As the consumer psyche shifts, people are no longer just buying products but are seeking coping strategies. As a result, joy and laughter have transitioned from nice-to-have emotions to critical consumer sentiments.
WGSN, a leading consumer trend forecaster, has tracked this shift since 2020, highlighting how micro-moments of joy act as an antidote to grief and uncertainty. Brands that understand this emotional hunger are moving beyond traditional advertising to embrace multisensory marketing — a strategy that engages more than just the eyes to build lasting emotional bonds and brand loyalty.
Historically, marketers have relied on sight and sound. However, we have reached a point of visual overstimulation. In a digital-first world where AI generates “flawless” everything, visual perfection has stopped being a differentiator.
Thule Ngcese, creative partner at Distrikt 9, says a purely visual approach has limitations. “AI is giving us flawless everything. But when perfection becomes the norm, it stops being a differentiator. Humans were never built to experience the world through sight alone. We have four other senses waiting to get back in the game.”
Multisensory marketing taps into the instinctive parts of the brain. While visual burnout is real, other senses remain powerful anchors for memory and mood. Smell, for example, triggers deep-seated memories and nostalgia; sound is the fastest way to shift mood and build an emotional atmosphere; touch is cemented through tactile packaging or physical activations, shifting perception from “manufactured” to “authentic”; and taste anchors a physical experience in the real world.
Globally, 49% of consumers are now more likely to buy from brands that bring them a sense of joy through these out-of-the-box, sensory-rich campaigns
A 2024 study by Corporate Reputation Review confirmed that sensory cues contribute directly to brand attachment and customer satisfaction. Globally, 49% of consumers are now more likely to buy from brands that bring them a sense of joy through these out-of-the-box, sensory-rich campaigns.
Ngcese says audio remains one of the most potent tools for world-building. “Our work for Wheel of Fortune South Africa is a good example. By crafting an authentic maskandi sound, we didn’t just create an ad but tapped into a cultural truth. The sound carried narratives of community gossip and the thrill of the wheel in a way that felt lived rather than produced.”
“The Misheard Version” from Specsavers used spatial audio to intentionally mimic hearing loss. By turning a familiar song into a moment of confusion and reflection, the brand moved beyond being an asset on a screen to becoming an experience in the ear.
“While scrolling is fleeting, physical engagement is permanent,” says Ngcese. This is why brands are increasingly using “glimmers” — small, unexpected moments of happiness — to improve the customer experience.
“In 2026, the brands that thrive will be those that behave like synesthetic experiences. Success no longer depends on a single pixel but on a holistic sensory layering via sound signatures such as logos that are heard and felt, not just seen; haptic cues making mobile content feel alive in the hand; and scent branding creating smell signatures for retail environments,” he says.
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