Some companies are targeting customers in a new way—through their noses!
有些公司正以全新方式鎖定消費者,那就是透過他們的鼻子!
by Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz / © 2014, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by MCT Information Services.
Long the domain of casinos and hotels, scenting is increasingly catching on among retailers and in car showrooms, sports stadiums, airports, banks and apartment buildings that seek to distinguish themselves with customers via the sense of smell.
“It’s a way to market above the clutter,” said Roel Ventura, a Seattle-based designer with Ambius, which designs business environments. “We are bombarded with so many messages, so this creates an experience that will last longer than the music at the mall.”
The tactic also is gaining traction among businesses hoping to drum up sales, thanks to research that has shown the right scent can open people’s wallets, project a sense of comfort and home, shorten the time you believe you’re waiting, or even improve your sense of performance.
While smells can be a turnoff or cause health problems for some people, the global scent-marketing industry is on the rise, grossing an estimated $200 million in revenue last year and growing around 10 percent annually, said Jennifer Dublino, vice president of development at ScentWorld Events.
Different kinds of marketing
Scent marketing is divided into two main categories: ambient scenting, which fills a space with a pleasant smell, and scent branding, which develops a signature scent specific to a brand, like an olfactory logo.
If the aim is to improve consistency or create or maintain an iconic brand, a signature scent may be best, said Ed Burke, director of marketing and communications at ScentAir, a leading scent-marketing company based in North Carolina, that says it scents 70,000 locations, including [United Colors of] Benetton. Less than 10 percent of the company’s clients go that route, he said.
“Hugo Boss is a great example of a signature scent,” said Burke, whose company created the rich wood scent that Hugo Boss pumps through its stores’ heating and air conditioning systems, the preferred delivery method for large spaces.
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Discussion Questions
—Do you notice the smells around you in your different environments? Explain.
—Is subliminal messaging an effective way to advertise? Why or why not?
—Through scent marketing, do you worry about being unnecessarily exposed to chemicals? Explain.
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