoke memories of childhood and togetherness).
Example of Taste/Gustative Branding
 In 2007 Skoda Fabia baked a cake that looked exactly like the real car and they filmed
this whole process. They wanted to project Fabia as a “sweet and tasty” car. During
the first week of the campaign, sales went up by 160 percent.
Examples of Tactile Branding
 A fruit juice brand using the texture of actual fruit in the product packaging to make
the juice feel more “real.”
 The unique metallic surface of the iPhone can be associated with the brand even
without seeing it.

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Perception
Process
Distortion, retention and selective attention are some of the criteria due to which buying
behaviour is affected. Consumers depending on these criteria perceive wrong and false
statements about the product or service that result in affected buying behaviour. An important

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element due to which marketers can make their products unique, interesting and attractive so
that consumers can easily get attracted to it is to deliver best quality at best time by best
ways. This simple way can reduce distortion, retention and selective attention because
consumers will get the best information at the best time. In marketing, information related to
the product or service plays a key role. If the information is provided at the right time and by
using the right ways, then a consumer will never be distorted and he/she will pick the product
or service depending on their need and demand.
The process of perception begins with selection, for example, information tends to be
selectively perceived in ways that are congruent with existing individual needs, goals, values,
→ attitudes and beliefs. The process of selective perception can occur at various stages of
perception, including the initial recognition and categorization of stimuli, attention to
competing stimuli, and the interpretation of these stimuli. , information dissemination occurs
automatically, outside the conscious awareness of the perceiver (→ Automaticity).
The next step involves organisation of the information that has been gleaned from the
environment, for example, selective retention (also known as selective memory) is a similar
process by which some information is retained and stored in → memory (and is thus
available for retrieving) and other information is not (and is thus forgotten). Like selective
perception, selective retention is biased in terms of what information gets retained, with
information that is more congruent with existing belief structures more likely to be retained in
memory (and thus more likely to be recalled at a later time) than information that is less
congruent. This organisation of what is retained and what is not is considered the second step
in the perception process. The third step involves the interpretation of the data that has been
retained and organised by a person’s mind to take the information and turn it into something
that we can recognize, categorize and relate to. The processing of the data retained and
connecting it to a person's concepts and expectations (knowledge), belief structures is the last
step of the perception process.
Perception
Perception is the process by which one can select, organise and interpret information inputs
to create a meaningful picture of the world. Perception is a factor that does not only depend
on the physical factors in the surrounding environment but also on the conditions within
themselves. People often emerge with a different perception of the same surroundings
because of factors like selective attention, selective distortion and selective retention.
Perception can be defined as-
1. The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.
2. The way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted.
3. The act or faculty of perceiving, or apprehending by means of the
senses or of the mind, cognition and understanding.
4. Immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or
aesthetic qualities, insight, intuition or discernment.
5. The result or product of perceiving, as distinguished from the act of
perceiving percept.
6. The way you think about or understand someone or something.
7. The way that you notice or understand something using one of your senses.
8. The process by which people translate sensory impressions into a coherent and
unified view of the world around them. Though necessarily based on incomplete and

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unverified (or unreliable) information, perception is equated with reality for
most practical purposes and guides human behaviour in general.
Perception is an ability of every individual to be aware of his or her surroundings as a change
in the same, perception is a way in which things around us are understood, interpreted or
broken down in order to make it easier to understand by us.
Perception is an act of conscious thinking and actively thinking about the way in which the
mind makes an attempt to conceive an understanding of its surroundings. Perception talks
about an intuition or precognitive approach of moral, psychological or aesthetical qualities.
It is the utilisation of our senses in order to notice and understand our surroundings. It is a
process by which individuals translate their own sensory impressions of the world into a one
that is unified. Perception is also been said to be equated with most practical purposes and
human behaviour.
Selective attention
 Selective attention: when something happens, we perceive it, and this perception is a
way to filter the reality; we use our senses to collect information. We do not use all
the data we have at disposal, just a selection of them, mainly on the basis of
motivation (what we are interested in), culture and background (how we are used to
perceiving past schemas), physiological status (that is, when we are happy we focus
our attention on the better side of things).
Attention is the allocation of processing capacity to some stimulus. Voluntary attention is
something, purposeful and is often grabbed by someone or something. Selective attention is
the capacity for or process of reacting to certain stimuli selectively when several occur
simultaneously. It is estimated that an average person is exposed to 1500 ads or brand
communications within a day, because we cannot attend to all of these in a day some of these
are screened out by us and this process is called selective attention, which makes any
marketers job even harder as they have to work with a fragment of an individual’s attention
and attempt to get them to be attracted to the brand.
Selective attention is the process of focusing on a particular object in the environment for
certain periods of time. Attention is a limited resource, so selective attention allows us to tune
out unimportant details and focus on what really matters. Our ability to attend to the things
around us is limited in terms of both capacity and duration since we have to be picky about
the things we pay attention to. Attention acts somewhat like a spotlight, highlighting the
details that we need to focus on and casting irrelevant information to the sidelines of our
perception.
Some of the findings that have been made are:
1. People are more likely to respond to a stimuli pertaining to a current need. A person
who is motivated to buy a cell phone will be motivated to take a closer look at the cell
phone ads.
2. People are more likely to notice stimuli they anticipate, for example, people are more
likely to notice laptops in an electronic store rather than typewriters because you
wouldn’t expect people to carry the latter around.
3. People are more likely to notice stimuli whose deviations are in large relationship to
the normal size of the stimuli. Which means that we are more likely to notice a $100
dollar rebate than a $5 rebate on a computer.
Selective attention is simply the act of focusing on a particular object for a period of time
while simultaneously ignoring irrelevant information that is also occurring. This occurs on a
daily basis and can be seen in basically any of the normal social interactions. Since it is
impossible to pay attention to every stimulus in our environment, we use selective attention

25. 25
to select what stimuli are important as events occur. Selective attention may be a conscious
effort but it can take place sub consciously as well.
Selective attention is a process whereby the brain selectively filters out large amounts of
sensory information in order to focus on just one message. This allows the person to
concentrate on the important information while ignoring the irrelevant information.
One interesting example of an experiment that effectively illustrates how selective attention
works is by asking the subject to concentrate on a group of people, half of whom are dressed
in white, with the other half dressed in black. The subject is told to count how many times the
ball is passed between the team dressed in white. Half way through the game, a black gorilla
crosses the field of vision, but because the subject is concentrating on counting the number of
ball passes between white players, their brain usually filters out the black gorilla.
Selective Visual Attention
There are two major models describing how visual attention works:
 The "spotlight" model works much like it sounds - it proposes that visual attention
works similar to that of a spotlight. Psychologist William James suggested that this
spotlight includes a focal point in which things are viewed clearly. The area
surrounding this focal point, known as the fringe, is still visible, but not clearly seen.
Finally, the area outside of the fringe area of the spotlight is known as the margin.
 The second approach is known as the "zoom-lens" model. While it contains all the
same elements of the spotlight model, it also suggests that we are able to increase or
decrease the size of our focus much like the zoom-lens of a camera. However, a larger
focus area also results in slower-processing since it includes more information so the
limited attention resources must be distributed over a larger area.
Selective Auditory Attention
Some of the best-known experiments on auditory attention are those performed by
psychologist Colin Cherry. Cherry investigated how people are able to track certain
conversations while tuning others out, a phenomenon he referred to as the "cocktail party"
effect.
In these experiments, two auditory messages were presented simultaneously with one
presented to each ear. Cherry then asked participants to pay attention to a particular message,
and then repeat back what they had heard. He discovered that the participants were able to
easily pay attention to one message and repeat it, but when they were asked about the
contents of the other message; they were unable to say anything about it.
Though we screen out a lot, we are influenced by unexpected stimuli, such as sudden offers
in the mail or any other media. Marketers may also make an attempt to promote offers to get
beyond the selective attention filters.
Selective Distortion
 Selective distortion occurs in situations where even when we pay attention to a
particular stimulus, it is not automatically translated in a unique way. Everyone in an
automatic and uncontrolled way modifies the stimulus to make it more coherent with
one’s own point of view.
When we perceive something, our mind tries to categorize what has just been

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perceived with something already known, something present in our memory, creating
a link between the past and the present; this network of information is called schema.
Schemas give us the possibility to understand what has happened through past
experience. So every new piece of information is filtered and warped by our schemas.
Selective distortion is the tendency to interpret information in a way that fits our
preconceptions. Consumers will distort information to be consistent with prior brand and
product beliefs and expectations. Even noticed stimuli don’t always come across in the way
marketers intend them to. Selective distortion is the tendency to interpret information in a
way that fits our perceptions and consumers will often distort information to be consistent
with previous brands and product beliefs and expectations.
For a stark demonstration of the power of consumer brand beliefs consider blind taste tests,
one group of consumer’s samples a product without knowing which brand it is while another
group knows. Invariably, the groups have different opinions about the product, despite having
consumed exactly the same brand and products.
When consumers report different opinions about branded and unbranded versions of identical
products, it must be the case that their products and brands, created by whatever means ( past
experiences or marketing activities conducted by the likes of the products, brands or copies)
have changed their product perceptions. An example of this is when Coors had changed its
label from ‘banquet beer’ to ‘original draft’; people were claiming that the taste had changed
even though the formula had not changed.
Selective distortion can also work in favour of the marketers with strong brands when
consumers distort neutral or ambiguous brand information to make it more positive, for
example, coffee can make a car drive to be smoother or could make the line in a bank seem
shorter.
Selective distortion refers to people’s tendency to interpret data in a manner that fits with
their own preconceived notions. In other words, people won’t accept any piece of information
not conforming to their personal thoughts or beliefs. For example, if someone strongly
believes drinking two glasses of water early in the morning on an empty stomach is good for
health, he won’t buy any theory propagating the opposite or otherwise.
Examples of branded differences can be found with virtually every type of product. For
example, one study found that consumers were equally split in their preference for Diet Coke
versus Diet Pepsi when tasting both on a blind basis. When tasting the branded versions,
however consumers preferred Diet Coke by 65% and Diet Pepsi by only 23% (with the
remainder seeing no difference).
Selective Retention works to the advantage of strong brands in marketing. We are more likely
to remember good points about a product we like and forget good points about competing
products. Marketers need to use repetition to make sure their message is not overlooked.
Selective retention happens when most of what we learn is forgotten; we tend to remember
what agrees with our own opinions and with our own point of view.
Selective retention, in relating to the mind, is the process when people more accurately
remember messages that are closer to their interests, values and beliefs, than those that are in
contrast with their values and beliefs, selecting what to keep in the memory and narrowing
the information flow.
Variance between people in the ability to recall specific incidents pertaining to the
vividness, accuracy and reliability, amount, and particular details of a memory. This
selectivity is generally contingent on such variables as interest, expertise, inspiration, and
psychological arousal. For example, over a period of time, a person may only retain those
things in memory about his / her school days which were interesting, pleasing and good ones

27. 27
forgetting the bitter experiences. Selective retention is studied as a part of consumer
behaviour in marketing also. Buyers tend to remember information inputs that support their
beliefs and forget inputs that do not.
Subliminal perception has fascinated marketers for ages. Marketers embed covert, subliminal
messages in ads or packaging. Consumers are not consciously aware of them and they affect
behaviour. It is clear that mental processes include many subtle subconscious effects. There is
no evidence that supports that marketers can systematically control consumers at a level to
change important or strongly held beliefs. These subliminal perceptions may increase a
person’s subconscious desire to purchase a product.
Subliminal Marketing
Subliminal Marketing is a mode of promoting messages by stimulating the unconscious mind
of the recipient, without him/her even knowing about it. Subliminal advertising is a kind of
marketing where a message is intentionally embedded within an image or sound. Many
people might not be consciously aware about being exposed to such implications but will
often change their actions and attitudes after viewing/ listening to the advertisement.
Subliminal marketing is a technique of exposing the consumers to images of the product,and
brands without the consumers being consciously aware of. Once the customers are exposed to
such stimulus, the brain of the customer is believed to decode the information by itself and
act upon it without the power to acknowledge a communication stimulus. A successful
subliminal advertisement is one that inconspicuously entices consumers to buy and use
various products and services. A subliminal message is a signal or message designed to pass
below (sub) the normal limits of perception. For example, it might be inaudible to the
conscious mind (but audible to the unconscious or deeper mind) or might be an image
transmitted briefly and unperceived consciously and yet perceived unconsciously.
Subliminal messages influence consumers only under certain conditions. “Subliminal” means
“below the threshold," so subliminal messages are aimed at consumers’ subconscious minds.
Many marketers include subliminal references to sex, power, happiness, hunger or wealth in
their print, online and television ads or in brand logos. For example, the Amazon logo
features a smiley face that connects the letters A and Z in Amazon as if to suggest that
consumers can find anything from A to Z and always be happy doing business with Amazon.
(Smallbusinesschron.com)
The logo featured on a business’s social media page creates its own subliminal message. For
example, a careful look at the Tostito logo shows two people enjoying a bowl of salsa. This
explains why the ad might make you hungry, even if you do not particularly like Tostitos.

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Within this image it is clearly visible that the red skittle has been strategically placed in order
to gather attention of consumers, this is a genius way of utilising subliminal marketing as
they have utilised the sub conscience of the consumers and diverted that initial perception
into one that might have a more lasting effect on the minds of the consumers.
This image is another great example of subliminal marketing wherein the advertisers have
created an image or outline of a woman sleeping and used it in place of the ice, it is not that
definitively visible but then again that’s the reason why it’s called subliminal marketing, and
appeals to the sub conscience in a way that it attracts the consumer to take a closer look and
in turn has their attention.

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Brand
Resonance
Pyramid

30. 30
A brand is generally more synonymous with consumers than generic products and this is
especially true for the brand Xerox being said rather than a photocopy and within our country
Bisleri is used as the generic word for purchasing bottled water.
Resonance on the other hand means the amount of retention a consumer has due to the brand
being drilled into a consumers head through various media. Resonance is a repetition of an ad
by a brand and measuring how much of it is being retained by a consumer.
The Brand Resonance refers to the relationship that a consumer has with the product and how
well he can relate to it. The resonance is the intensity of customer’s psychological connection
with the brand and the randomness to recall the brand in different consumption situations.
The brand resonance model is an apt decisions and it has been mentioned that every company
goes through this model because it is a bottom up approach wherein the widest level of
consumers that have knowledge about the brand are at the bottom level and the top most level
which ensures brand loyalty through brand resonance.
A brand resonance model is one that any brand goes through, the only factor being that some
go through it unknowingly, a brand resonance model can be divided into 4 basic units, that
can be divided 6 sub units. The four units are
1. Brand Salience- which is how often and how easily a customer thinks of a brand
under various purchase or consumption situations- the depth and breadth of a brand.
It’s important to understand how critical brand salience is to the branding process.
Brand salience relates to awareness of your organization and its importance to your
audience. This, of course, translates to the importance of marketing, advertising, and
public relations in your ongoing communications efforts as they help generate
awareness and communicate an organization’s relative importance, value proposition,
and differentiation. The brand salience means, how well the customer is informed
about the product and how often it is evoked under the purchase situations? The
marketer should not only focus on just creating the awareness about the product but
also includes the ease with which the customers can remember the brand and the
ability to recall it under the different purchase situations.
Within the realm of brand salience the brand must ensure that the can undertake other
activities like creating a brand identity, which means making the consumer aware of
the product. Ensuring customers identify the brand and associate it with a specific
class or a need.
In this first step, your goal is to create "brand salience," or awareness – in other
words, you need to make sure that your brand stands out, and that customers
recognize it and are aware of it.
You're not just creating brand identity and awareness here; you're also trying to ensure
that brand perceptions are "correct" at key stages of the buying process.
The first and foremost step, is to ensure the brand identification with the customers,
i.e. creates awareness about the product and establish an association in the minds of
customers with respect to its usage and the segment for which it exists.
2. Performance & Imagery: which consist of the second and third sub units of the
brand resonance model. Brand performance is how well the product or service meets
customers’ functional needs. The performance can be understood as the way in which
the brand has been performing in the market and whether or not it meets the needs of
the customer in a way which the needs are satisfied, existent reviews by friends and
families which re enforces brand salience in the mind of a consumer through
performance. The Brand performance means, how well the functional needs of
customers are met? At this level of the pyramid, the marketers check the way in which
product is performing and how efficiently it is fulfilling the needs of the customers.

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The two building blocks in this step are: "performance" and "imagery.""Performance"
defines how well your product meets your customers' needs. According to the model,
performance consists of five categories: primary characteristics and features; product
reliability, durability, and serviceability; service effectiveness, efficiency, and
empathy; style and design; and price." Firmly establishing the brand meaning in the
customer’s mind by strategically linking it with a host of tangible or intangible brand
associations. Your goal in step two is to identify and communicate what your brand
means, and what it. To create a full meaning of the product in the minds of customers,
so that they start remembering it.
Brand imagery: is the second sub unit of the second layer of the pyramid, it describes the
extrinsic properties of the product or service, including the ways in which the brand attempts
to meet customers’ psychological and sociological needs. The Brand Imagery means, what
product image the customer create in their minds? This attempts to attract the customer
through its extrinsic properties, these extrinsic properties talk about the packaging and other
extrinsic factors of any brand, the way it is perceived by any individual. This also includes
the colours of the packaging and the way in which the colours of packaging can change the
thought processes of any consumer into a positive response of the consumer. Imagery" refers
to how well your brand meets your customers' needs on a social and psychological level.
Your brand can meet these needs directly, from a customer's own experiences with a product;
or indirectly, with targeted marketing, or with word of mouth. Once the association is built
with the customers, the next step is to elicit the responses, i.e. what customers feel about the
brand?
This level of the pyramid is all about features and visual representation. That is, everyone
who experiences your brand, regardless of whether it’s a product, service, individual, etc.,
will experience and evaluate it based on a variety of characteristics. These include its
reliability, durability, efficiency, style and design, value, personality and values, experience,
etc. From these experiences, users will begin to form judgments and feelings about your
brand, which is the next level up on the pyramid.
Within this stage there is an establishment of the meaning of the brand, in other words it is
the way in which a brand sets out and ensures to get consumers to form certain inferences
about them and in turn ensure that they can segment their markets according to those
consumers that have a right perception about their brand, not only this the marketers also
intend to set out in a way to differentiate their own brand from the other by specifically
marketing the way in which they segregate by highlighting the point of parity between
themselves and competing brands. This is generally yet seen in big brands in fierce
competitions like Mercedes vs BMW and Pepsi vs Coke, even though none of these brands
are at this stage of the brand resonance model they are in fact practicing this stage regularly
by creating a point of parity between themselves and their closest competing brands.
3. Judgment & Feeling: this is within the third level of the model and consists of
judgement and feelings. The judgements talks about a stage of this model wherein the
consumer has already utilised the brand, and is now evaluating the performance and
creating judgements as he goes. Brand judgements is a focus on the customers own
personal opinions and evaluations. A brand judgement is one of the most essential
stages because it is an evaluation of the product that has already been purchased by
the consumer and this stage determines whether or not the consumer will carry out a
repeat purchase based on the perception he has made on the product. This is a

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transitional level. It’s a critical one because it’s the bridge between the feature and
resonance levels. In this level, users of your brand form important judgments and
feelings about your brand based on its performance and imagery. If your brand’s
performance is sub-par, your users’ judgments and feelings will reflect that, never
allowing you to achieve brand resonance in their minds. From a branding, marketing,
and public relations standpoint, much of what you do is based on helping those who
experience your brand to form the judgments and feelings you desire to help achieve
brand resonance. The Brand Judgement means, What customer decides with respect
to the product? The customers make the judgement about the product by consolidating
his several performances and the imagery associations with the brand. On the basis of
these, the final judgement is made about the product in terms of its Perceived Quality,
Credibility, Consideration and Superiority Eliciting the customers proper responses in
terms of brand related judgements and feelings. Your customers' responses to your
brand fall into two categories: "judgments" and "feelings." These are the two building
blocks in this step. The next and final step is to convert the responses into building the
customer’s strong relationship with the brand. This layer talks about the way in which
the consumer forms a response about the product and whether or not there is a
positive or accessible reaction to the brands.
Feelings are another factor of essence within this stage wherein the customer decides
how he feels about the products, all the sensory factors come into play, the touch,
vision, taste, sounds and smell. Feelings are perceptions of the consumer that have
been converted to the way in which a consumer feels about any brand. The Brand
feelings means, what customers feel, for the product or how the customer is
emotionally attached to the product?
4. Resonance: The Brand Resonance refers to the relationship that a consumer has with
the product and how well he can relate to it. Brand resonance is the relationship
customers have with the brand and the extent to which they feel they’re in sync with
it. The resonance is the intensity of customer’s psychological connection with the
brand and the randomness to recall the brand in different consumption situations. One
of the ways in which this is described as the level of the pyramid is by relating it to
how an athlete feels when s/he is in the zone. When that happens, s/he is totalling
focused on results and being in the moment. They are at one with their athletic
performance and are totally connected to what they’re doing and the environment in
which they’re doing it. A key difference, however, is that brand resonance involves
two entities, not just one. It is characterized by incredibly strong connections with a
brand, resulting in intense loyalty by a brand’s users and a stronger ability of the
brand to resist competitive actions taken by another brand, whether they are
financially-based, related to advertising and marketing, etc. In essence, brand
resonance is like achieving brand nirvana. The Brand Resonance means, what
psychological bond, the customer has created with the brand?
the brand resonance is the last and final level of the model wherein the brand
generally retains the consumer to an extended level of loyalty wherein the consumer
carries out repeat purchases.
This is the ultimate level of the pyramid, where every company tries to reach. Here
the focus is on building the strong relationship with the customer thereby ensuring the
repeated purchases and creating the brand loyalty

33. 33
The brand resonance model also views brand building as an ascending series of steps, from
bottom to top
 Quality: Customers judge a product or brand based on its actual and perceived quality.
 Credibility: Customers judge credibility using three dimensions – expertise (which
includes innovation), trustworthiness, and likability.
 Consideration: Customers judge how relevant your product is to their unique needs.
 Superiority: Customers assess how superior your brand is, compared with your
competitors' brands.
Customers also respond to your brand according to how it makes them feel. Your brand can
evoke feelings directly, but they also respond emotionally to how a brand makes them feel
about themselves. According to the model, there are six positive brand feelings: warmth, fun,
excitement, security, social approval, and self-respect.
5. Converting customers brand responses to active, intense brand loyalty. Brand
"resonance" sits at the top of the brand equity pyramid because it's the most difficult –
and the most desirable – level to reach. You have achieved brand resonance when
your customers feel a deep, psychological bond with your brand.
Keller breaks resonance down into four categories:
 Behavioural loyalty: This includes regular, repeat purchases.
 Attitudinal attachment: Your customers love your brand or your product, and they see it
as a special purchase.
 Sense of community: Your customers feel a sense of community with people associated
with the brand, including other consumers and company representatives.
 Active engagement: This is the strongest example of brand loyalty. Customers are
actively engaged with your brand, even when they are not purchasing it or consuming it.
This could include joining a club related to the brand; participating in online chats,

34. 34
marketing rallies, or events; following your brand on social media; or taking part in other,
outside activities.

35. 35
Brand Imagery
and Extrinsic
Properties

36. 36
Brand imagery deals with the way in which the brand attempts to meet customers’
psychological and social needs. Brand imagery is the intangible aspects of a brand that
consumers pick up because it fits their demographic profile (such as age or income) or has
psychological appeal in that it matches their outlook on life (conservative, traditional, liberal,
and creative). Brand imagery is also formed by associations of usage (at work or home) or via
personality traits (honest, lively, competent, and rugged).
Brand imagery is a part of the extrinsic properties of any brand since it deals with the factors
like the dimensions, packaging, size, finishing and finally the colours associated with the
brand, these properties of a brand make an attempt to satisfy the psychological and social
needs of their target consumers.
Brand imagery is the second sub unit of the second layer of the pyramid wherein brand
imagery describes the extrinsic properties of the product or service, including the ways in
which the brand attempts to meet customer’s psychological and sociological needs. This
attempts to attract the customer through its extrinsic properties; these extrinsic properties talk
about the dimensions, size, finishing, packaging colours and other extrinsic factors of any
brand, and the way it is perceived by any individual. This also includes the colours of the
packaging and the way in which the colours of packaging can change the thought processes
of any consumer into a positive response of the consumer. Imagery" refers to how well your
brand meets your customer’s needs on a social and psychological level. Your brand can meet
these needs directly, from a customer's own experiences with a product; or indirectly, with
targeted marketing, or with word of mouth. Once the association is built with the customers,
the next step is to elicit the responses, that is, what customers feel about the brand?
It is in this building block that advertising plays a major role in shaping the image of the
brand, although word-of-mouth recommendations and a consumer’s own experience are
equally important. However brand imagery is built, it is important that brand managers and
strategists craft strong, favourable and unique associations for a brand. It is the various
associations that any consumer forms with a brand on a more social and psychological level,
it attempts to satisfy any extrinsic needs of a consumer, ones that make the product more
easily usable and provide any kind of support to the consumer in the form of their packaging,
size, dimensions, finishing and colour.
To develop a package that has a definite promotional value, a designer must consider the
aesthetics, size shape, finishing and colours on the packaging. Beyond the obvious limitation
that the package must be large enough to hold the product, it should also be designed to
appear taller or shorter or bigger or smaller according to what the marketer wishes to portray.
The various parts within brand imagery:
1. Aesthetics: Underlying principles manifested by outward appearances of style such as the
look and feel of the product. The aesthetics of a brand are associated with the outward
appearances of a brand. Aesthetic value is composed of stable and specific elements
characterizing its sensory approach, which was first introduced by Jean-Marie Floch in
1990, and can help manage brands in a more rational way.
Aesthetics are associated with the outward parts of a brand. It provides a rational
approach to a consumer to choose a brand over another and is also closely associated with
sensory marketing. This would focus the attention on neglected activities like, for

37. 37
instance, the visual coherence of design and communication activities and of all the brand
manifestations in general, the efficiency in promoting the brand values through the brand
manifestations, and the consumer’s preferences for specific aesthetic features. Brand
aesthetics is composed of stable and specific elements which characterize its “sensory
approach“, that is, everything perceivable by the senses. Aesthetics is a powerful source
for the impression that customers have to an organisation or their reaction to a brand. A
very well consolidated identity based on aesthetics must represent the starting point of
any effort aimed to gain and retain the attention and interest of customers. The marketers
must pay attention when choosing the firm’s name and logo or the site’s structure, as well
as defining the company’s style and themes. On one side, there is the behaviour of the
employees and of related organizations. On the other side, we have the subcategory
related to the behaviours of customers associated with the brand. Often, the aesthetics that
are behavioural aesthetics and have this particularity show that not all manifestations are
fully controllable by the brand organization.
2. Product size: The product size of any kind of brand should be an accurate size that
attracts consumers to purchase it. A product size should be aesthetically pleasing and
should look nice on a shelf next to another product, the determination of the size of a unit
should be carried out in the research and development phase of a product and determining
this should be of essence to marketers because the size of the product will determine the
re-consumption or re-order cycle of an organisation. The size of the product should also
add a degree of convenience to use, as this will also result in brand resonance and loyalty.
The size of the product will also enhance the sense of utility that a consumer can have by
utilising it and in turn increase the level of satisfaction that the consumer can have by
using one particular brand over another. The size that is created is generally a
standardised level that is imparted to the consumer by using a particular brand. More
often than not, a product can also associated with prestige, which means the bigger the
size of a product like a car, the better it is since the bigger car is generally associated with
prestige. Size and dimensions of a product are more or less the same, and dimension is a
more specific detail of the car that lists the size of the product.
3. Finish of a product: The finish of the product is essential to a brand as well, as it might
set itself aside from its peers if they are kept side by side in a supermarket store, it adds a
level of aesthetics to the products and sometimes ensures that the consumer would choose
the brand over a competing one. A study has also shown that consumers of all ages
choose products that have a shiny finish over that of a matte finish because shiny is
associated with water which is the basis of life and humanity. Another aspect to the finish
of the product could be that of the packaging, linking it to the outermost layer of the
product, that is, packaging of the same, the intent of purchasing the same product would
change with the final finish of the product. An example of Coca cola could be taken to
illustrate the finishing of the product and the sales of each, glass bottles, pet bottles and
cans must vary from each other. Another example of cars can be taken wherein a brand of
a car can be differentiated from another on the basis of their respective final finishes. The
finish of a product should also ensure that it does not need another level of processing
before it can be displayed to the final consumer, especially if the brand associations are
positive, it cannot be expected to be processed close to the end of the chain and create a
good finish at the same time.
4. Packaging colour: Colour is a very influential source of information when people are
making a purchasing decision. Customers generally make an initial judgment on a
product within 90 seconds of interaction with that product and about 62%-90% of that
judgment is based on colour. People often see the logo of a brand or company as a
representation of that company. Without prior experience to a logo, we begin to associate

38. 38
a brand with certain characteristics based on the colour of the primary logo. The colour of
the packaging is the most important factor within brand imagery, this is the basis of this
study and the importance of the same has been reiterated repeatedly. The colour of the
packaging of the product is the first thing that is noticed by any individual while
attempting to make a purchase within all products, whether it is an FMCG, FMCD or
even a car for that matter. This is the outer most layer of a product and is the first thing
that creates an image on the mind of the consumers.
Packaging colour is essential to a brand and portrays a message on the basis of the colour
that has been chosen by them for the brand. It was also noted that light coloured brand
packages make the packages appear larger than dark coloured packages. Colours are often
used to attract attention, because of people’s perceptions with various colours. Generally
the brand in general and the colour of the packaging are similar or at least the marketers
ensure that these are not contrasting in an unsavoury way. The packaging colour is
determined by carrying out extensive research on the hues and its determinants as a result
through measuring human behaviour. This attempts to measure reactions of the
consumers as a reaction to various colours and the shades. Within the realms of
packaging colours and its psychology, are the colours and the way in which every
consumer or various classes of consumers react to them. A colour can be the determinant
in the way a consumer reacts to the brand and this also depends on his perception of the
colours because colours are in fact powerful enough to determine a number or reactions
or memories that might be associated with the same.
Every colour imparts a different reaction and quality that is generally associated with
them. For instance, generally blue is associated with boys whereas pink is associated with
girls, however due to extensive studies in the field it has been noted that pink can also be
associated with baby products, a generic line. In this way a number or products used by us
in our day to day lives, are perceived by their colours with or without us knowing.

39. 39
Colour
Psychology

40. 40
Colours, like features, follow the changes of the emotions. - Pablo Picasso
To understand the adverse effects that colour can have on us and the way in which we as
consumers react to the same, certain studies have been carried out; these studies are carried
out to understand the psychology behind the choices of various colours being utilised is
known as colour psychology, some of the definitions are-
1. Colour psychology is the study of hues as a determinant of human behaviour. Colour
influences perceptions that are not obvious, such as the taste of food.
2. Colour psychology is the conscious associations that we are conditioned to make.
3. Colour psychology is the recognition of tonal families of colour and how they relate
to personality types.
4. The precise variation of each colour and the harmonic relationships amongst each
other is known as colour psychology.
5. Additionally, colour psychology can also be defined as an effective means of
communicating or making a statement through colours and recoding consumer
responses. It is even believed by some that colours can impact human wellness as
well.
6. A course of study that examines how colour affects behaviour is called colour
psychology.
By understanding colour psychology, people are better able to understand how their colour
choices affect their lives. It is a common misconception that colour psychology is purely
subjective, with no objective criteria for predicting response, possibly because everyone
responds instinctively and each of us has our own favourite colour.
On the basis of studies within colour psychology, it has been noted that, there are four
psychological primary colours - red, blue, yellow and green. They relate respectively to the
body, the mind, the emotions and the essential balance between the three. However, colours
are not only important for logos and products, but also for window displays in stores.
Research shows that warm colours tended to attract spontaneous purchasers, despite cooler
colours being more favourable. Companies also use colour when deciding on brand logos.
These logos seem to attract more customers when the colour of the brand logo matches the
personality of the goods or services.
Another way in which colours have been used to influence behaviour was, in 2000, when the
company Glasgow installed blue street lights in certain neighbourhoods which resulted in a
reduced crime rate. Colour can indeed influence a person; however it is important to
remember that these effects differ between people. Factors such as gender, age, and culture
can influence how an individual perceives colour. For example, males reported that red
coloured outfits made women seem more attractive, while women answered that the colour of
a male's outfit did not affect his attractiveness. . Blue is the top choice for 35% of Americans,
followed by green (16%), purple (10%) and red (9%).
Since colour is an important factor in the visual appearance of products as well as in brand
recognition, colour psychology has become important to marketing. Recent work in
marketing has shown that colour can be used to communicate brand personality. Perceptions
not obviously related to colour, such as the palatability of food, may in fact be partially
determined by colour. Not only the colour of the food itself but also that of everything in the
eater's field of vision can affect this. Colour should be carefully selected to align with the key

41. 41
message and emotions being conveyed in a piece However, colours are not only important for
logos and products, but also for window displays in stores. Research shows that warm
colours tended to attract spontaneous purchasers, despite cooler colours being more
favourable.
Colour decisions can influence both direct messages and secondary brand values and
attributes in any communication. Colour should be carefully selected to align with the key
message and emotions being conveyed in a piece. Colour is a very influential source of
information when people are making a purchasing decision. Customers generally make an
initial judgment on a product within 90 seconds of interaction with that product and about
62%-90% of that judgment is based on colour. People often see the logo of a brand or
company as a representation of that company. Without prior experience to a logo, we begin to
associate a brand with certain characteristics based on the primary logo colour.
Although some companies use a single colour to represent their brand such as Target
Corporation, many other companies use a combination of colours in their logo, such
as McDonald's and can be perceived in different ways than those colours independently.
When asked to rate colour pair preference of preselected pairs, people generally prefer colour
pairs with similar hues when the two colours are both in the foreground, however, greater
contrast between the figure and the background is preferred.
In contrast to a strong preference for similar colour combinations, some people like to accent
with a highly contrasting colour. A study on preference for colour in Nike, Inc. sneakers,
people generally combined colours near each other on the colour wheel, such as blue and
dark blue. However, fewer others preferred to have the Nike swoosh accentuated in a
different, contrasting colour. Most of the people also used a relatively small number of
colours when designing their ideal athletic shoe. This finding has relevance for companies
that produce multicoloured merchandise. To appeal to consumer preferences, companies
should consider minimizing the number of colours visible and use similar hues in a single
product.
Colour is used as a means to attract consumer attention to a product that then influences
buying behaviour. Consumers use colour to identify for known brands or search for new
alternatives. Variety seekers look for non-typical colours when selecting new brands. And
attractive colour packaging receives more consumer attention than unattractive colour
packaging, which can then influence buying behaviour. A study that looked at visual colour
cues focused on predicted purchasing behaviour for known and unknown brands. Participants
were shown the same product in four different colours and brands. The results showed that
people picked packages based on colours that attracted their voluntary and involuntary
attention. Associations made with that colour such as ‘green fits menthol’, also affected their
decision. Based on these findings implications can be made on the best colour choices for
packages. New companies or new products could consider using dissimilar colours to attract
attention to the brand; however, off brand companies could consider using similar colours to
the leading brand to emphasize product similarity. If a company is changing the look of a
product, but keeping the product the same, they consider keeping the same colour scheme
since people use colour to identify and search for brands. This can be seen
in Crayola crayons, where the logo has changed many times since 1934, but the basic
package colours, gold and green, have been kept throughout.
Attention is captured subconsciously before people can consciously attend to something.
Research looking at electroencephalography (EEGs) while people made decisions on colour
preference found brain activation when a favourite colour is present before the participants
consciously focused on it. When looking at various colours on a screen people focus on their
favourite colour, or the colour stands out more, before they purposefully turn their attention

42. 42
to it. This implies that products can capture someone's attention based on colour, before the
person willingly looks at the product.

43. 43
Red

44. 44
RED
Red is a powerful colour that symbolises energy, passion or even danger. Red works the best
for action oriented products and brands, products that are dominant or iconic and ones that
are associated with speed or colour. Being the longest wavelength, red is a powerful colour.
Although not technically the most visible, it has the property of appearing to be nearer than it
is and therefore it grabs our attention first.
Red is a notoriously difficult colour to own in any sector, especially in its primary form. It's
the colour of but also warmth and passion. And since it's also scientifically proven to increase
your heart rate and in turn gives off an impression of time passing faster and raises your
blood pressure. It’s a bold choice to use it extensively. It enhances human metabolism,
increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. It attracts attention more than any other
colour, at times signifying danger. It is a stimulating colour and attempts to make consumers
act with an impulse. Within the financial sector the colour red is significant for losses or
negativity. Red also draws attention and a keen use of red as an accent can immediately focus
attention on a particular element. it is the highest arc of the rainbow and is the first colour you
lose sight of at twilight.
There are a number of other qualities that can be associated with the colour red, some of
those are that of strength, energy, basic survival, masculinity, excitement.
Two 'red' brands in particular stand out in their sectors – although the first is perhaps the
world's most instantly recognised brand in any sector. Red is linked so inextricably with
Coca-Cola that popular legend tells it rebadged Santa Claus to match (sadly, this is an urban
myth). Recent, more minimalist packaging and advertising has pared right back to that
primary red, with the customary flourish of white.
Negative: Defiance, aggression, visual impact, strain. It relates to the masculine principle and
can activate the "fight or flight" instinct. Red is strong, and very basic. Pure red is the
simplest colour, with no subtlety. It is stimulating and lively, very friendly. It also gives of a
vibe of lust.
Some brands that are using the colour red.
1) Coca Cola
2) Target
3) Vodafone
4) Nestle
5) Red bull
6) Kfc
7) Kellogg’s
8) Toshiba
9) Virgin
10) Mitsubishi

45. 45
Orange
Since it is a combination of red and yellow, orange is stimulating and reaction to it is a
combination of the physical and the emotional. It focuses our minds on issues of physical
comfort - food, warmth, shelter etc. - and sensuality. It is a 'fun' colour. . Orange increases
oxygen supply to the brain and stimulates mental activity. A darker, richer shade of orange
can be associated with autumn. It can also leave the consumer with a sense of flamboyance.
It often connotes adventure and fun and like red it is an attention grabbing colour, it is
thought to stimulate appetites, and is also less aggressive than red can be. Orange is often
used to convey value and discounts and recently earned young, stylish associations, thanks to
the fashion industry.
Bright, fun and friendly, orange has a playful, childlike appeal and three very different brands
claim ownership of it in their respective sectors. Orange is the colour of social
communication and optimism. Since it is a combination of red and yellow, orange is
stimulating and reaction to it is a combination of the physical and the emotional. It focuses
our minds on issues of physical comfort - food, warmth, shelter and sensuality.Some more
qualities that might be associated with it are, enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity.
Some of the positives and negatives associated with orange are:
Positive: Physical comfort, food, warmth, security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun.
Negative: Deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity. From a negative colour meaning it is
also a sign of pessimism and superficiality. However, use of orange can also signify an
excessive sense of frivolity, and when used with black it focuses on the negative aspects of
the colour.
Brands that utilise the colour orange.
1) Orange
2) Home Depot
3) Easy group
4) Tropicana
5) Tang
6) Mozilla
7) Fanta
8) Vlc
9) Jbl