Scent as a Differentiator

At Las Vegas CityCenter, to get people to buy what is essentially a very costly lifestyle accessory — or a third home, they wanted to appeal not just to the minds of prospective buyers but also to “their emotions, psyche, heart and soul.”  One key to creating it, he thought, would be to employ the power of scent.

In real estate, a basic form of scent marketing has been around for decades; consider the seller’s trick of placing a freshly baked apple pie or cookies in the kitchen, which makes a house feel more like a home. The problem is one of scale he notes. ScentAir’s technology, originally developed for military simulators and theme park rides, is now used by Toll Brothers, D. R. Horton and other major builders to sell thousands of new homes nationwide.

Companies are also intrigued by the potential of using smell to unleash memories — positive, deeply held ones that could then be associated with the products offered — and also to strengthen brand memory. “The emotional power of smell-triggered memory has an intensity unequaled by sight- and sound-triggered ones,” wrote Rachel Herz, a Brown University neuroscientist, in a paper summing up more than a decade of her research.  Read more (NY Times Magazine)