The objective of the 5! Senses Research Study was to create an inventory of the sensory impressions for a number of different brands, highlighting how strongly the impressions came to mind, whether they were positive or negative, distinctive or not, what emotions they evoked, and how they affected existing users' loyalty to each brand.
Consumers experience the world through their senses, so intuitively it seemed obvious that brands could create a stronger emotional bond by differentiating their sensory appeal. The question was, could we prove it?
To do so we designed a two stage research program that spanned the globe, involving hundreds of researchers talking to thousands of people.
The research uncovered findings such as:
When Coca-Cola replaced the classic bottle with cans, the company lost a major competitive tactile advantage.
A distinctive and differentiated positioning is key to brand success but twice as important for Dove Soap than other brands included in our research. Dove's smell was the dominant cue to perceptions of purity, with sight and touch playing supporting roles.
