Playing with your senses, brands have been doing this for a long time. But your nose, for its part, was somewhat neglected at first. It’s only in recent years that brands have realized the value of tickling your sense of smell. What’s the point? To give you a sensory experience to influence your buying behavior and the emotional connection you have with the brand. But how can a smell penetrate so deeply into our brains that it is used for marketing purposes? Together we analyze the machinery of olfactory marketing, an inspired trend!

Retail, luxury hotels have pioneered olfactory marketing. White tea-based fragrances in Shangri-La group hotels or manly scents in Abercrombie’s ready-to-wear stores … Some examples of fragrances that concentrate an identity and evoke different emotions. But nowadays olfactory marketing has managed to convince much more diverse sectors such as the automotive industry (that famous scent of “new” that we love so much), banking, culture and many others. Even companies are getting into the scent business and are spreading vitamin-rich scents in open spaces to increase employee creativity and productivity.

When was olfactory marketing born?

We find the first traces of olfactory marketing in the late 1970s with the opening of the first department stores in Paris. According to Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut, the founders of Le Bon Marché, the modern consumer must have a new experience with the product. This customer could see it, touch it, smell it, to the rhythm of a musical ambience. It was not until the early 1950s that marketing professionals became interested in the impact of color and, later, touch in buying behavior.

Since then, research and creativity have constantly evolved. Engaging our five senses by creating a visual atmosphere or conveying music has become standard in the fashion, beauty or wellness industries. Yet despite the growing interest in sensory marketing for professionals, smell remains one of the least exploited senses.

What is the olfactory signature?

More and more brands want to express their identity through a fragrance. They try to use a recognizable and memorable fragrance to strengthen the emotional ties between the brand and the customer. This is called the olfactory signature. Some companies and perfumers even specialize in creating these bespoke fragrances. Today we discuss the work of an olfactory designer, whose goal is to transcribe a brand’s universe into a composition. By diffusing this particular scent, the goal of the brand goes beyond just a purchase; it wants to become a lasting impression and cause a feeling of pleasure and well-being for the consumer.

What are the strengths of Olfactory Marketing?

Olfactory marketing, therefore, an integral part of sensory marketing, creates olfactory actions that draw the consumer’s attention, when desired, the chosen place for the required duration in order to generate awe and remember the product/brand . In this regard, it is important to remember that the chosen olfactory logo plays a decisive role because it informs the entire value system and media communication with the consumer. It promotes and reinforces the company’s image, enhances and emphasizes the products / services and allows you to be remembered. Psychologically, aroma is instinctively associated with something good, positive, gives a perception of quality. Suffice it to mention the immediate association between the smell of vanilla and Borotalco, a manufacturer of talcum powder in the past and ‘unknowingly created anolfactory logo. Market studies have shown that brand memory increases in environments with a pleasant smell.

If you are looking for a partner to help you with your marketing growth strategy, we can help you with the implementation of:

• Scented Flyers
• Customized fragrances
• Olfactory Logo
• Custom courtesy lines
• Scented paper envelope
• Scented business cards

Learn more: Marketing Strategy with Special Scent Custom Fragrances

If you want to find out what tools are useful for doing olfactory marketing click here