An integrative review of sensory marketing: Engaging the senses to affect perception, judgment and behavior

Marketing academics and practitioners frequently employ cross-sectional surveys. In recent years, editors, reviewers, and authors have expressed increasing concern about the validity of this approach. These validity concerns center on reducing common method variance bias and enhancing causal inferences. Longitudinal data collection is commonly offered as a solution to these problems. In this article, the authors conceptually examine the role of longitudinal surveys in addressing these validity concerns. Then, they provide an illustrative comparison of the validity of cross-sectional versus longitudinal surveys using two data sets and a Monte Carlo simulation. The conceptualization and findings suggest that under certain conditions, the results from cross-sectional data exhibit validity comparable to the results obtained from longitudinal data. This article concludes by offering a set of guidelines to assist researchers in deciding whether to employ a longitudinal survey approach.

Cross-Sectional Versus Longitudinal Survey Research: Concepts, Findings and Guidelines

This research finds that merely touching an object results in an increase in perceived ownership of that object. For nonowners, or buyers, perceived ownership can be increased with either mere touch or with imagery encouraging touch. Perceived ownership can also be increased through touch for legal owners, or sellers of an object. We also explore valuation of an object and conclude that it is jointly influenced by both perceived ownership and by the valence of the touch experience. We discuss the implications of this research for online and traditional retailers as well as for touch research and endowment effect research.

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The Effect of Mere Touch on Perceived Ownership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the multi-sensory brand-experience concept in relation to the human mind and senses. It also seeks to propose a sensory marketing (SM) model of the multi-sensory brand-experience hypothesis. Design/methodology/approach – This paper applies exploratory and explanatory approaches to investigating the multi-sensory brand-experience concept within the context of discovery. The qualitative study is built on primary and secondary data sources, including personal interviews with experts and managers. Findings – The multi-sensory brand-experience hypothesis suggests that firms should apply sensorial strategies and three explanatory levels within an SM model. It allows firms through means as sensors, sensations, and sensory expressions to differentiate and position a brand in the human mind as image. Research limitations/implications – A theoretical implication is that the multi-sensory brand-experience hypothesis emphasizes the significance of the human mind and senses in value-generating processes. Another theoretical implication is that the hypothesis illustrates the shortcomings of the transaction and relationship marketing models in considering the multi-sensory brand-experience concept. It is worth conducting additional research on the multi-sensory interplay between the human senses in value-generating processes. Practical implications – The findings offer additional insights to managers on the multi-sensory brand-experience concept. This research opens up opportunities for managers to identify emotional/psychological linkages in differentiating, distinguishing and positioning a brand as an image in the human mind. Originality/value – The main contribution of this research lies in developing the multi-sensory brand-experience hypothesis within a SM model. It fills a major gap in the marketing literature and research in stressing the need to rethink conventional marketing models.

Sensory marketing: the multi‐sensory brand‐experience concept

Sensory marketing, embodiment, and grounded cognition: A review and introduction

Prior research has assumed that touch has a persuasive effect only if it provides attribute or structural information about a product. Under this view, the role of touch as a persuasive tool is limited. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the persuasive influence of touch as an affective tool in the absence of useful product-related information. The authors find that for people who are motivated to touch because it is fun or interesting, a communication that incorporates touch leads to increased affective response and increased persuasion, particularly when the touch provides neutral or positive sensory feedback. People who are not motivated to touch for fun will also be persuaded by a communication that incorporates touch when they are able to make sense of how the touch is related to the message. The authors explore the effectiveness of different types of touch in generating an affective response, and they replicate the effects on attitudes and behavior in a real-world setting. This research suggests that the marketing implications of touch are more substantial than previously believed. The authors present research implications for direct marketing, product packaging, point-of-purchase displays, and print advertising.

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It Just Feels Good: Customers’ Affective Response to Touch and Its Influence on Persuasion:

To fully understand legitimacy as a complex construct, it is necessary to capture both collective perceptions and individual judgments. Much of the empirical research on legitimacy has focused on m...

Measuring individual legitimacy perceptions: Scale development and validation:

This research examines the relationship between crowdfunding campaigns by nonprofit performing arts organizations and their overall fundraising portfolio. Using a dataset compiled from the CrowdBer...

Crowdfunding Acts as a Funding Substitute and a Legitimating Signal for Nonprofit Performing Arts Organizations

Research on psychological ownership in marketing has focused primarily on consumers’ ownership of products. Drawing on the management literature that has examined psychological ownership of an organization by its employees, this chapter argues that consumers can also perceive psychological ownership of an organization and that this ownership is likely to occur at the collective level. Consumers are most likely to perceive collective psychological ownership of an organization when their relationship with the organization enables them to express their social identities and to fulfill one of the other three motivations underlying psychological ownership: effectance, need for stimulation, and need for home. Specific organizations are well suited to foster collective psychological ownership, including charities and nonprofit organizations, organizations that market hedonic and experiential goods, and place-based services and experiences. An empirical study of consumers’ psychological ownership of a charitable organization, using a minimal group experimental design, reveals that when the organization is perceived to be a member of the consumer’s ingroup, as opposed to an out-group, perceptions of collective psychological ownership are greater. This effect was robust across two different charitable organizations and for both donors and nondonors to the organization. Consumers were not found to differ in their identification with the organization or their individual psychological ownership of the organization, suggesting that this is a collective-level phenomenon.

Can Consumers Perceive Collective Psychological Ownership of an Organization

Research demonstrates a tradeoff between service quantity and service quality that creates a tension for firms who wish to incentivize both aspects of service performance. We propose a category of speed-intensive services in which prompt responsiveness is the primary driver of service quality. In these firms, service quantity and quality should exhibit a positive interrelationship. Daily data on service quantity and quality performance were collected for 24 months, for a total of 1414 observations, from a telephone directory service firm, an affiliate of major telecommunication firm in an Asian country. We use a generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation to test their interrelationship and the effect of financial incentives on service performance. Contrary to the typical tradeoff effect, the results reveal that service quantity positively affects service quality performance and vice versa. In addition, we surprisingly find that incentives have no effect on service quantity performance and decrease service quality performance, and that overall performance declines with employee experience. This suggests that these firms do not face a tradeoff between service quantity and quality, but may face a long-term tradeoff between customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction.

Jennifer Wiggins

Papers

It Just Feels Good: Customers’ Affective Response to Touch and Its Influence on Persuasion:

Measuring individual legitimacy perceptions: Scale development and validation:

Crowdfunding Acts as a Funding Substitute and a Legitimating Signal for Nonprofit Performing Arts Organizations

Can Consumers Perceive Collective Psychological Ownership of an Organization

Does haste always make waste? Service quantity, service quality, and incentives in speed-intensive service firms