Researching multisensory experiences through an artist’s eye

ABSTRACT

Individuals encounter a range of experiences in the marketplace, some of them entailing inarticulable multisensory consumption contexts. Current marketing and consumer research data collection tools and theoretical representations may not adequately reflect the complexity of such experiences. Thus, we developed an interdisciplinary approach to identifying multisensory consumption experiences that occur in contexts where feelings are ‘unsayable’ Through a study of families who donated the organs of a deceased loved one, we develop an art-centric methodology to uncover thoughts, experiences, and feelings that may not be accessible for individuals as they attempt to describe these profound multisensory experiences or their implications in lived experience. We conclude with implications for market and consumer research.

KEYWORDS:

• Art
• ethnography
• multisensory experiences
• interdisciplinary consumer research
• marketing

Acknowledgements

This work would not be possible without the families who shared their experiences, often reliving their untimely loss. To them we are grateful and trust that they find this work honors them and the lives of their loved ones. Further, the authors extend gratitude and appreciation to Bella Woodfield for being our dedicated artist and inspiring interdisciplinary collaborator in developing a sensitive and deeply felt understanding of and insights from these experiences. We gratefully thank the Donor Family Network, Share Your Wishes, and Believe for their support and generosity in connecting us with so many families, without which the present research could not have been completed.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rebecca Scott

Rebecca Scott is Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. Her research focuses on the social and cultural aspects of marketing. Using ethnographic approaches, she studies areas of experiential consumption, multisensory consumption, and the body.

Tonya Williams Bradford

Tonya Williams Bradford is Associate Professor of Marketing, Paul Merage School of Business, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California. Her research focuses on consumer rituals. Using ethnographic methods, she studies a range of phenomena related to gift-giving, community participation, and family.