Why Scent Marketing has Become an Important Tool in Modern Business

To the lay man, the idea of scent marketing may seem a little strange. After all, scents are used only to hide bad smells or to help freshen a room up, surely. But the fact is that research in recent decades has been consistent in upholding the idea that smell has a strong psychological effect on people, helping consumers to feel happier and less hesitant to make purchases, and leading clients to feel more confident in the companies they hire. The whole area of sensory marketing has proven to be quite an effective sector, with elements that cater to each of the senses. The most common are those for hearing, such as specific music in a supermarket, for example, and vision, such as features like signage, artwork and even the array of office plants that might be employed as part of an interior landscaping plan. However, it is smell that is arguably the most influential over the decisions people make and moods they are in. With that in mind, automatic fragrance dispensing systems have been developed, such as the microfresh system, that release scent into the air to help create a mood and encourage a particular course of action. When one wants to know just how highly influential smell is, the perfect example is the use of freshly brewed coffee by real estate agents wishing to help prospective buyers of a property to feel more at home. The homely aroma, and its association with the informal, relaxed pleasure that is sitting down to drink a mug, is designed to evoke a memory of home. The same principal is applied to businesses that want to attract shoppers, with many of the brand stores that sell soaps, perfumes and other such items, directing scents outside their shop doorway and into the crowds walking past. The idea is that some shoppers will be attracted by the smell and enter, and then feel so welcome that they stay and browse for a statistically longer period of time. In offices, where there is no actual stock to sell, scent can be used for other purposes. Instead of prompting a reaction or recalling a memory, the scent in an office is designed to lift the spirits amongst staff and to provide clients with a positive experience of the company. Basically, the pleasant feeling created by the scent helps to develop a better relationship between company and client and, ultimately, may help to secure some valuable extra business. Of course, in all cases, simply drenching people in perfume is unlikely to win any favours. After all, too much scent can turn what is pleasant into something sickly, proving itself to be counterproductive. This is why automatic scent dispensers have been developed. These dispensers can be fixed to the ceiling, to a wall or placed on a table, and are generally small enough to go unnoticed. Some strategic positioning ensures that workers in every corner of an office can benefit, and the dispensers can release as much as 0.5ml or 0.8ml of scent per hour. The fact that the scent is released in vapour form, means that the scent stays air borne for as long as four hours, where there is no residue falling onto the floor or furniture below. Importantly, the system is not at all similar to the canned air fresheners that can be commonly bought in any supermarket. The aerosol cans contain dangerous solvents but these are not present in the dispensing systems, just pure fragrance is released silently and effectively. The range of fragrances available for dispensing systems like microfresh, including vanilla to woodland aromas, but it is also possible to have specific fragrances developed. This is something which some of the bigger brand names in the world are favouring more and more, in an effort to get ahead of the competition. Having one aroma associated with one brand means that whenever the scent wafts its way across the nose of an individual, that he or she will immediately associate the smell with the brand name. Through scent marketing, companies are very much capable to implanting a preference into the minds of a consumer or client without them ever knowing. And while it is not as obvious as the visual impact of sculptures, fountains or even office plants, it is still hugely efficient in what it does.