News
Date: december 12 2008
You really can smell fear, say scientists
The smell of fear, one of the most terrible cliches of pulp fiction, is actually founded in fact, scientists claim today.
People can unconsciously detect whether someone is stressed or scared by smelling a chemical pheromone released in their sweat, according to researchers who have investigated the underarm secretions of petrified skydivers.
The team found that the smell of fear triggered a heightened response in brain regions associated with fear when inhaled by volunteers in a brain scanner. The research suggests that, like many animal species, humans can detect and subconsciously respond to pheromones released by other people.
The research was funded by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency - the Pentagon's military research wing - raising speculation that it is a first step to isolating the fear pheromone for use in warfare, perhaps to induce terror in enemy troops. But Darpa denied that it had any military plans for fear pheromones or plans to fund further research into the field.
Dr Lilianne Mujica-Parodi at Stony Brook University in New York State and her team taped absorbent pads to the armpits of 20 novice skydivers - 11 men and nine women - on their first tandem jump. The pads soaked up sweat before they leapt from the plane and as they fell. For comparison, the team collected sweat from the same individuals as they ran on a treadmill for a similar duration at the same time of day they had made their jump.
They transferred the two types of sweat to nebulisers and asked volunteers in a brain scanner to breath it in. The team did not tell the volunteers about the experiment. New Scientist magazine reported that the volunteers' amygdala and hypothalamus - brain regions associated with fear - were more active in people who breathed in the "fear" sweat. The volunteers in the brain scanner were unable consciously to distinguish between the two types of sweat.
In a conference presentation last year, Mujica-Parodi wrote: "We demonstrate here the first direct evidence for a human alarm pheromone ... our findings indicate that there may be a hidden biological component to human social dynamics, in which emotional stress is, quite literally, 'contagious'." She declined to comment further on the results because the study is under review with a scientific journal.
Simon Wessely, a psychiatrist at the King Centre for Military Health Research at King's College London, told New Scientist that the idea that a fear pheromone could be developed as a chemical weapon was scientifically implausible. He said that a purely physiological cue was not enough to induce fear.
Most researchers do not believe that humans can detect pheromones. In other mammals this is done using a structure in the nose called the vomeronasal organ. Although humans have one of these it is not connected to the brain. However, human pheromones could still be detected elsewhere and some small studies have suggested that human behaviour can be modified by an alarm pheromone.
Date: November 24 2008
Scent marketing industry skyrockets in crumbling retail economy
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–While historical declines in US retail sales were reported by the Commerce Department last week, investors in the scent marketing industry welcomed the news as record numbers of retailers increasingly turn to alternative methods of merchandising to boost sales.
According to Harald Vogt, Founder of the Scent Marketing Institute, industry executives are reporting a rush of new inquiries from major retailers from every corner of the retail spectrum. His view is that this activity is directly correlated to the sagging economy, and that retailers and mall operators are gearing up for a competitive holiday shopping season.
Companies already using scent to enhance sales include Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Jimmy Choo, Lane Bryant, Hallmark, Guess? and Abercrombie & Fitch, while a wider variety of specialty retailers are adopting scent strategies. The hardest hit auto industry has also started using scent to attract customers. Some Lexus and Toyota dealerships are using the tactic, and General Motors has rolled out a signature scent for their dealerships, according to Citron Arbel, CEO of Air Aroma America.
“Strategic scents have been proven to increase the shopper’s dwelling time by as much as 40 percent in a retail environment,” affirms C. Russell Brumfield, author of Whiff! The Revolution of Scent Communication in the Information Age. The book reveals dozens of studies conducted on the effects of scent on the consumer. “The science shows that specific scents can increase sales from 20 to over 90 percent in some studies,” states Brumfield. “Since the economy started to tail-spin in recent months, we’ve heard from some very big companies wanting to adopt scent strategies”
Savvy investors have also jumped into the scent marketing game. The Whiff! book covers the biggest industry players. Richard Weening, co-founder and former chairman of Cumulus Media (the nation’s second largest radio station owner) now runs one of the biggest scent marketing companies called Prolitec. Alerion Partners has invested millions in Charlotte-based ScentAir, where digital-media venture capitalist Tom Conroy took the reigns as CEO in June.
Australia-based Air Aroma has distributors in 35 countries. DMX has added strategic scent marketing to its in-store music business, and UK-based $5-billion Rentokill rolled out its newly branded Ambius subsidiary in the US and Europe earlier this year. Private research firms predict that this fledgling market will soar into billions in revenues in the coming years.
Whiff! book author Brumfield sees a golden opportunity for skittish investors in this uncertain economy. Brumfield adds, “Along with real estate, when you see blood on the streets, buy stock in the next big marketing phenomenon—scent.”
Whiff! book author Russell Brumfield is frequently cited source in print and broadcast stories on the scent marketing industry, strategies, and case studies. For more information about the scent marketing industry and scent news, visit www.askthewhiffguys.com . The book Whiff!
The Revolution of Scent Communication in the Information Age is available at www.amazon.com
Date: oktober 1 2008
Gamblers spend more in scented casinos
New research about scent marketing seem to be popping up all over. Salon.com’s recent piece about scent marketing mentions some interesting studies I hadn’t heard about. In one study, a floral scent was dispersed in a specific area of a casino over the course of a weekend. Gamblers in that area of the casino spent 45% more money that weekend, when other areas of the casino saw the same spending as usual. Yes, 45% more money. Incredible. In another study, a lily-of-the-valley scent was correlated with shoppers having more positive attitudes about pajamas (and buying more). But the scent of sea mist didn’t have such an affect.
Date: august 6 2008
Scent Marketing Success: Step 1 of 10
1) Understand the potential of scent
The sense of smell is the strongest of all human senses. It reminds us of experiences – good and bad – we may have had decades ago. Scent travels straight to the limbic system in our brain – which is responsible for memory and emotion.
For marketing purposes, scents have proven to work well in two areas:
• The Cognitive, in which they make us recognize a product and trigger a desire or memory that may end up in a decision or a purchase. The ideal application is to stop a passer-by by projecting that product’s scent into her path. Consumer research shows that once a scent is dispersed, related products are perceived of higher quality and value. For instance a scented toilet paper was perceived softer than the identical, unscented version.
• The Emotional, in which scents make us feel comfortable, “at home”, influencing our perception of the passing of time (slower in a scented environment as proven in Las Vegas casinos) and space (a scented room is perceived larger than an unscented room). Scent can generate an environment where we like to stay longer and consume more.
The key potential of scent marketing for a brand is the lasting association of a scent with a certain event or environment. Evoking a positive sensory experience with your brand can give your product or service an edge in a sea of consumer choices.
Courtesy of Harald Vogt, Scent Marketing Institute