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History of Scent Branding
In December 2006, Advertising Age identified the use of scent in advertising as one of the top 10 marketing trends to watch in 2007.
Over the last 25 years, numerous studies have been conducted by research scientists on the behavioral effects of scent upon consumers. These studies indicate that the incorporation of scent to create a true multi-sensory branding campaign delivers a much more effective consumer message.
A few of the notable studies have shown customers would spend 40% more time in an area of a retail store scented with a specific scent over an odor-free area. Research also showed an 84% increase in the willingness to purchase a pair of Nike shoes in a scented room over an odor-free room (and pay $10.33 more for the same pair of shoes). In another study, slot machine receipts increased by 53% in the scented area of a casino. (*Brand Sense / Martin Lindstrom / Free Press 2005).
In the highly competitive $800 billion advertising industry, most companies only use two of the five senses (sight and sound) in their branding and marketing strategies. However, because emotions are so closely tied to our sense of smell, decision makers are beginning to understand that building emotional ties with scent between consumers and products is critical.
A good, comparative example of this macro-growth phenomenon would be the home fragrance/aromatherapy market that began over two decades ago. In 1984 the home fragrance market was virtually non-existent. By 1994, the home fragrance market reached approximately $230 million in annual sales. According to Euromonitor International, the recognized global standard in market analysis, the home fragrance category in 2008 exceeded $8.4 billion in sales.
Scent Sells
There is a lot more to scent branding than just creating a pleasant aroma, or transmitting the aroma of a product. Research tells us that the sense of smell affects about 75% of our daily emotions, and plays an important role in memory.
The sense of smell is different from the other senses, because it is processed first by the limbic system, the same part of the brain responsible for memory, perceptions, and emotions. The other senses are first directed through the analytical part of the brain, before indirectly reaching the emotional sphere. So scent is a more primitive sense, and science is discovering that scent plays a much larger part in influencing our emotions and decisions.
Scent Marketing is a growing trend in advertising and it is becoming more and more successful because companies start to realize that our senses play a vital and complex role in forming our mood, thoughts and behaviors. Businesses are spending millions of dollars in an effort to stand out and catch our attention, yet 83 percent of commercial communication presently revolves around visual and auditory stimuli. Scent marketing offers an avenue that is different from traditional branding strategies and although it has not been yet fully discovered by companies it is making a huge impact on those who use it. Scent marketing revolves around the fact that a human brain is most receptive, and most likely to form, retain, revisit and reinterpret memory, when all five senses are engaged. By influencing more than one sense, brands can establish a stronger and longer lasting emotional connection with the customer and finally be memorable.
Savvy businesses of tomorrow will create a powerhouse brand that will go beyond the realm of traditional TV and print ads. Those brands will engage their customers in a multi-sensory experience creating an environment that caters to all of the five senses and becomes unique.
AromaTech will assist you and your brand in becoming a Power Brand where Scents Sell.
Scent Has Ability To:
Enhance Mood
Increase Excitement
Enhance Learning
Trigger Memory
Enhance Recall
Reduce Error
Decrease Anxiety
Increase Brand Loyalty
Trigger Desire
Cancel or Mask Other Scents
Indicate a Direction