Sometime in 1968, I was standing on a chair at a table spooning out heaps of chocolate powder from a large tin container of Nestle’s QUICK into my glass of milk, making a big mess. Suddenly, on the radio, a Beatles song began playing: “Help…I need somebody, help….not just anybody, help…you know I need someone…help…” and then the melodic part: “When I was younger so much younger than today…”

Now in my adult life, every single time I hear that song, whether in the car, in the mall, or at a party…I smell the distinct scent of that luscious dry Nestle’s chocolate powder, and a happy childhood memory makes time stand still for me.

Bottling this experience is what some brands are now trying to do. While some “scent marketing” comes naturally, such as Cinnabon using the scent of its fabulous cinnamon buns to lure passersby to want to have a cinnamon bun, there is a type of scent marketing that is synthetic. Not two-faced, but two-nosed, if you will.

Rachel Herz, author of “The Scent of Desire,” explains how some stores are using smell to enhance the purchase environment. She says smell is the retailer’s dream.

Cinnabon is also actually one of many retailers known to pump synthetic smells into its immediate environment to entice customers. KFC is doing it, and Exxon On The Run has been adding a coffee scent to their brewing kiosks. And their sales have increased 55 percent for coffee.

Hermann Behrens, CEO Middle East, The Brand Union, said: “83 per cent of the commercial communication we’re exposed to everyday is crafted to appeal to just our eyes….The branding trend is moving towards experience and everyday it is becoming more and more difficult to reach out to audiences through different touch points.”

For an interview with Rachel Herz revealing fascinating research into scents and human reactions: http://www.nerve.com/screeningroom/books/interview_rachelherz/

Christine Babick is a marketing strategist and linguist specializing in marketing language, website text, “emo copy,” and cause and relationship marketing. More…

Article Tags: Babick | brand | Branding | experiential | marketing | Scent
Filed under: Emerging Tech, Experiential Marketing, Marketing Innovation, Marketing Trends