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Clik here to view.Using branding, marketers try to establish a positive impression, compel action, and then build customer loyalty.

As a content marketer I am accustomed to considering how appearance and sound (speech, music, text) build brands, but had not thought much about smell until I read Beau Friedlander’s article, “A Brief History of Scent.” The piece discusses the impact of smell on the ways we navigate our world, but I was most interested in the short discussion of scent branding as part of content marketing.

I was raised in ranch country. Now whenever I go somewhere and smell manure and eucalyptus trees it generates childhood associations. I have a flood of memories related to inoculating calves alongside my grandfather and moving Rain Bird sprinklers in the pasture. I hadn’t thought about it, but marketers have been capitalizing on this for a long time. These common associations can powerfully support branding.

In fact, the leading provider of scent marketing is ScentAir. They are a division of Functional Communications Corporation which also supplies Muzak, the largest provider of relaxing elevator music and customized retail sound experiences.

As it says on the ScentAir website, aromas trigger emotions that can benefit marketing efforts. Brands supported by ScentAir include Bloomingdales, Disney, Sony, Hard Rock Hotel, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Marriott, and Coors.

Scent is as much a part of any experience as vision, feel, taste, and hearing. My practice has focused on writing, images, and presentations but I can see how important aromas can be in enhancing the brand experience. As Friedlander notes, there are four applications of scent marketing:

Categories of Scent Marketing

Billboard Scents – A billboard must communicate a limited call to action quickly. It is intended to compel action from the recipient. Billboards are in public places and need to be understood rapidly. An example of a billboard scent would be a candy shop that broadcasts the smell of chocolate to passers-by on the street.

Ambient Scents – Ambient scents create an atmosphere that is conducive to an experience. Just like background music, the smells support the expectations of the customers and augment their participation. Examples would include the new car scent that has been added to the automobile you just purchased, using ocean smells in a swim wear boutique, or the ways a realtor stages a home to create the optimal ambience.

Thematic Scents – A thematic scent supports a season or a motif that is intended to encourage sales. In addition to playing Christmas carols, retail stores broadcast pine scent during the holidays. A circus event theme is supported by the smells of popped corn, cotton candy and corn dogs.

Branding Scents – Just like the logo, standard fonts, colors, and store design, signature smells can help to differentiate the brand from the competition. An example would be the adoption of a unique smell for all Rolls Royce vehicles or the smell that greets you when you come into the lobby of every Mandalay Bay resort. Just as the look and sound can subliminally impact the customer’s recognition of the brand, carrying the scent throughout all contact with the business will help to build visibility and loyalty.

Scent Marketing Parallels all Branding Strategies

These categories parallel the ways we communicate with our other senses for marketing purposes. For instance, text communications include billboards, email, direct mail, white papers, blogs, brochures, websites, and social media. We adapt the kinds of contact messaging we do to the format and the intended audience. The same is true for scent marketing.

If you would like to learn more about scent marketing, check out the ScentMarketing Institute . Their website has a lot of information.

Just as we do best if we leave written content, video, music, and graphic design to the experts, adding aromas to the content marketing mix on a large scale is better handled by specialists. They know what the options are and which are more likely to be effective. Adding scent to your content marketing mix could be a great way to support your brand.

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