What does your brand smell like?

25/07/2022

Smell is one of the senses we least value, yet it is the most evocative. One of the most developed trends in neuromarketing in recent years is olfactory marketing.

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Olfactory marketing: what does your brand smell like?

Olfactory marketing is highly innovative and distinctive compared to traditional marketing. Billboard or poster advertisements that smell, packaging that reproduces the scent of the food inside… If a logo is the graphical representation of a brand, the odotype is its olfactory representation, aligned with the brand’s values and philosophy. Odotypes help increase brand recognition. A scent can evoke the deepest feelings, and buyers value this emotional and sensory connection with their brand. Amidst the saturation of images and sounds in a shopping centre, an odotype can help us recognise a brand. Numerous studies reveal that the memory of scents and smells is much more intense and lasting than images or sounds. This is what we know as olfactory memory. According to an Akewuele study, 86% of shoppers prefer to buy in scented stores.

What determines how a brand smells?

It depends on the goal: creating a pleasant shopping experience, increasing the time spent at the point of sale, enhancing customer recall… More and more fashion stores, car dealerships, hotels, and even funeral homes are scenting their spaces.

How to create an odotype

Like creating a logo, it starts with a briefing that sets the message to be conveyed and the target audience.

With the odotype, the brand’s corporate values are analysed and associated with different olfactory families. From there, 4 to 6 different fragrances are developed to guide further work.

Once the final odotype is chosen, scenting equipment is installed in the establishment, and the scent is placed in the store for a month to receive feedback from workers and customers, assessing if the fragrance communicates the intended message.

Sometimes, a company may want to install a scent in its establishment but doesn’t know how to express it. For this, a Dictionary of Olfactory Marketing has been created, explaining the basic concepts, common expressions, and technical terms related to olfactory marketing.

“Like corporate colours, typography, or logos, the corporate scent imprints a specific personality on the brand. Most importantly, it directly connects with our customers’ emotions and memories.”

Advantages of incorporating a corporate scent

Improving the customer experience in the store
Reinforcing brand identity
Differentiating from the competition; the best odotype choice makes the brand identifiable with the values you want to convey to customers, attracting public attention
Improving the work environment for employees
Increasing consumer dwell time in a pleasant environment

Want to know the best scent for your business?

Here are some scent associations with different work sectors.

Baby powder and children’s fragrances are usually used in stores for children and babies and paediatric offices. Of course, coffee, chocolate, cake, cookies, cinnamon, apple, orange… are often used to enhance the desire to consume in cafés, pastry shops, and bakeries.

Candy, bubblegum, and popcorn scents are used in theme parks and other leisure centres like cinemas.

Common scents include chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla, used in stores to convey sensations associated with the idea of home.

n men’s clothing stores, shoe shops… wood and leather scents predominate, conveying a sense of masculinity. Fragrance notes reminiscent of various perfumes from brands like Armani, Bulgari, or Paco Rabanne are also used.

Conversely, for women’s clothing stores, fragrances such as orange blossom, roses, jasmine, and notes reminiscent of high-end perfumes from brands like Dior, Chanel, Nina Ricci, or Carolina Herrera are used. For young fashion, vanilla, fresh herbs, and notes reminiscent of perfumes like D&G, Cacharel, or Victoria’s Secret are used.

Examples of Scenting at the Point of Sale

Disney

Disney has been using this tool for over 15 years in its theme parks. Initially, they added realism to action shows by adding scents like gunpowder or burnt rubber. Later, they scented the streets of their parks with popcorn to whet visitors’ appetites. Today, this technique is used in most cinemas, so when you enter one, the smell of popcorn entices you to buy a box.

Rolls Royce

Luxury car brand Rolls Royce perfumes the interior of their cars with leather and wood scents when a customer takes their car to an official workshop. This gives the customer the feeling of getting a new car rather than just having it serviced. Many workshops and used car dealerships now follow this strategy.

El Ganso

El Ganso creates a highly unique and recognisable shopping experience by offering a harmonious coherence between the style of clothing and the scent that lingers on their garments for weeks. To develop these types of customised brand odotypes, a market study is necessary to discover the target audience’s profile and the scents that define them or even entice them to buy or stay longer in the store.

Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin Donuts achieved a 20% sales increase by installing special dispensers on buses that released a coffee scent combined with a well-known jingle from their advertisements. Many people associate the smell of coffee with pastries, creating an irresistible urge to head straight to a Dunkin Donuts shop after getting off the bus.

Zara Home

The Inditex giant has embraced the use of professional air fresheners in its stores. This classic yet effective strategy makes customers feel attracted to the pleasant and evocative scent in their stores. The effect is twofold, as many customers linger and buy more, greatly increasing customer loyalty.

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What does your brand smell like?

Olfactory marketing: what does your brand smell like?

What determines how a brand smells?

How to create an odotype

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