Branding through the nose
Posted by joe
Some businesses smell an opportunity to really tie together their integrated marketing communications. They communicate distinct brand identity through the scents that customers smell in their stores or hotels. Read more at “The smell of success” (Baltimore Sun, January 19, 2012), watch a short Early Show news story (4:35) below, or check out ScentAir Technologies website.
Place yourself in the marketing department for ScenAir. What types of businesses would be good opportunities to pursue? Go beyond those mentioned in the article and video. How could you promote the product to your new target market?
Tags: Branding, Integrated marketing communications
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012 at 5:31 pm and is filed under Promotion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
This would be a great product for all grocery stores as well as any business in the food industry, such as restaurants. In addition to the scents coming from the kitchen, guests could potentially smell enhanced flavors through the scent machines and be more likely to order more food. Vacation resorts could also benefit. Guests can walk into a hotel in the mountains during the cold ski season and smell hot chocolate or coffee, and be more likely to purchase a delicious hot drink. A resort in the tropics could make their resort, on the other hand, smell fruity and tropical, which would make guests be more likely to purchase fruity mixed drinks or smoothies. Samples of the scents and brochures explaining how the scents would increase profits could be one way to promote the scent machines to these new target markets. In addition, ScentAir could offer the restaurants and resorts a 30 day free trial and track the changes in sales.
January 25th, 2012 at 10:12 pmScentAir definitely has a unique product that could be adapted to many different types of businesses. Some of the obvious businesses that ScentAir may market to are grocery stores, restaurants, and hotels, as mentioned in the article; however, their target market can be so much more broad. They could target smaller mom-and-pop shops such as bakeries, gas stations, and convenient stores. Also, since they have scents besides just foods, they could increase their target market to include clothing stores, book stores, and malls. By simply having a vanilla scent or other neutral smell, stores could provide a soothing scent for their customers while they shop just as grocery stores provide the scent of food while customers shop. Another area ScentAir should look in to targeting would be places that provide services such as the dentist, doctor’s offices, and even places such as the DMV. By providing pleasant scents, maybe people will have a better memory of their experiences at these places that may or may not be so pleasant to visit. ScentAir could market to these areas by letting them have a free trial of one for 30-60 days or giving a discount on the first one. They could also sell the product in bulk for a discount too in order to sell more at a time. ScentAir definitely has a new and interesting item and needs to capture all of the potential their product has to offer.
January 28th, 2012 at 11:51 amI believe that this grocery store in Brooklyn, New York has started a future trend and does not even realize it . This product could be used in several different businesses in several different ways; simply from a grocery store to resturants, shopping malls, hotels and even colleges. The ScentAir has obviously shown great potential and an increase in sales. This product is an interesting technique in advertising several products through smell. I feel the scentAir will leave a positive impact on customers, causing an increase in returning customers for each business using the product. I am looking forward to seeing where the ScentAir will end up next.
January 30th, 2012 at 1:35 pmThe concept of targeting the sense of smell as a way to market to customers is extremely interesting and unique. Many grocery stores, super markets, and restaurants could use this technique as a very effective marketing method to attract customers to buy more items than they were originally planning on purchasing. Some industries, particularly clothing and retail stores, already use the sense of smell to attract customers to make purchases by spraying their signature cologne or perfume on their products. Using a ScentAir machine as a method of promotion in the food industry seems like something that could really catch on in the future.
January 30th, 2012 at 5:21 pmOne possible place that ScenAir could try to market their product would be to mountain enthusiast stores. How interesting would it be to go into a store that caters to hiking and camping fanatics, and they immediately smell pine and campfire? Wouldn’t it make them long to get out camping? And wouldn’t all the new products right around them be great to take along on their new adventure? Of course!
January 31st, 2012 at 2:29 pmScentAir is a very smart business plan to market. It affects the product element of the 4 P’s. The product doesn’t have to be limited to grocery items but can be used in almost any market with a retail store. If I were in the ScentAir marketing department I would do more research to find what scents create a relaxed environment encouraging people to purchase anything. That way the scent can be anything not just a grapefruit at a store. With the right research a clean refreshing scent at a bank could encourage opening new accounts. The ideas are endless and could apply to all aspect of influencing buying and selling through scent marketing.
February 4th, 2012 at 4:46 pmFor the past 3 years, I have worked part time in an assisted living, and ScentAir is one of the products that I am familiar with. We use it on the other spectrum of smells: the ones you don’t particularly wish to inhale. We use it as a way to cover up unwanted smells that an assisted living/nursing home might have. I have personally witnessed multiple statements from residents and family members about how great it smelled, and how welcoming the facility was because of it. No one wants to bring their loved one into a place that smells of “old people” and sickness. ScentAir provides a way to make a nursing home or hospital, or any place for that matter, more inviting and welcoming.
February 8th, 2012 at 9:46 pmI was in the Fort Collins, CO Walmart three days ago and noticed a new marketing technique that had been applied to the food aisle. this marketing approach included a video screan presenting a product that appealed to kids, such as cookies or candy. I also walked by a cookie aisle with my friend and she stoped and gasped, “do you smell that; it smells like cookies!” I realized it did actually smell like cookies. I then noticed we were next to the candle aisle. All else asside, I was astounded with how much I wanted cookies after making the smell connection. Im glad to see that such powerfull and inovative marketing techniques are being constructed. I wonder if any ethical issues will be brought to trial using the Wheeler-Lea Amendment. Overal an interesting and inovative marketing mix
February 8th, 2012 at 11:08 pm