AUTHOR=Brengman Malaika , Willems Kim , De Gauquier Laurens 

TITLE=Customer Engagement in Multi-Sensory Virtual Reality Advertising: The Effect of Sound and Scent Congruence

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.747456

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.747456

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>Despite the power of VR in immersing viewers in an experience, it generally only targets viewers via <italic>visual</italic> and <italic>auditory</italic> cues. Human beings use more senses to gather information, so expectedly, the full potential of this medium is currently not yet tapped. This study contributes in answering two research questions: (1) How can conventional VR ads be enriched by also addressing the <italic>forgotten sense of smell</italic>?; and (2) Does doing so indeed instill more engaging experiences? A 2 × 3 between-subjects study (<italic>n</italic> = 235) is conducted, whereby an existing branded VR commercial (Boursin Sensorium Experience) is augmented with “sound” (on/off) and (congruent/incongruent/no) “scents.” The power of these sensory augmentations is evaluated by inspecting emotional, cognitive and conative dimensions of <italic>customer engagement</italic>. The results identify <italic>product-scent congruence (with sound)</italic> as a deal-maker, albeit product-scent incongruence is not necessarily a deal-breaker. The article concludes with further research avenues and a translation into managerial implications.</p>