Scent Basics: What is Scent Marketing, Scent Branding and Ambient Scent?
You may have heard these common scent-related marketing terms thrown around together: scent marketing, scent branding and ambient scent. However, they are not so interchangeable. Let’s look at the similarities and differences between each of them.
What is Scent Branding?
Scent / Aroma Marketing is a type of sensory marketing targeted only in part to the consumer’s sense of smell.
In general, scent branding and scent / aroma marketing are the same thing. Scent branding is more than just using a pleasant aroma in a specific space. It is about creating a signature scent that is associated with a brand, helping to create a stronger bond with consumers, thus becoming part of the company’s brand identity. The smell is unique to each individual company and brand. Think of scent branding as the company’s olfactory logo, akin to a company’s design logo, except targeting the nose of consumers.
For example, the famous signature scent of Singapore Airlines Stefan Floridian Waters.
Ambient Scent
Ambient Scent is similar to scent marketing, however not as brand focused and affiliated. The scent used in ambient selling space is not associated with the brand or company. Ambient scent uses fragrance to enhance the experience of consumers with different purposes, whereas scents in scent branding are unique to each company’s identity. For example, in healthcare, lavender is used for relaxation and to create an overall feeling of trust. Other categories of scents are used to improve the lingering time in store, leading to more consumer purchases, as the amount of time spent in store and overall basket value has a strong correlation. Some scents are also proven to improve the work space, therefore increasing productivity among employees.
Why Have a Scent Brand?
“A Samsung study found that when consumers were exposed to a company scent, shopping time was increased by 26% and they visited three times more product categories.”
Consumers will know your brand without even having to see your design logo — just need to smell your brand. A scent attracts people with more impact than any visual or sound. This is because smell is linked to the part of your brain which processes emotion, learning and memory. The olfactory system of the body (sense of smell) has a direct route to the brain, triggering memories and emotions faster than sight and hearing.
Scent branding is important to take advantage of how powerful our sense of smell is and how smell is linked to recollection of memories. Have you noticed many times, a smell is what sets off a flashback memory in your mind? Many experiences get linked to a scent. The use of scent marketing helps drawing out these memories to foster associations with your brand.
Because memories and smells are linked, scent marketing allows brands to capitalise these memories and trigger fond associations with their brand.
