brain encodes things of value, “a brand that engages us emo- tionally — think Apple, Harley-Davidson, and L’Oreal just for starters — will win every single time.” Since 2004, Lindstrom has worked with researchers to
conduct his own neuromarketing experiments, many of which have zeroed in on the role that our senses — vision, taste, touch, sound, and smell — play in creating human emo- tions. Because, if triggering emotions in consumers opens doors into buying behavior, activating the five senses is like getting a set of keys. “As human beings, we’re by far at our most receptive when we’re operating on all five tracks,” Lind- strom writes. “By appealing to our five senses, brands create strong memories in consumers. And this leads to stronger bonds between consumers and brands.” Pioneering shopping-behavior researcher Paco Underhill,
who has used scientific methods to analyze consumer behav- ior for more than 25 years, also identifies appealing to the senses as a growing trend. “I think one of the things that we are seeing in retail is the appreciation of use of all five senses,” he said. But it’s not without its challenges in a trade-show environment, where light and noise can be tough to control.
“You can hand out Hershey’s Kisses,” Underhill said, “which is probably fun, but there probably should be a more creative way of dealing with all of those issues.”
THAT CERTAIN FEELING When it comes to assessing how widely trade shows are adopting strategies that strengthen the engagement of attendees, Melinda Kendall, vice president for business solutions at Freeman, recalls a favorite phrase: The future has already happened — but it’s not evenly distributed. “I wouldn’t say, as a whole, the event industry is behind,” Kend- all said. “But we are not all in the same place.” “A lot of things that consumer brands do don’t make sense for business-to-business,” said Kendall, who has worked as an
Test Time Here’s how to earn your CEU hour. Once you finish reading this CMP Series article, read the following material:
› “Sensory Branding: It Makes (Five) Senses,” by Martin Lindstrom, available at convn.org/ sense-branding.
To earn one hour of CEU credit, visit pcma.org/convenecmp to answer questions about the information contained in this CMP Series article and the additional material.
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