The multi-sensory sort (MuSeS): a new projective technique to investigate and improve the brand image

Purpose – In the literature, there is a lack of tools able to catch the symbolic dimension of the brand image, which go beyond rational and emotional dimensions. This paper aims to find and test a new instrument, named “Multi-Sensory Sort” (MuSeS). Design/methodology/approach – MuSeS, a direct methodology of exploring the consumer's symbolic universe and the unconscious expectations, is composed of a set of projective techniques based on multi-sensory stimuli. Findings – The results showed how MuSeS allows one to collect in-depth data, otherwise difficult to obtain through other kinds of surveys. Practical implications – MuSeS is able to measure both the consumers' perceptions about the brand image concept (its potentials) and the characteristics that the customer wishes to find in the brand image (brand image future development). Originality/value – Most of the tools created to investigate the brand image are based on questionnaires with attitude scales; this assumes that the brand image is a conscious and fully verbalized construct. The paper started from another assumption, trying to measure the non-verbal and the unconscious brand image aspects, using instruments derived both from psychology and marketing.