Sensory branding to influence consumers in 2010

Retailers have known for decades that a shopping experience should be a complete experience. This is especially true in the current climate of uncertainty and financial hardship. Consumers are looking to retailers for an escape from the daily grind; a place where they can lose themselves, feel happy, and trigger good memories. So it’s no wonder that scent marketing is a core component of multi-sensory branding, and often involves developing an exclusive fragrance for a company to perfectly complement  their brand identity/personality.

A wide variety of specialty retailers are adopting scent strategies to enhance sales including Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Jimmy Choo, Hallmark and Abercrombie & Fitch, The hardest hit auto industry has also started using scent to attract customers. “Strategic scents have been proven to increase the shopper’s dwelling time by as much as 40% in a retail environment,” says C. Russell Brumfield, author of “Whiff! The Revolution of Scent Communication in the Information Age.”

Travel examples: Singapore Airlines introduced a branded scent over 15 years ago, making them the poster child of multi-sensory marketing. More recently (2006), Starwood Hotel’s Westin brand sparked the hotel scenting frenzy by launching its signature White Tea scent for their “This is How It Should Feel” campaign, centered on personal renewal, well being and restoration of the mind, body and spirit.  Moreover, Club Med has been scenting shared areas of their Crested Butte and Cancun Yucatan resorts for years.

Now, Omni Hotels is taking its sensory branding to the next level by making a lasting emotional impression on guests with customized scents “based on the destination’s particular ambiance” which they refer to as the ‘local color’ experience that they’re looking to create for each hotel.