Global trends watch: On the scent trail

From Brand Strategy Magazine February 2008

A clothing brand is scenting its products to cut through the visual clutter of modern marketing and reinforce brand loyalty. Experts believe other brands will soon follow suit, writes Jo Roberts

The mass of visual marketing materials vying for attention these days means brands need to shout louder in the face of growing consumer indifference.

The dissipation of traditional media also means that being seen doesn't necessarily mean a marketing message is being heard.

In a novel attempt to recapture the attention of visually-overloaded consumers, a Swedish fashion label has turned to smell to create a strong brand image and increase sales.

A unique scent has been created to represent the Odeur clothing brand, described as citrus, clean and appealing to both sexes. The fragrance has been embedded into the clothing, and lasts for up to 13 washes. T-shirts, shirts, scarfs and jeans will exude the 'Odeur' smell.

Aromatic for the people

Petter Hollström, managing director of Odeur clothing, says he hopes using a distinctive scent will bring consumers closer to the brand. He explains: "It's about putting a brand in people's minds so that they relate to it. The aim is to build a more personal relationship with the consumer."

Hollström admits that as well as trying to create a more engaging brand, the scent will also divert attention to his collection. He suggests: "Fashion is crowded with brands, so with scent, the brand immediately stands out."

Of course, the aroma is just part of the clothing range, and Hollström asserts that the scent will complement the way the clothing looks and feels. The label is already sold in Sweden, Japan and online. Hollström hopes this multi-sensory brand will have enough impact to bring about a wider distribution of the collection in London and Paris.

Aroma Company, which makes tailored fragrances, worked with Odeur to create its unique blend. Managing director Simon Harrop says there's no reason why using scent in clothing can't become mainstream: "Why doesn't Hugo Boss clothing have a Hugo Boss fragrance? Why doesn't Dior have a Dior scent?"

Harrop says scent personalises a brand and could foster greater loyalty by embedding an emotional connection in the consumer's mind: "We live in a world that's over-dominated by visuals. These senses [smell and touch] go to our deep emotional core and create memories."

It is estimated that 83% of the information we now receive is visual, so there is huge potential to appeal to the other senses.

Creating a brand scent may engage the senses of the consumer, but will it help to sell the product? Doug Glenwright, marketing manager of customer experience at travel agent Thomson, believes it can.

The high-street holiday firm pumps out a coconut aroma in three-quarters of its stores and believes offering a sensory experience pushes customers to book their summer vacation.

Glenwright says the coconut scent evokes the positive feelings of past holidays and puts consumers in the mood to book another getaway.

Thomson is keen to release the memory-enhancing aroma in all its shops. The tactic also puts the company ahead of its rivals, according to Glenwright. "It's emotionally engaging in a different way and makes us stand out from other competitors on the high street," he says. The suntan-lotion smell has also been used on scratch 'n' sniff window posters to get the smell wafting onto the high street.

Norse sense

An odour that might not get such a positive response is the stench that wafts around the Jorvik Viking Centre in York. The pungent aroma of the Viking era is enthusiastically pumped around the museum to give visitors a sense of the smells of the past.

Sarah Maltby, head of attractions at the museum, says people remember the smell for a long time after their visit. "It's something people can take away from the experience," she says.

The distinctive aroma of the museum is renowned, attracting more than 14 million visitors to experience smells such as a Viking toilet. Most recently, the museum has introduced a multi-sensory 'Are You a Viking?' exhibition.

"It's using all the senses - what you can see, what you can smell and, most recently, we have introduced an exhibition you can touch," explains Maltby.

Total brand experience

The Jorvik Viking Centre might be using the senses to provide an interesting platform to learn about history but Martin Lindstrom asserts in his book, Brand Sense, that marques can employ these same techniques to bring brands closer to consumers.

Lindstrom says: "The more sensory touchpoints leveraged when building brands, the higher the number of sensory memories activated. The higher the number of sensory memories activated, the stronger the bonding between brand and consumer."

Aroma Company's Harrop predicts that thinking about the smell, taste, touch and sound, as well as the sight of a brand, will become more mainstream as businesses try harder to differentiate themselves from their competitors: "Brands are realising that… visual communication is becoming less effective."

Odeur might be a pioneer now but in a few years, 'aroma fashion' may have the smell of success.

Key learnings

Think about the type of emotions a smell can evoke and how these feelings could connect positively with a brand.

Scent is a highly personal thing. Overpowering smells can repel consumers instead of connecting with them.

Even brands that don't have an obvious scent can communicate brand values through smell.

Think about all the senses when producing a marketing campaign. Touch, smell, sight, sound and taste will heighten the consumer experience of a brand.

Even if using a public-facing scent is out of the question, thinking about how your brand would smell could help marketing teams or employees to understand brand values.

Trusty trend or fickle fad?

Will fashion stores across the globe soon be awash with scented clothing? Or will Odeur's fragrant clothing range be a one-off?

Ascertaining a consumer trend is about looking at what's going on in the present, according to agency Trendwatching, which defines it as: "A manifestation of something that has unlocked or newly serviced an existing (and hardly ever changing) consumer need, desire, want or value."

Odeur managing director Petter Hollström believes the fragrance in his fashion collection adds value to the brand. Aroma Company's Simon Harrop says consumers already use smell to make purchasing decisions, whether it's smelling different coffee blends to decide which one to buy or taking in the scent of a new car.

Whether there is a consumer desire for scented clothing or other products is more difficult to predict. Rather than gazing into a crystal ball, which Trendwatching warns against, existing evidence of scent marketing needs to be considered.

Thomson travel agency has been using its own holiday scent since 2002, while Unilever's Comfort fabric softener was promoted by using scented shelf edge labels with a button that released fragrance in 500 Co-Op stores in 2007.

Using scent to create a holiday atmosphere in a store pulls on the emotional strings that motivate people to book a trip. Also, the reason people buy a particular fabric softener is largely down to how it smells.

But will scented Gucci clothing sell more than unscented? And would adding scent to mobile phone stores or even phones themselves add value?

For more information from The Aroma Company, contact Val Lord, Tel: 01491 835510
Email: val@aromaco.co.uk