Tapping into Consumer Perceptions through Vicarious Touch

By Alison Green, agreen@lessitermedia.com
Email Specialist, Lessiter Media

When I first joined the Lessiter Media Team as a recent college grad with a focus in digital media, I didn’t lose sight of the importance of print. In my first Marketing MinuteQuick Tips to Give Your Ad the Right Touch, I focused on research that has always intrigued me the most – studies focused on the psychology of perception. I was fascinated to learn that the memories of interacting with media we can physically touch are important in the formation of consumer brand and product perceptions.

With the same curiosity, I recently stumbled upon another study on vicarious touch through digital media that may surprise you. In an article from the American Marketing Association, they summarize that “the authors [of the study] find that observing a hand engaging in touch can increase the perception that the virtual hand is actually the consumer’s own hand.” That would explain why younger generations choose to watch videos of other children playing with toys instead of playing with toys in real life. 

With virtual and augmented reality becoming widely available, an entirely new way to interact with media is emerging. Digital experiences are getting harder to differentiate from physical ones, but that doesn’t mean your brand has to be lost in translation. To help you push ahead of the competition and convey a deeper message about your brand, here’s two great opportunities we offer to try a point of view perspective. If you’re interested to see if it works for yourself, contact our team to get to get started today.