When you walk into a business like a hotel or retail store, did you ever notice it had a distinctive smell? How did it make you feel?
Maybe you experienced the inviting scent of vanilla or the calming fragrance of lavender. Scent is one of those marketing tactics that are not often top of mind – or to be more exact, top of the nose.
Scent Marketing
A Charlotte, NC based company called Scent Air has been focused on this market segment for since the early 1990’s. Founded by David Martin, who worked at Disney, he wondered if a scent could play a role in tapping into the emotions of visitors to the theme park. Originally called Fragrance Technologies, in Florida, the business moved to California for the next decade and eventually landed in Charlotte.
Scent marketing is like invisible marketing
Have you ever noticed a hint of coconut in swimsuit section of a department store or baby powder in the baby center? Maybe you have walked into a fancy club and the smell of wood or leather permeated the room. Leveraging scent marketing is a way that business enhances a customer’s experience.
Smell can transport you emotionally and tap into powerful, emotional triggers.
The Nike Experiment
A researcher experimented several years ago where they had the same pair of Nike’s in two different rooms. One room had a floral scent, and the other was scent-free. After walking in the room, consumers were 80% more likely to purchase the sneaker after visiting the scented space. Unleashing emotional triggers is a powerful way to bring a scent of fresh air to a brand, especially in retail.
Delivering 5 billion scent impressions
Hotels from Westin, Marriot, and others want to elevate your mood when you enter their lobby. Scent can be a trigger to experiencing brand loyalty and remembering how that environment makes you feel. But driving financial objectives is how Scent Air positions its offering. They want to help you grow your brand through deeper customer connections.
The Children Museum Indianapolis had an exhibit and wanted to offer some unique experiences for its young visitors. They created a scent of Dino Dung – allowing the kids to go one step deeper into the learning experience.
Depending on who your target is, you can pick from a range of fragrances. Citrus and cinnamon tend to elicit a feeling of happiness. White tea and thyme can create an invigorating feeling. For luxury, wood and leather scents can also be powerful drivers too.
What Does Money Smell Like?
Today Scent Air serves more than 20,000 businesses – most of them small who want to grab new visitors with an emotional connection. They can choose from over 2400 options or have something custom developed. Their advice is to keep it simple and not offer mixed notes that can confuse the senses. Over two-hundred people work at Scent Air today.
Is there a place for scent marketing in your business?
I smell an opportunity.
Need help sniffing out something unusual for your brand? Call me at 919 720 0995 or email me at jeffslater@themarketingsage.com to get some sensible suggestions.
Photo credit: Flikr -CC0 Public Domain
