Marketing Through Smell

I vividly remember walking through Downtown Boston, when I worked there, in the middle of the afternoon. Five blocks away I could smell the baked chocolate chip cookies from Mrs. Field’s cookies. The 80 square foot “shop” on the outside walls of Filene’s was a stroke of marketing genius. Above the take-out window was a pipe pumping out the fumes of the ovens. Little room for signage was never an issue—I, and what always seemed a line of 15 people, were hooked long before we could see it.

It is not surprising that of the five human senses (sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell) that science has proven that smell is the most acute. In addition, it is more tied to emotion and memory of past experiences than any other sense.

It was with this history that I was captivated by an article about an artist, Mitchell Heinrich, and his development of “smell graffiti”. The concept is designed around using smell out of a spray can instead of paint to express a new art form. His graffiti lasts 20 to 60 minutes. (see how to make it yourself )

There is also a company, AromaSys, who produces unique customized scents. They have provided over 1000 systems and over 100 aroma blends covering millions of square feet for clients including the Wynn Hotels, Bellagio, MGM, and the Ritz Carleton. So it seems marketing by smell has found some footing.

Real estate brokers are not new to this. Fresh cut flowers and baking bread from the kitchen oven are often used smell marketing strategies to make the house feel like a home.

Nivea (the skin and beauty company) ran an advertisement during the previews at a movie cinema showing a beach scene. Part way through the advertisement they pumped in the smell of suntan lotion to finalize the effect to great success.

Then there is the “evil side”—like in all marketing. Maybe it is the post-Halloween in me. Maybe it’s just that today is Election Day—and political elections are usually heavily skewed towards negative political advertising. But it is hard to resist not to think of the opposite use of smell marketing…

Just think about what one could do to their competitor combining the business of AromaSys with the ease of Heinrich’s spray cans. Spray a smell of cow manure or human barf at the front door of any competitive retailer…that is sure to drive away customers. Even do it at an event function you don’t like. It is kind of a demonstration/picketing by smell. The possibilities are endless—and if smell is our strongest memory connection, the “brand association” could last for a lot longer than the one time. ..Ouch!