Marketing olfativo, a la conquista del ‘otro sentido’

Ilustración: Carolina Gamboa

Por Deisy Paredes Molano

Estimular los sentidos del consumidor para llevarlo a adquirir un producto, es una de las razones de ser de la publicidad. Sin embargo, la mayoría de las estrategias se han enfocado en lo visual y lo auditivo. Olfabrand ScentAir, una firma recién llegada al país, propone encantar el olfato de los compradores para atraerlos.

Si bien este es un concepto nuevo en el sector, se encuentra fundamentado en un estudio realizado por la firma de investigaciones Millward Brown en Estados Unidos, que señala que actualmente el 84% de las comunicaciones de marketing se realizan de forma visual, auditiva en un 12%, y olfativa apenas alcanza el 2%; mientras en el futuro se pronostica que disminuirá la participación del sentido visual y aumentará la participación del sentido olfativo debido a que es un sentido diferenciador que se dirige a las zonas primarias del cerebro donde se almacenan los recuerdos y se crean las emociones.

Por otro lado, los ganadores del Premio Nobel de Medicina y fisiología en 2004, Richard Axel y Linda B. Back, reconocieron el potencial del sistema olfativo al concluir que mientras que el ser humano apenas reconoce 200 colores, es capaz de recordar hasta 10.000 fragancias.

“El mayor potencial del sentido del olfato no sólo es crear top of mind, ya que es el único sentido que llega directamente al sistema límbico y por lo tanto tiene la capacidad de traer un recuerdo a la mente del consumidor y generar emociones positivas hacia la marca que represente ese olor, aumentando su top of heart”, explica Andrés Astaiza, vicepresidente ejecutivo de Olfabrand.

Fuente: Brandsense de Martin Linstrom Publisher: Kogan Page Ltda.

Olfabrand es dirigida por tres socios colombianos, llegó al país en agosto del año pasado como aliada de Scent Air Technologies, una firma estadounidense especializada en marketing olfativo que inició operaciones en 2000 y que hoy es considerada como líder en este campo. Su primer acercamiento con el mercado nacional fue a través de algunas de las más importantes agencias publicitarias, a las cuales acudieron para presentar su producto y exponer las ventajas de adicionar el sentido del olfato a las campañas de mercadeo.

“Con algunas multinacionales publicitarias hemos desarrollado comunicaciones multisensoriales para importantes clientes como Bavaria, Alpina y Bubble Gummers. Otros clientes como los hoteles Sheraton, Nestlé de Colombia, LG Colombia y Unilever son atendidos directamente por nosotros debido al tipo de trabajo que requieren. Aunque apenas se está conociendo este tipo de marketing, está bien sustentado por firmas muy importantes en el mundo, pues ya el 35 por ciento de empresas líderes en Estados Unidos – como Procter & Gamble, Colgate, CocaCola, entre otras– lo están implementando en sus campañas o en su visual merchandising”, añade Astaiza

Creación de estrategia
Cuando se trata de productos alimenticios o con un aroma ya conocido como el arequipe o el pan francés la estrategia de marketing olfativo se centra en reforzarlo para motivar al consumidor a adquirirlos, esto sobre todo en puntos de venta.

“Entonces, el sentido del olfato, genera diferenciación y acción de compra: si pones un aviso de revista que huela a pan francés o si pasas por el anaquel y huele, te antojas. Pero en el caso de servicios como un banco o puntos de venta como una tienda de ropa, el sentido del olfato establece una experiencia de marca que finalmente influye en la decisión de compra o la construcción de marca”, señala Andrés Fernando Zapata, director estratégico de Olfabrand.

Sin embargo, si la estrategia debe ser desarrollada para un producto o servicio que no tiene una fragancia asociada, Olfabrand establece todo un plan de realización, a través de su herramienta metodológica InspiringSenses, que incluye un análisis de las marcas de la categoría – para lograr diferenciación -, un mapa de conexiones con el consumidor, la identificación de los elementos esenciales de la estrategia de marca o la estrategia creativa y un planteamiento estratégico de la experiencia olfativa. Una vez hecho esto, se determina el concepto creativo de la fragancia y se envía al departamento de fragancias de Scent Air Technologies, quien propone tres marcas olfativas posibles. Se presentan al cliente y luego de realizar algunos sondeos de marca, eligen una, y hacen un piloto durante un mes, después del cual, se termina de concretar la estrategia de comunicación olfativa o multisensorial y la logística para implementarla.

“La estrategia permite que las personas se ubiquen en ciertos contextos o territorios del pasado, del presente o hasta del futuro, y así se potencializa el poder del olfato para generar emociones; además de la diferenciación y la relevancia que genera una estrategia olfativa”, explica Astaiza.

Dentro de su portafolio de fragancias, Olfabrand cuentan con más de mil referencias que provienen de India, Alemania, y Estados Unidos; aunque ya se estudia la posibilidad de trabajar con algunos proveedores nacionales para atender otro tipo de requerimientos.

Aplicaciones Olfativas
Según Astaiza, el marketing olfativo se puede utilizar tanto para campañas ATL como para BTL.

1.Paraderos de buses: Un sensor expulsa la fragancia del anunciante sólo cuando detecta al consumidor en movimiento.
2.Impresos: En una revista o en flyers se puede vincular hasta 25 fragancias en una misma página.
3.CRM: Se puede crear una experiencia en un correo directo para que cuando un consumidor lo abra se vincule con un recuerdo o tenga una experiencia multisensorial con la marca, como pasa al destapar la caja de un Ipod.
4.Puntos de venta: En tiendas de ropa, por ejemplo, se desarrolla un identificador olfativo que se difumina con tecnología inteligente y que incrementa la experiencia de marca y el tiempo de permanencia de un consumidor hasta en un 200%.
5.Lanzamiento de producto: Por ejemplo, en el lanzamiento de la cerveza Redd´s de Bavaria se creó un ambiente olfativo para las mujeres que se relacionaba con el sabor frutal de la cerveza, en puntos clave del evento.
6.Eventos: Para grandes áreas como un edificio o un auditorio se utiliza un sistema patentado que se adapta al sistema central del aire acondicionado para que finalmente el olor se distribuya en todo el ambiente con mucha precisión.
7.Interactivos: se utiliza una memoria USB de 512 Megas con olor, o difusores de olor que se activan cuando el consumidor entra al website de la marca.

Astaiza también explica que “No sólo se trata de crear una experiencia olfativa que genere ventas, sino de aportar a la salud de la marca. Trabajamos de la mano de las agencias de publicidad y branding, pues ellas no son nuestra competencia sino un complemento para seducir al consumidor y alcanzar los resultados que el cliente espera. De hecho, nuestra variable para entrar con ellas fue la diferenciación y la innovación”.



En comparación con los medios tradicionales, el marketing olfativo es una técnica muy económica, ya que a diferencia del costo de un minuto en televisión, un minuto en el punto de venta o retail puede costar 15 pesos.

Entre los clientes de Olfabrand ya se encuentran cervezas, productos alimenticios, restaurantes, hoteles e incluso bancos, que han encontrado en esta opción otra forma de posicionar su producto o servicio.

Brands target sense of smell

By Reena Amos Deyes, Emirates Business 24/7


Smell is one of the most powerful senses. Memories, imagination, old sentiments and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than through any other channel.

In humans there are four genes for vision, whereas there are 1,000 allocated to scent, which means we have the ability to differentiate more than 10,000 odours.

According to the Sense of Smell Institute, 75 percent of all emotions we generate are due to what we smell. Businesses are well aware of this and for years they have used the power of scent as an important marketing tool.

Although scent branding is still a relatively new approach throughout the world, experiential branding is a rapidly growing trend and more and more companies are realising the power of scent to build these experiences. In 2003, about $30 million (Dh110m) was spent on aroma marketing around the world, by 2010 that figure is set to reach $220 million.

Explaining the importance of aromas, Olivier Auroy, general manager in the Dubai office of Landor Aoociates, told Emirates Business: "To understand the importance of aromas, think of the kind of feelings and emotions you have when you smell something good.

"In some shopping malls in Europe, they diffuse an artificial fragrance of cooked bread near the food court as it usually stimulates the visitors' appetite and takes them to the restaurants.

"Research has shown, for example, that the smell of a roasted chicken was the most universal appetising smell in the world."

Now brands are set on a new quest to enhance their image through the use of aromas. This new formula is called aroma branding or olfactory branding.

Hermann Behrens, CEO of The Brand Union, Middle East, said: "The branding trend is moving towards experience and every day it is becoming more and more difficult to reach out to audiences through different touch points. Eighty-three percent of the commercial communication we're exposed to every day is crafted to appeal to just our eyes.

"However, aromas, if used wisely, help build those experiences as they create memories and emotions.

"Aroma branding helps build memorable emotional connections and recognition of a brand through scent. Moreover, it facilitates the perception of higher-quality products, enhances the environment, and boosts your brand identity."

The most well-known examples of successful aroma branding are from Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Crayola. Their brands have now become the owners of generic smells.

For example, Johnson & Johnson has become the baby smell. With the success of its baby lotions and powders, J&J is instantly recognisable and evokes the association of how sweet and clean babies smell.

The smell of Crayola crayons is also instantly recognisable and can take most of us on a nostalgic trip back to childhood. Crayola's smell is ranked 18 among the 20 most recognisable smells in the United States.

Some aromas have such strong association with the brand, that companies, such as KFC, now regard their signature aroma as one of their key brand ambassadors.

Auroy elaborated: "Scent branding is the creation of a scent that delivers on the strategy for a brand.

"It is important as it offers a unique opportunity to connect with the consumers in the best possible ways.

"Using scent as a brand identifier has been slower to catch on outside the fashion industry [where certain retailers, such as Victoria's Secret, have long used fragrance as part of the sensory environment in their stores]. But as it becomes ever more difficult to gain consumers' attention in an increasingly cluttered environment, more and more companies are looking to fragrance to help distinguish their brands from the competition. This is because smell has an impact on the consumers' perception.

"When we work with big corporations, we always take into account fragrances when defining the customer journey. It is often underestimated. But if you think of it, the lobby's environment, what it smells when you come in for the first time, will directly impact your perception of the place and give you a first impression about the company. If the company's lobby of smells coffee, it sends a certain message to visitors. If the company's lobby has a nice smell of flowers, the message will be completely different."

© 2008 Arab Media Group. All rights reserved.

This article was first published in Emirates Business 24/7 (20 June 2008).

Making scents of multisensory marketing

Leading European shoe emporium Humanic ducts carefully selected scents through different areas on their shop floor: men make their selection while inhaling the sophisticated aroma of a gentlemen’s club; women breathe in a luxurious and heady floral note; a tropical bouquet enlivens the sports wear section, and in the children’s section, a calming, fruity fragrance prevails.

Sceptics shouldn’t turn their nose up at the suggestion that specific aromas do inspire the urge to splurge in your customers. More and more research reveals a tangible link between a fragrance’s bottom notes and the bottom line.

A study of Café & Co, a European coffee shop, showed the staying power that scent installations had on the customer, encouraging him or her to linger longer and spend more time – and money.

South African marketers are quick to sniff out new trends internationally and climb on the band wagon prematurely, but local marketers are cautioned against merely trying it out as a novel add-on without fully understanding it or creating real value in the lives of your customer.


Leia na integra: http://www.thebrandunion.com/News/Detail/142/MakingScentsOfMultisensoryMarketing

Gary Bryant
Executive Director Consulting Services, The Brand Union, Johannesburg
13 maio 2008

Sensory Branding

By Martin Lindstrom author of BRAND sense, Simon & Schuster New York

Advertising ain’t what it used to be. Let’s face it. Despite the fact that we’re using more and more marketing resources communicating with consumers, the returns are ever diminishing. According to the Newspaper Advertising Bureau, in 1965 34 percent of consumers in the US could name the brand of a commercial aired during a show. Thirty years later only 8% were capable of doing this. By the time the American consumer reaches the ripe old age of 65, they have been exposed to two million television commercials. This means that they’ve spent and equivalent of eight hours each day, seven days a week, watching commercials without a break for close to six years!

Leia na integra: http://www.globalleadersevents.com/downloads/downloads/5-Sensory-Branding.pdf

About Martin Lindstrom
Martin Lindstrom is recognized by the Chartered Institute of Marketing as one of the world's primary branding gurus. He’s an adviser to several Fortune 500 brands including Disney, Mars, Pepsi, LEGO, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, Reuters, Visa, Pepsi, McDonald's, Kellogg's, Ericsson, Yellow Pages and Microsoft. Lindstrom has authored four bestselling books on branding – BRAND sense is his latest in the series.

Citroen adds a sense of smell to the new C4 - 2ª

In total there are nine different fragrances available for the new Citroen C4, split into three groups: Vitality: mint and musk; jasmine and mimosa; citrus and passion. Travel: vanilla; cinnamon and ginger; amber and sandalwood. Well-being: lotus flower; soft lavender; ylang and bamboo.

But it was not just Citroen that had to develop new systems and processes for its entry into the perfume and fragrance market. Its dealers are also being trained!

Each new Citroen C4 is delivered with a kit of three refills, one from each group, which is enough to last for around six months of normal use. At the six-month anniversary of the purchase of the Citroen C4, owners will be invited via a letter scented with a fragrance, Cinnamon and Ginger, not issued with the C4, to return to their Citroen dealer for refills.

Here they will find a special display counter holding 108 scent cartridges, brochures and scratch and sniff tabs that will allow C4 owners to take samples home before buying refills.

"Citroen's decision to launch the perfume diffuser with the C4 was a strategic decision that we knew would provide customer benefits and being customers to our dealerships," says Oliver Lehmann. "Now that the C4 is on sale it is clear that this innovative programme is, indeed, introducing new customers to Citroen as well as bringing them to our dealers' parts departments. The programme clearly has the sweet smell of success!"

The new Citroen C4 is an advanced automobile in many ways other than the olfactory system, and will introduce several major innovations in addition to its advanced aerodynamics. Both the Coupé and Hatchback have outstanding aerodynamics, with a drag coefficient of just 0.28 that will help keep fuel consumption and emissions right down.

Among the numerous innovations that the new C4 will bring to the class is a multi-functional fixed centred controls steering wheel, which offers easy access to the centrally-mounted controls. In addition, its unique design will enhance safety by allowing the housing of a specially designed airbag that offers greater protection to the driver.

The new Citroen C4 will also boast other advanced safety features, such as an involuntary lane-departure warning system, designed to help prevent drivers from losing concentration or falling asleep at the wheel, as well as moving, dual-function directional Xenon headlamps, which provide improved lighting when cornering.

Other equipment normally reserved for more expensive cars includes a speed limiter and tyre pressure warning system. On top of this, the new C4 is also set to be the only car in the class to offer laminated glass side windows, which will not only provide maximum protection against break-ins, but also enhance the acoustic comfort inside the cabin.

Drivers will further benefit from the unique, translucent instrument cluster that is able to adjust to ambient light, giving a clear read-out no matter what the light conditions.

Powering the new C4 will be a wide range of the Company's very latest petrol and HDi common rail diesel engines, most of which will meet Euro IV emission standards, offering a broad range of performance - from 90hp to 180hp for petrol and 92hp to 138hp for diesel.