Scent Marketing: Smell The Truth

In hypercompetitive markets, businesses need every advantage they can get. They must make intelligent and modern marketing decisions to increase their relevance, control market share and grow revenue. Businesses and other organizations are turning to olfactory marketing to gain every edge they can.

What is Olfactory Marketing?

Scent marketing uses unique olfactory markers to elicit emotional reactions and trigger memory recall by stimulating the olfactory system. The sense of smell generally triggers memory recall and evokes emotional responses more than any other sense.  

So, how does it work, and why is olfactory marketing important?  

The Science of Smell

The olfactory system passes smells from olfactory neurons in the upper nose along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb in the brain. The olfactory bulb then passes these signals from the olfactory nerve to the limbic system.

The limbic system is a brain structure that plays a vital part in mood control, behaviors, emotions and memory. The limbic system is one of the oldest parts of the human brain. Many of the structures found in the limbic system are similar to limbic systems founded in the earliest mammals. 

The established nature of the limbic system is one of the reasons that smell elicits such powerful memories. The sense of smell is linked to memory and evokes emotional reactions more than any other of our senses. 

Often, these reactions are spontaneous and may involve irrelevant or seemingly unrelated memories or experiences. Smells may also be vivid, often thought of memories from childhood or adolescence. 

Independent experiences may govern the reactions that we have to smells. You may have a completely different response to a smell than the one I have. There is no guarantee that a fragrance or perfume will elicit the same reaction from multiple individuals. You may have an adverse reaction to a smell that I find aromatic and pleasant. Individual experience and preferences largely contribute to what smells you find attractive. 

Despite these personal biases, there are smells that all people generally find repellant. These smells often include smoke and decaying matter. These smells are unpleasant to us because they alert us to potential dangers. 

Perfumers and fragrance manufacturers capitalize on the strong emotional reactions that smell conjures by creating a fragrance or scent that conveys a tapestry of emotionally compelling thoughts and feelings. 

The Power of Olfactory Marketing

As a form of sensory marketing, scent marketing intends to frame fragrances and scents positively in the minds of possible customers. Since smell is the sense with the highest chance of triggering memory recall, it is the most convenient means of manufacturing positive emotional responses linked to a brand experience. Of all our sensory perceptions, the sense of smell is so suited for this technique that the human mind remembers tens of thousands of different scents. 

Harnessing a Unique Scent

Businesses are incorporating scent marketing into their overall marketing strategy to develop a customized scent immediately recognizable and positively associated with their brands. 

Disseminating these unique identifiable fragrances trigger emotions and influence purchasing behavior and loyalty patterns. Pleasant and alluring scents encourage customers and clients to stay in the area for longer. The odds that they make a purchase positively increase the longer they want to remain in the vicinity. It also creates a positive memory imprint and emotional connection tied to that scent and experience. The sense of wellbeing and positive emotional experience cultivates a desire to return to the store and associates a brand with satisfying thoughts and feelings. 

These experiences and the resultant feelings of contentment solidify and enhance the power of a branding image, slogan, color scheme, product or service. It is crucial, however, that businesses and organizations choose an attractive, fitting and distinctive scent to associate with their brand. Making this decision is not straightforward, and there is no guarantee of success. 

Choosing an Exquisite Fragrance 

A precisely selected scent or fragrance triggers positive memories and emotional reactions. Ideally, this fragrance instantly conveys the values and ideals of an organization and business without infringing on their shopping, browsing or service experiences. A chosen scent must alter the atmosphere to increase customer satisfaction, encourage customers and clients to return. It also must compliment furniture, decorations and other fixtures to set the ambiance and mood. 

What We Do

Scent Company encompasses all the necessary criteria and business requirements to make an ideal perfume. We create a distinguishable individualized olfactory marketing campaign based on those findings. We take into account your specific communication, marketing, design and branding needs to maximally convey targeted marketing that stimulates the olfactory system to create lasting memories and strong emotional responses. 

Throughout this process, we work closely with our clients to gauge customer and client reactions to refine the approach to develop the perfect sensory marketing experience. 

Our ambient fragrances enhance and improve customer reactions in settings that include retail stores and boutiques, hotels, spas and art galleries. Our scent marketing campaigns in these environments spread pleasant smells that nonverbally subtlety stimulate memory to enhance customer satisfaction and reinforce brand identity. 

The methods and techniques we use to develop these perfumes and other scents leave a lasting impression on customers. Reach out today to find out how we can take your brand fragrance to the next level.