Hungry Yet?

A new study, published in the Journal of Texture Studies, has shown that merely showing pictures of food is not sufficient to produce that mouthwatering sensation that causes people to seek food. Although animals, most notably Pavlov's dogs, will salivate at the thought or anticipation of food, researchers found that the same does not hold true for humans.

When it comes to people, a picture alone is not enough to create that craving for food. The reason, according to the scientists, is that a visual representation is not real enough to convince the brain that food is imminent.

What does this mean for marketers?

If you are promoting a restaurant, catering company, grocery store or other food-related product or service, your marketing would be much more effective if you incorporate the sense of smell. There are many different ways to do this, including scented ink, scented paper, scratch 'n sniff technology and scent strips. Contact IAG to see how joining can get you the best price on scent marketing for your food products.

Scratch 'N Sniff Card Enhances TV Show

BBC in the United Kingdom has partnered with The Aroma Co. to distribute scratch 'n sniff cards to go with their new television show, Filthy Cities. The show will show viewers what it was like in European cities of the past before widespread sanitation.

Residents and visitors to these cities hundreds of years ago had to deal with rotting corpses, bedpans, sewage and a variety of other unpleasant smells. These smells can now come to life to modern viewers thanks to the scratch 'n sniff cards that BBC and the Aroma Co. will be distributing throughout local UK libraries. The cards will be available April 1st.

Billed as "smellovision" this is the first time that smell will be available to the small screen in this low-tech format. BBC is betting that the cards will spark interest in the program and that viewers will be willing to subject themselves to the noxious odors from the past.

Smells Like Lithuania

Lithuania is the first country to come out with a national scent. The scent is meant to invoke the entire history and character of the Baltic nation and its people.

According to its website, the Scent of Lithuania's top notes of bergamot, wild flower , ginger, raspberry, red berries and grapefruit convey the green natural resources, "cozy" cities and energetic people. The floral middle notes, lily of the valley, lilac and rose pay tribute to the country's history and traditions. The woody base notes of amber, tree moss, cedar, sandalwood, patchouli, musk and tree smoke symbolize Lithuania's achievements, including its language, size, and religious tolerance.

The website sells the scent, so you can bring home a little bit of Lithuania. It sells a 25 ml bottle for 28.67 Euros and is intended for ambient scenting.

Since the Independent Aroma Group is an international organization, I would like to put it out to you... If you were to create a scent for your country, what would it smell like? Comment below with your answers.

Are Popular Scents Too Feminine?

The top scents used in scent marketing are vanilla, lavender, citrus and florals, and they do work to increase sales. But are they too feminine? Research shows that men and women have different preferences when it comes to scents. Women's sense of smell is also better than that of men.

Scentsy, a flameless candle company, has a line that it markets to men on the premise that men prefer more woodsy, rich aromas instead of lighter floral and fruit smells. The most popular of their men's line is Hemingway, which includes ripe apples, spice, sandlewood and cedar. Their other men's scents are Embers (amber, bergamot and cedar), Route 66 (citrus, herbs and musk), Echo (spice notes, Mediterranean citrus, blood orange and herbs) and Sharp Dressed Man (grapefruit, lemon, eucalyptus and basil).

An American teen has taken it one step further, with a line of candles for men he has created called ManCans. The thirteen-year-old discovered that he couldn't stand the "girly" scents of the candles his sister was sellling for a school fundraiser, so he decided to make his own with manly smells. His scents include bacon, freshly cut grass, and buttered popcorn. He launched his company in November 2010, and so far, has sold 675 candles for $5 each. Keep an eye out for his upcoming scents: pizza, money to burn, cracker jack and dirt.

Scents Can Help Residents of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

Because scent recalls memories and affects mood, it can be very beneficial for senior citizens who live in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. These facilities, in general, tend to have a musty, hospital type smell which contributes to the low spirits of their residents. A scent solution, whether it is limited to certain areas or is connected to the air conditioning system, can help. Although the sense of smell diminishes somewhat with age, it is still a powerful way to reach those who are infirm, and even those with severe dementia. For patients with Alzheimer's, more recent memory is usually impaired, but older memories may still be available.

In a study, researchers found that 86.8% of those born after 1930 had olfactory-evoked recall, and 61.3% of older respondents who were born before 1930. (Nostalgia: A Neuropsychiatric Understanding; Alan R. Hirsch 1992)

Although the most common memory-related scent is baked goods, nostalgic scents tend to differ by region where the respondents grew up. For those on the east coast of the US, it was flowers; south - fresh air, midwest - farm animals and west coast - barbecued meat brought the memories flooding back. In other countries, scents particular to those regions did the same.

Other scents that can be used in the nursing home setting include citrus to improve mood and lavender to calm agitated residents.

Using Scent in Advertising - Mitsubishi Case Study