Must Read Sensory Marketing Book on Sensuality of Products

If you haven't read the new Sensory Marketing, Research on the Sensuality of Products, you are missing out. While I have followed Dr. Aradhna Krishna for a few years, I did not fully appreciate or understand the depth and breadth of sensory marketing.  Her book is a real eye opener.

Reading the book gives you the opportunity to explore life in a whole new way, and think about things you never could have imagined. Today I was reading about our sense of smell - and Dr. Krishna explains that scent is the only sense that we have a dual sensory modality - sensing objects from the internal self vs. the external self (from the nose or from the back of the mouth). There are things that smell good and taste bad, and things that smell bad and taste good (i.e. cheese).

The book also does a really good job of really taking a look with all of the challenges of sensory marketing research - and highlights quite well the importance of us taking care when reviewing 'research'. There are so many variables - how were these variables controlled in the study? Do the researchers even understand those variables? Who is conducting the research? In the 4 out of 5 people surveyed - what five people were surveyed? These are all questions we must ask and think about before we draw sweeping conclusions on our sensory experiences.

One of the most interesting pieces of information I learned in the book is that scent is more closely linked to 'emotions' as opposed to 'facts'. When we see red we might think truck, but scents have a very personal meaning and a large number of them tend to be linked with events, people, objects and experiences. So when we smell the apple pie it takes us back to those days when mom used to pull fresh hot apple pies out of the oven, and we immediately feel good.

I could not recommend the book more highly.  You can find Sensory Marketing on Amazon, and read more about Dr. Aradhna Krishna on her profile for the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Have you read it already?  Please share insights.   Namaste