Brands target sense of smell

Smell is one of the most powerful senses. Memories, imagination, old sentiments and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than through any other channel.

In humans there are four genes for vision, whereas there are 1,000 allocated to scent, which means we have the ability to differentiate more than 10,000 odours.

According to the Sense of Smell institute 75 per cent of all emotions we generate are due to what we smell. Businesses are well aware of this and for years they have used this power of scent as an important marketing tool.

Although, scent branding is still a relatively new approach throughout the world, experiential branding is a rapidly growing trend and more and more companies are realising the power of scent to build these experiences. In 2003, about $30 million (Dh110m) was spent on aroma marketing around the world, by 2010 that figure is set to reach $220m.

Explaining the importance of aromas Oliver Auroy, general manager, Landor, told Emirates Business: "To understand the importance of aromas, think of the kind of feelings and emotions you have when you smell something good.

"In some shopping malls in Europe, they diffuse an artificial fragrance of cooked bread near the food court as it usually stimulates the visitors' appetite and takes them to the restaurants.

"Research has shown for example that the smell of a roasted chicken was the most universal appetising smell in the world."

Now brands are set on a new quest to enhance their image through the use of aromas. This new formula is called Aroma branding or Olfactory branding.

Hermann Behrens, CEO Middle East, The Brand Union, said: "The branding trend is moving towards experience and everyday it is becoming more and more difficult to reach out to audiences through different touch points. 83 per cent of the commercial communication we're exposed to everyday is crafted to appeal to just our eyes.

"However, aromas if used wisely, help build those experiences, as they create memories and emotions.

"Aroma branding helps build memorable emotional connections and recognition of a brand through scent. Moreover, it facilitates the perception of higher-quality products, enhances the environment and boosts your brand identity."

The most well-known examples of successful aroma branding are Johnson & Johnson and Crayola Crayons. These brands have now become the owners of generic smells.

For example Johnson & Johnsons has become the baby smell. With the success of its baby lotion and baby powder, J&J is instantly recognisable and the association with how neat and clean babies smell.

The smell of Crayola Crayons is instantly recognisable and can take most of us to a nostalgic trip back to childhood. Crayola's smell is ranked 18 among the 20 most recognisable smells in the United States.

Some aromas have such strong association with the brand, that companies like KFC now regard their signature aroma as one of their key brand ambassadors.

Auroy elaborated: "Scent branding is the creation of a scent that delivers on the strategy for a brand.

"It is important as it offers a unique opportunity to connect with the consumers in the best possible ways.

"Using scent as a brand identifier has been slower to catch on outside the fashion industry [where certain retailers, such as Victoria's Secret, have long used fragrance as part of the sensory environment in their stores]. But as it becomes ever more difficult to gain consumers' attention in an increasingly cluttered environment, more and more companies are looking to fragrance to help distinguish their brands from the competition. This is because smell has an impact on the consumers' perception.

"When we work with big corporations, we always take into account fragrances when defining the customer journey. It is often under estimated. But if you think of it, the lobby's environment, what it smells when you come in for the first time will directly impact your perception of the place and give you a first impression about the company. If the company's lobby smells coffee, it sends a certain message to visitors. If the company's lobby has a nice smell of oud or flowers, the message will be completely different."

Scent branding is extremely important, especially in the retail environment. A customer can decide to stay or to leave just because of what it smells like.

Dr Alan Hirsch, founder and neurological director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation suggests that if a company can associate a mood state with a smell, it can transfer those happy feelings to the product. Those who do not lock in that connection risk being left behind.

Hermann Behrens said: "Smells not only build positive association but can also conjure up negative association. Some of these negative smells can even generate fear, like the smell of hospitals and dentists which stir painful memories.

"There have been instances where people cancelled appointments for scans and diagnostics resulting in significant loss of revenue due to the fear of hospitals generated by the smell they experience in the environment," said Hermann.

"In instances where the environment was changed and fragrance was enhanced the cancellations were significantly reduced."

Auroy added: "According to the Sense of Smell Institute, the average human being is able to recognise approximately 10,000 different smells. What's more, people can recall smells with 65 per cent accuracy after a year, while the visual recall of photos sinks to about 50 per cent after only three months.

"That's why smell is important for the brand. It says it all. Through a certain fragrance, you can build brand loyalty," he said.

"As the visual expression is dominating the planet of branding, scent or aroma offers a unique opportunity to create differentiation. It is a powerful way to interact with every consumer."

Scent branding is not simply slapping a scent to a product. A few factors have to be kept in mind before creating or using a smell for a brand. The scent should logically match with the product and its customers and should be a process based on the positioning and personality you want to give your brand. The smell should fit into the environment and smell authentic in order to generate positive reaction.

Explaining how it is done Auroy said: "Well, you first look at the values and the positioning of the brand. Just like the visuals, you come up with a few creative solutions from which one will be selected because it perfectly matches the criteria. The fragrance will be on brand.

"Let me give you an example. If we rebrand a company, we will carefully look at the brand characters and values. Is it a masculine or a feminine brand first?

"This simple distinction, as such, can lead you to total different fragrances. A masculine character will make you build your fragrances around leather, musk, tobacco, wood, amber or chocolate. A more feminine note will make you use more floral, fruity, sweet, aldehydic or spicy.

"From these first insights, we will start working on what could be the signature fragrance for the brand. It will be used in retail, corporate environment or even associated to product packaging," said Auroy.

"Sometimes the fragrance influences the product itself. Landor closely works with P&G and we sometimes help them to decide a certain fragrance for a detergent from a pure branding point of view. Is the fragrance right according to the positioning of the detergent?"

However, Sue Daun, global director of brand experience, The Brand Union warned: "Even though smell is perhaps one of the most powerful in triggering recognition and emotion, it is also true that long-term exposure to a particular scent lessens its effectiveness, so it is important to keep scent revived and relevant in the market place."

Businesses also need to be careful using scents as smells have different associations in various cultures.

The smell of nature after the first rain creates positive associations, especially in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, where people wait for rain all year round but may not be welcomed by people from the United Kingdom who have rains for the better part of the year. The smell of shisha, curry, coconut, oud can tempt and create desired behaviour in audiences in some parts of the world, but it may not appeal to those from other cultures. Curcuma is just a common cooking spice in India but it can be something exotic and different in other parts of the world. So it is best to stick to smells that are internationally accepted and liked.

Talking about aroma branding in the UAE, Behrens said: "In the UAE there are very few brands that use aroma branding, and most of these are international brands, but slowly it is catching on.

"Local brands such as Sensasia spas use lemon-grass scents at their reception that make customers remember Sensasia spas every time they smell lemongrass.

"Dubai-based dentists such as The Dental Spa and the Dental Studio are introducing sensory branding experiences through the use of fragrant flowers, aromatherapy candles, scented towels and herbal tea.

"UAE-based companies can take full advantage of this new branding technique, as the market is becoming more sophisticated by introducing new marketing techniques everyday, moreover, many of these brands are now going into international markets, aroma-branding can help enhance brand recognition and loyalty among consumers."

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