“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.”

Lindstrom says the roots of scent-ual branding stem from more tactical objects, where scent was merely a byproduct.

“We were only able to identify a handful of brands which truly owned an aroma linked to their brand (outside the fragrance-related product categories),” explains Lindstrom. “Play-Doh and Crayola Crayons were hardly aware of the power their aromas represented.”

“In some cases, a signature fragrance is product-related, like Play-Doh, or crayons,” agrees David Van Epps, CEO of ScentAir, a North Carolina-based scent development firm in partnership with well-known background music provider, Muzak. “In others, a signature fragrance has to do with the environment, like Starbucks or quick service restaurants. The aroma may not even always be pleasant, but they become part of the overall brand. And now brand-conscious companies want to harness aroma in a positive way, over time creating an association between the brand and a pleasing aroma.”

However, there are quite a few brands that have spent considerable dollars on the rigors of the scent identification, only to find that scent branding doesn’t seduce their consumers.

“I think it is extremely important to stress that not every brand is suitable for this new […] branding technique,” cites Lindstrom. “But sometimes it’s just a matter of getting it right. When casinos in Las Vegas first introduced the concept of sensory branding, it didn’t work. It turned the customers and the staff off. They’ve since learned that the aroma has to be more subtle. Experts have further researched the effect today and found that gambling rates increase by 45 percent when people in their casinos are exposed to aroma.”

“We've worked with a number of clients in the grocery sector where the economics of adding aroma just don't add up,” says Van Epps. “While aroma can create sales lift for a product or category, the sales increase in this extremely low margin business cannot always cover the cost of the scent implementation.”

The appeal of scent, like the appeal of art or music, is highly subjective. Scientific explanations aside, how can a brand using scent verify it was the fragrance that helped increase revenue? Other than consumers telling you so, is it measurable?

"When done correctly, the impact of fragrance is extremely measurable,” claims Van Epps. “Most people think of what I call the Aroma Billboard category when they first discuss aroma marketing—I'd sell more coffee if I could have the aroma of coffee in my store. These endeavors are the easiest to track, and we can show sales lift in many cases.”

The Starwood brands are still in the early stages of rolling out their major olfactory branding initiative but at this stage in the game, they feel the overwhelming consumer feedback they’ve experienced has served as the best gauge of success.

“With each new hotel, the calls keep coming in,” says Ayala. “Our goal with using scent was to help our customers connect our brands with relaxing in a desirable atmosphere and it seems to have worked.”

Although olfactory, or aroma, branding is still a relatively young approach to take in the branding game, Van Epps believes it is the wave of the future.

“Sixty years ago, when the concept of putting music in a retail environment was still new, I'm sure potential customers asked many of the same questions we are being asked today. Why should we do this? Does it work? What effect will it have?” states Van Epps. “Today a retail space without music feels incomplete. There's still so much to uncover with aroma marketing. New techniques are allowing everything from scented cellphones to plastic packaging that will enhance the flavor of food by improving the aroma when the package is opened. There’s a lot to learn and get excited about.”

So keep your eyes, ears—and nose—peeled.     

[14-Aug-2006]