A Sense Worth Investing In
Potent branding tool for your small business.
On average, humans can remember:
5% of what we see
2% of what we hear
1% of what we touch
And 35% of what we smell…
For better or worse.
As a personal thought experiment, recall an aroma that comforts you. Is it the warm steam of roasted coffee beans? The salty mist of ocean air? Freshly popped theater-butter popcorn? Rich notes of vanilla in a bowl of cookie dough?
For me, it’s the smell of a crackling, smoky bonfire on a cool Autumn night. Even the idea of this aroma brings me contentment and Peter Pan-like happy thoughts.
Bring on the ice-cold beer and oversized hoodies.
Unlike sight, taste, sound and touch, our sense of smell is processed in the (left side) limbic system of our brain, the same part of our brain that is responsible for mood, emotions and memories. Its direct path to our emotional centre means that smell develops immediate — and stronger — emotional responses.
Small business owners, take note. Smell could soon become your most potent sales and brand equity tool, should you invest a little time and energy in scent marketing.
What is scent marketing, you wonder? (You’re not alone if you’ve never heard this term before.) Well, it’s typically divided into two categories…
- Scent Branding — The signature scent of a company or product. Made exclusively for the particular company.
- Ambient Scenting — The ambient aroma that fills a space. Used to target specific emotional responses in many retail and experiential environments.
Research has shown the right scent can open wallets, create a feeling of home (think: hotels), improve one’s sense of performance (hi, gym), and even shorten the time people believe they’ve been standing in line (*cough* Whole Foods on the weekends.) So, it’s no surprise that businesses like Mercedes Benz, The Ritz Carlton, Thompson Hotels and Hugo Boss, among others, have invested in their own olfactory platforms.
One of my favorite activation examples of scent marketing is found at Marlins Park — home of the Miami Marlins. The stadium’s scent program produces the smell of caramel popcorn (pumped through the vents) in the general concourse, and a muted orange scent in the team store. Both scents were selected with great purpose, to evoke specific feelings or memories at different times throughout the guest experience. It’s whimsical, nostalgic and Floridian, all true to the park’s brand pillars.
If considering the small investment in this powerful branding tool, I highly recommend consulting a fragrance specialist to assist. A good specialist will help you avoid the costly mistake of going all Abercrombie & Fitch circa late 90’s — that was way too much. Way. Too. Much. *sneeze*
Whether you own a law office, corner bakery, yoga studio, fine dining establishment, clothing boutique, dental practice, or insert your business here, you could benefit from exploring the possibilities of scent marketing. And I encourage you to do so.
After all, a brand is not a brand is not a brand is not a brand until it sparks feelings, and delivers on those feelings at every touchpoint.
Sniff sniff.
-Mia
