Getting In Touch With Scent Technology That Will Transform Your Brand

The human body has long relied upon the five senses to navigate the world. Our senses allow us to interact with our surrounding environments in such a way that we feel “tuned in” to our surroundings. Specific to our passion, research suggests that scents in particular can have an effect on our emotional reactions, often invoking nostalgia, reducing stress, and inspiring moods.

What Frankincense & ylang-ylang can do for your brand.

Scents like jasmine, patchouli and frankincense are reported to increase confidence. Rose, Sandalwood, vanilla and ylang-ylang are known to be aphrodisiacs. Anglica, Camphor, Cardamom, Ginger, Eucalyptus and others have shown to invigorate scenes. Others are often used for calming, such as chamomile, rose and rose geranium. Every scent inspires a different emotional response, and can be used strategically to affect a customers’ experience — whether it’s within a retail location, hotel lobby, a hospitality space, healthcare or financial institutions or any enclosed environment.

It’s no surprise then that aroma branding has become the forefront of a growing, international industry. In fact, according to Eric Spangenberg, a pioneer in the field and dean of the Washington State University College of Business, “scent has been tied to increased retail sales.” This begs to ask the question, what scent would define your brand? What scent would invoke a more satisfying environment and successful balance between an improved experience, a relaxing ambient setting or one that would invoke the primal senses that we all innately connect with?

Stopping to smell the scent of a growing industry.

“Stopping to smell the roses” is an age-old phrase we’ve all used at one point or another. By way of history, the Yale University press pinpoints this phrase deriving from The Walter Hagen Story, a personal biography published in 1956 about the legendary American golfer who ruled the golfing industry for years — wherein he used the phrase, “You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”

Clearly the phrase has since morphed a bit from its original incarnation, but it’s interesting to reference its origination, particularly the era in which it was said — in the midst of much simpler times with minimal distractions, free from mobiles phone, the Internet, stunning flat screen resolution and artificial intelligence — it’s particularly interesting in contrast to the age of technology we live in today, and the effects it’s had on our senses. Ironically, the increasing number of technological devices, and our subsequent addiction to them, has engaged us in a world in which all of the senses can be used except for one – our sense of smell.

But as our lives become more rooted in technology, our bodies are naturally evolving and becoming more subconsciously aware of what our immersion in technology is missing, because digital technology is odorless. The lack of stimuli for our sense of smell has some experts suggesting that our brains are sending us a subliminal message, craving what we are missing and subtly tapping into familiar memories inspired by our olfactory nerves.

As Dan Airely wrote in “Predictably Irrational”, to a large degree, “we get tempted not by the smell of the object, but the smell of the place more generally, things like atmosphere.” Similarly, we are not only tempted by smell, but by the memories it invokes, and therefor the euphoria that comes from the memory of your mother’s perfume, her kitchen, family trips to the shore or warm holiday nights in front of a fire. With the proliferation of technologic distractions, could it be that our sense of smell has become more heightened?

The advent of scent marketing technologies.

It would seem so, what with the continued growth of aroma branding and scent marketing. Scent marketing has been hailed as the next generation of influence, and the business is a justifiably expanding expertise that has encompassed most industries and consumers alike. Using scent to trigger emotions that will affect a business’ bottom line is a growing strategy for businesses of all sizes, and is not just limited to the retail market, but to many non-retail businesses as well. More and more owners are exploring potential uses and analyzing the best opportunities to implement this innovative technique.

But the first step is discovering what your brand smells like, and then creating a scent that not only defines your brand but one that elevates your bottom line. The right scent allures customers into your environment, but the accurate balance of that scent is what becomes the determining factor between success or failure. A scent equilibrium is needed so it’s not overwhelming but carries through with the original attraction to your business goals. Finding that balance is a specialty that comes with years of experience with scenting strategies, fragrance manufacturing and working with customers to formulate the perfect environment that exacts the aroma experience they desire.

Referencing Walter Hagen’s legacy, the difference between hitting a duff or an ace takes talent, experience, and, well … stopping to smell the rose every once in a while. Find that balance. Give us a call, speak with our chief perfumers & get in touch with your senses!

Air Scent International (800) 247-0770 or (412) 252-2000