People have used fragrance to enhance their interaction with others for thousands of years; science proves that scent can evoke memories, both positive and negative. Marketers, in their endless quest to invent authentic, unique brand experiences, are capitalizing on the ability of scent to forge powerful emotional connections with people, places and things.
Martin Lindstrom, author of Brand Sense: Build powerful brands through touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound, says that 75 percent of all the emotions we generate every day are due to what we smell—not see. Interestingly he goes on to say that 83 percent of all the commercial communication we’re exposed to every day is crafted to appeal to just our eyes.
“The sense of smell has surprising powers,” claims Lindstrom. “Through our research, we’ve seen that we’re not only able to change consumers’ impression of a brand, we can also change consumers’ perception of time, size and quality.”
Case Study: Starwood Hotels.
According to Starwood spokeswoman Nadeen Ayala, the hotel chain discovered extensive studies connecting scent with memory during a major repositioning/rebranding initiative, which inspired it to begin experimenting with olfactory impact. “We thought, why not create a memorable experience where travel is less transactional, using scent in a careful, subtle way?” relates Ayala. “We developed a unique scent for each of our hotel brands that best suits their positioning. We are still rolling it out, but the response from consumers has been tremendous. We’ve gotten so many calls from consumers wanting to buy the White Tea fragrance in our Westin hotels for themselves—it’s inspired us to start our own retail line!”
Case Study: Certain Aromas Induce Weight loss.
One study done in the United States found that inhalation of certain aromas appeared to be able to induce sustained weight loss over a six-month period. The research was published in the Journal of Neurological and Orthopedic Medicine and Surgery (1995). The study involved over 3,000 subjects and Alan R. Hirsch, M.D., neurologist and director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, Illinois conducted it.
Case Study: Scents Reduce Anxiety.
Another study by several hospitals in the United States, including New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, have successfully reduced anxiety before and during MRI scans, using scents such as vanilla, lavender and heliotropine.