Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA) Entrepreneurship Forum in association with InFED–IIM Nagpur organized an insightful session on “Brand Appeal Through Our Five Senses” on 3rd October 2025 at VIA Auditorium, Nagpur.
The session was designed to benefit entrepreneurs, professionals, and business leaders by equipping them with innovative strategies to strengthen their brand identity and deepen customer engagement.
The eminent speaker for the session, Aniruddha Athawale, Mentor at IIM InFED, captivated the audience with his deep understanding of branding psychology and holistic marketing. He explained how businesses can enhance customer loyalty and recall by engaging all five human senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—in their brand strategy.
Athawale emphasized that in today’s cluttered marketplace, brands must go beyond product features to establish emotional connections. A brand that appeals through multiple senses builds stronger trust, loyalty, and emotional resonance with its audience, he remarked. He introduced the 3-7-27 Exposure Rule, illustrating how customers need repeated and multisensory brand experiences across various touchpoints to develop true recognition and trust.
Highlighting the power of sight, he demonstrated how logos, colours, and typography influence first impressions and emotional tone. Referring to Dunkin’s 2019 rebrand, he showcased how visual consistency across thousands of locations ensured seamless customer experience and brand recognition.
Moving to sound as a brand element, he spoke about the psychological impact of music and audio cues in building memory recall. Citing examples like Intel’s iconic chime and Nike’s motivational voiceovers, he showed how auditory branding creates deep emotional connections and reinforces brand identity.
Discussing the sense of smell, he explained how olfactory branding evokes powerful emotional memories, enhancing customer retention. In the food and beverage industry, he emphasized taste as a vital sensory experience. He shared a case study of Legacy Chocolates, where a strategic combination of packaging appeal and exceptional taste led to tripled sales in just 30 days.
On the sense of touch, Athawale pointed out how product texture and material quality influence perceptions of brand value. He cited Apple’s mastery in tactile design and premium packaging, which contribute to a luxurious, memorable customer experience.
The session also explored how integrating all five senses builds a cohesive brand experience. Using Nordstrom’s online-offline consistency as an example, he illustrated how sensory uniformity builds trust and strengthens brand equity over time. Conversely, he cautioned that inconsistency across sensory touchpoints can create confusion and erode customer confidence.
The session was followed with an interactive Q&A, where participants discussed ways to apply sensory branding principles to their own ventures.
Earlier, Rashmi Kulkarni, Jt Secretary – VIA welcomed Aniruddha Athawale with floral bouquet and memento. In her welcome address, Dr Anita Rao, Chairperson – VIA Entrepreneurship Forum, highlighted that VIA, a 60-year-old organization with multiple specialized forums, regularly conducts programs across diverse domains. She noted that in today’s volatile global and market environment, creating a lasting brand impression is challenging, and one effective way to achieve it is by appealing to customers through their five senses.
Abhijeet Khandagle, Convener of the forum conducted the proceedings and also introduced the guest speaker. Meghna Nene concluded by sharing three key takeaways for entrepreneurs identify the brand’s core emotion, craft sensory stories to create lasting impact and also proposed a vote of thanks.
Prominently present were Dr Suresh Pandilwal, Chairman – VIA HRD Forum, Sharad Bhave from NIPM, faculties along with management students from reputed MBA colleges.
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