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IMPACT: International Journal of Research in
Business Management (IMPACT: IJRBM)
ISSN(E): 2321-886X; ISSN(P): 2347-4572
Vol. 2, Issue 5, May 2014, 47-56
© Impact Journals
THE IMPACT OF SENSORY BRANDING (FIVE SENSES) ON CONSUMER: A CASE
STUDY ON KFC (KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN)
SHARAFAT HUSSAIN
Operations Manager, Tausch Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
ABSTRACT
Sensory branding is based on the idea that consumers are most likely to form, retain and revisit memory when
their all five senses are engaged during the process of buying products or services. By going beyond the traditional
marketing media of only sight and sound, brands are now taking advantage of all other senses to establish a stronger and
longer-lasting emotional connection with consumers. This marketing strategy appeals to multiple senses and the efforts are
multiplied, creating powerful brands with lasting consumer connections. This study reveals the impact of sensory branding
on consumers of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). This study analyses all five senses applied to KFC to identify the impact
of each sense on consumer. The study was conducted using survey method and respondents were the people who have
eaten KFC at least once in one of the thirteen outlets in the city of Hyderabad, India. A sample of 116 respondents was
taken for analysis.
The study concluded with the impact of sensory branding strategy by KFC and brings out the results, which can
be adopted by marketers for the other products of same genre.
KEYWORDS:
Sensory Branding, Sensorial Marketing, Branding and KFC Branding
INTRODUCTION
For many marketers (and consumers), the affectivity, perception and pleasure are more important than the price,
since many products are now technically similar: they have to be differentiated in another way. Sensory branding is based
on the idea that human beings most likely to form, retain and revisit memory when all five senses
(taste, smell, sight, sound and touch) are engaged. Sense, as per Oxford English Dictionary, is any of the faculties, as sight,
hearing, smell, taste, or touch, by which humans and animals perceive stimuli originating from outside or inside the body.
Keeping marketing in perspective, marketers started using these human instincts as a strategy to sell their goods or services
by creating such environment that appeals to senses at the point of sale. Kotler (1973) defined the atmosphere of point of
sale as “the creation of a consumption environment that produces specific emotional effects on the person, like pleasure or
excitation that can increase his possibility of buying”. He considered the creation of this atmosphere as the most important
strategic way of differentiation for retailers.
As the cost of reaching consumers rises in the traditional media, competition for securing their attention increases
likewise. Brands are struggling to compete in today’s crowded marketplace, strategic use of sensory information can
provide a critical advantage. Sensory marketing strategy appeal to multiple senses, efforts are multiplied, creating powerful
brands with lasting consumer connections. According to Lindstrom by using all the five senses “a total sensory experience
would at least double, if not triple, the consumer’s ability to memorize the brand.” (Lindstrom 2005, p 23). Motive of
sensory branding is to find ways to engage all consumer senses to strengthen the brand experience.
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Sharafat Hussain
Index Copernicus Value: 3.0 - Articles can be sent to
editor@impactjournals.us
ABOUT KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN (KFC)
KFC (the name was originally an initialism for (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a fast food restaurant chain that
specializes in fried chicken and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, United States (US). It is the world's second
largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 18,875 outlets in 118 countries and territories as of
December 2013. The company is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, a restaurant company that also owns the Pizza Hut and
Taco Bell chains.
Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin,
Kentucky, during the Great Depression, founded KFC. Sanders identified the potential of the restaurant franchising
concept, and the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opened in Utah in 1952. KFC popularized chicken in the fast
food industry, diversifying the market by challenging the established dominance of the hamburger. By branding himself as
"Colonel Sanders," Harland became a prominent figure of American cultural history, and his image remains widely used in
KFC advertising. In December 2013, there were 299 KFC outlets in India. As well as the standard KFC offerings, the chain
sells a chickpea burger and hot wings with chilly lemon sprinkles. A major franchise holder is QSR Brands (M) Holdings,
which operated 26 outlets as of 2012. The first Indian KFC was a two-storied outlet on the fashionable Brigade Road in
Bangalore in June 1995. KFC began to expand outside of Bangalore in 2004, with a localized menu that was the most
extensive meat-free menu across the chain's worldwide operations. It introduced a vegetarian menu that included rice
meals, wraps and side dishes and, like McDonald's, served eggless mayonnaise and sauces. UnnatVarma, marketing
director of KFC India, states "The vegetarian offerings have made the brand more relevant to a larger section of consumers
and that is necessary for KFC's growth." KFC also began using Indian spices and cooking techniques to localize its chicken
dishes. By 2008–09, KFC operated 34 outlets in India.
IMPACT OF SENSES ON CONSUMER
Sensory branding, the idea that brands should engage consumers on a variety of touch points and it is hardly new
to the market. Obviously senses play a very important role in our experience, choices of brand/products. Brand can’t impart
an aroma via a television set or newspaper hence it must come from the product itself. As matter of fact, the unique aroma,
texture and sound has very little to do with the quality and the performance of the product. However, these components
play a great role in building relationship of consumer with the product. The sensory stimulation not only attracts consumer
choice but also helps distinguish a product from others. These get attached in our sensory memory and finally become a
part of decision-making process and bring a way towards future brand building for a product.
Figure 1: Sensory Branding Diagram
The Impact of Sensory Branding (Five Senses) on Consumer: A Case Study on KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
49
Impact Factor(JCC): 1.3423 - This article can be downloaded from
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•
Sight (Visual):
Ever since advertising was born, it was oriented on our sight, mainly because that sense is most
responsive to the environment. 92.6% of the population puts most importance on visual factors such as color and
shape when buying products. We make our first impressions within 90 seconds of the initial viewing, and between
62%-92% of that impression is based on color alone. When talking about on-shelf visibility, 80% color can
increase brand recognition. According to research, 42% ads in color are read more than the same ads in black and
white. White is the basic colour, as it brings out everything else. White Sign of purity, cleanness and coolness.
In a restaurant, white is used everywhere the customer expects for cleanness (plates, kitchen…). On a packaging,
black is symbol of quality and sobriety. As it is the darkest colour, black is exclusively used to create a very
specific environment. Market researchers have also determined that color affects shopping habits. With our sight
we notice and recognize shapes and colors really fast, but we can’t experience a brand only by looking at it,
at least not at its full potential.
•
Sound (Auditory):
Human-beings are naturally sensitive to sounds and their meanings. The first sound we could
hear was our mother’s heartbeat. What is so great about sound is that it doesn’t need our full attention to be
noticed. And also it has been proven that sound evokes certain memories and experiences. Then, music has been
introduced, in commercials (with the apparition of TV spots) as in the point of sales. Today, there is no point of
sales without music in the background, and 99% of advertising is focused on what we see and hear. Experiments
conducted in restaurants show that when music slower than rhythm of a heart beat is played, we can eat more.
Audio branding is a new branch that relates only to sensory branding through sounds. Sound designers are
developing audio identities for brand and that involves: audio logo, brand theme, sound scape, brand voice.
Sound of a steady heartbeat, a piano, a breath were chosen as most convenient sounds for an Audi audio branding.
Mercedes Benz formed a team to get the most appealing sound for a closing car door.
•
Smell (Olfactory):
Scientific studies have shown that 75 % of our emotions are generated by the smell. Humans
are able to distinguish over 10,000 that are being transmitted to our olfactory system in the brain where it is
closely tied to memory, mood, stress and concentration. Our sense of smell has been proven as most
impressionable and responsive of our five senses, while it invokes memories and appeals directly to feelings
without being filtered and analysed by the brain(as our other senses work). Smell was used a lot in real estate
business, somehow houses sold better if they smelled like vanilla, fresh baked cookies or popcorn
(evoking memories of early childhood. Mahagony wood, motoroiland the smell of leather were used and
combined to recreate the unique smell of the1965 Silver Cloud Rolls Royce interior. Now every Rolls Royce
leaving the factory is equipped with a diffuser in the underside of the car’s seat to convey this unique luxurious
identity of the brand. Starbucks is one of the companies that is well aware of the power of sensory branding.
Through their characteristic cozy interiors, nice Barristas and of course the smell and taste of fresh grinded coffee
they occupy all of our senses. They even stopped serving breakfasts because the smell of the eggs interfered with
the smell of the fresh grinded coffee.
•
Taste (Gustative):
People can sense 5 basic tastes bitter, sour, umami (savory, or meaty), salty and sweet.
For all other flavor tastes we must thank to our sense of smell, for that is the one that gives flavor to our food.
We can say that taste is the sense that fuses all different senses together to create a holistic brand experience, but
is also linked to emotional states, so it can alter mood and brand perception. Most famous campaign that included
50
Sharafat Hussain
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taste was the one made for the launch of ŠkodaFabia in 2007 in London. It cost more than a real car ($800,000).
Idea was to advertise it as tasty, so they decided to bake a life-sized cake that looked like Škoda. They hired the
best chocolatiers, bakers and bricklayers to construct and bake the car, and filmed the whole process. According
to Škoda, in the first week of the campaign, the visits to car dealerships went up by 160 percent.
•
Touch (Tactile):
Our skin has more than 4,000,000 sensory receptors that can be easily manipulated through
materials, weight, softness and comfort of the product. Haptics refers to the sense of touch (comes from the Greek
word haptikos that means “I fasten onto, I touch”). Today haptics is mostly considered as a tactile feedback
technology which takes advantage of the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user
(we can see examples in user-inteface design and product design) Haptics also plays a great role when it comes to
packaging design, or even in some advertising campaigns. Packaging - and by that I mean form, material, size,
weight - can give a huge impact on our brand awareness. It is a perfect way for getting close to consumer’s
unconsciousness, their perceptions, feelings and tastes. Some great examples can be found is the work of
conceptual designers, architects and enthusiasts.
THE STUDY
Study on116 respondents from different age groups is done. Each responded to following statements -
•
“KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable through its taste.
•
“KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable from its Smell.
•
“KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable through seeing the logo.
•
“KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable through touching the fried chicken piece.
•
“KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable through listening the jingle/advertisement.
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objective of the study is to find or investigate the impact of sensory aspects of (five senses)
“KFC” on consumer.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
As brands struggle to compete in today’s competition, strategic use of sensory information can provide a critical
advantage. Before using the strategy of sensory branding it’s helpful for marketers if they have an idea about the impact of
sensory aspects of brand on customer. So, my purpose of the study is to provide a view to marketers as they decide to
incorporate sensory marketing strategy in their products and services.
METHODOLOGY
There were 116 respondents selected for the study. These respondents took the survey through an online survey
form. These respondents were residents of Hyderabad, India. All respondents had eaten at least once in one of the
13 KFC branches in the city. While analyzing, data was divided into five elements of senses namely Sight, Smell, Taste,
Sound and Touch.
The Impact of Sensory Branding (Five Senses) on Consumer: A Case Study on KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
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ANALYSIS AND MAJOR FINDING
This part provides the empirical findings that I have gathered data for my study through questionnaires.
In empirical part, I used diagrams to make the connection between the text and study conducted clearer KFC is a global
brand and has entered into Indian market recently.
People giving survey might have very low brand awareness. Sample size is 116, which is very small KFC being a
global brand, and limited to city of Hyderabad, India. I asked several questions to the respondents. The findings from the
questionnaires are given below.
Q1. “KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable through its taste.
Figure 2: Identifiable through Taste
The diagram shows (Figure 2) represents the result of question asked to the respondents about the brand identity
of KFC based on taste. The respondents replied, 52.59% with agree, 26.72% with strongly agree, 7.76%with neither
agree nor disagree, 10.34% with disagree and 2.59%are strongly disagree with that statement.
Q2. “KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable from its Smell.
Figure 3: Identifiable through Smell
The diagram (Figure 3) represents the result of question asked to the respondents about brand identity of KFC
based on smell. The respondents who agreed are 57.76%, 13.79% strongly agree, 10.34% neither agree nor disagree,
16.38% disagree and 1.72% strongly disagree with that statement.
52
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Q3. “KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable through seeing the logo.
Figure 4: KFC is Identifiable through Logo
The diagram shown (Figure 4) represents the result of question asked to the respondents about brand identity of
KFC based on the logo. The respondents replied, 53.45% agree, 31.9% strongly agree, 5.17% neither agree nor disagree,
7.76% disagree and 1.72% are strongly disagree with that statement.
Q4. “KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable through touching a piece of chicken.
Figure 5: KFC is Identifiable through Touch
The diagram shown (Figure 5) represents the result of question asked to the respondents about brand identity of
KFC based on the touch. The respondents are replied with agree which is 39.66%, 22.41% replied with neither agree nor
disagree, 25.86% are replied with disagree and 2.59% replied with strongly disagree and 9.48% replied with
strongly agree.
Q5. “KFC” brand is differentiable or identifiable through listening the jingle/advertisement.
Figure 6: KFC is Identifiable through Sound
The Impact of Sensory Branding (Five Senses) on Consumer: A Case Study on KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)
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Impact Factor(JCC): 1.3423 - This article can be downloaded from
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The diagram shown (Figure 6) represents the result of question asked to the respondents about brand identity of
KFC based on the jingle. The respondents are replied with neither agree nor disagree which is 25%. On the other hand,
37.07% replied with agree, 12.93% replied with strongly agree and 22.41% replied with disagree, 2.59% replied with
strongly disagree.
To summarize, following data is determined from my research according to the questionnaire answered by
KFC consumers:
Table 1: Number of Respondents Who Identified or Recognized KFC
Senses
Number of Respondents
Who Identified or
Recognized KFC
Percentage
Taste
61 out of 116
52.59%
Smell
67 out of 116
57.76%
Sight
62 out of 116
53.45%
Sound
43 out of 116
37.07
Touch
46 out of 116
39.66%
CONCLUSIONS
Sensory branding is based on the idea that consumers are most likely to form, retain and revisit memory when
their all five senses are engaged during the process of buying products or services. The research was conducted to get the
impact of sensory branding strategy of KFC on consumer for building brand identity and brand awareness. The study found
that of all five sensesol factory has highest impact on KFC consumers followed by visual and gustative aspects of it.
On the other hand, tactile and auditory impacts on the sensory aspects (five senses) of KFC consumers are lesser
respectively. Nevertheless, KFC brand equity is highest though there have been many competitors selling similar products
along with many street vendors.
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