• Business Week, Thursday, March 16, 2006 11:47 AM

Sensory branding, in which marketers' commercial messages play to a consumer's sense of smell, taste, sound, et al, is growing in popularity and could be on the verge of breaking new ground in efforts from several advertisers. The trend is particularly evident in marketers of alcoholic beverages, personal care products, and even household cleaners like Procter & Gamble, which is giving a sensory twist to its Fairy dishwashing liquid by mixing natural extracts like tea tree, lemon grass, orange, and lime into the product. One company trying to push the sensory envelope is Orgasmic Chocolates, the brainchild of two budding U.K. entrepreneurs who have infused their new luxury chocolate with "wildcrafted" Chinese herbs, which its owners hope will be the next big thing in chocolate indulgence. They claim the product can induce feelings of "well being, relaxation, and euphoria." Giles Hedger, joint head of planning at ad agency Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, sees the trend as society's rejection of the more austere values of an earlier age. "Sensory pleasure used to be considered a luxury," he says. "Today there's much more of a willingness to acknowledge that this stuff (sensory stimulation) can really make a difference to our well-being."

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