Consumers pursue hedonism and beauty throughout the decision-making processes regarding purchases and consumption. The five senses (sensory marketing) will be essential in the aesthetic perception that consumers have in these processes. Therefore, consumers will go to points of purchase that they consider attractive. Consumers want the packaging of the products to satisfy their needs of making a gift to other people or to themselves. The product needs to be visually appealing – we can even think of something as simple as a piece of fruit, or something much more sophisticated, such as a cellular phone. Advertising strategies (billboards, commercials) need to stimulate this quest for beauty. Marketing strategists have been aware of this reality for a long time. However, the new neuromarketing and neuroaesthetic techniques can be useful complements to understand the consumers quest for beauty.
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A good starting point is the research carried out by Wang, Cruthirds, Axxin & Guo, C. (2013) about the essential value of aesthetics in consumer marketing. According to these authors, there has been disagreement among scholars regarding this aspect throughout the years. Nevertheless, this concept is completely accepted nowadays.
Strategic marketing and specific actions on marketing variables are heading in this direction.
As a useful tool to obtain information throughout the marketing process (Ferrer G.G., 2012), market research uses conventional or non-conventional (more innovative) techniques to increase the aesthetic value of the items to be offered to the consumer.
Consumers will appreciate beauty and aesthetics from the moment when the purchasing process begins. Everything will be sensorial stimuli which consumers perceive in a unique and different way. The five senses will become essential and a company’s success will depend, to a great extent, on the fact that the individual’s sensory sensations are satisfactory.
The product and everything that surrounds it should be aesthetic and beautiful in the eyes of the consumers. Throughout the chapter, the value of aesthetics in the point of purchase, packaging, advertising strategy and in the product itself will be analyzed.
As we will see throughout the chapter, non-conventional market research about neuromarketing and neuroaesthetics will obtain physiological and biological measurements as a sign of the individuals’ feelings: how they perceive advertising, billboards, promotions, packaging, brands, the place of purchase or the product itself.