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Posts Tagged ‘product scent’

Fragrance delivers a “scents” of place…

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Fragrance Trends, Product Trends, tagged , , , , , on November 17, 2009| 2 Comments »

Just returned from a weekend jaunt to “The Sweetest Place on Earth”, a/k/a Hershey Park.  But was my favorite part of the visit the sanity-defying rides?  The cardiac-arrest inducing roller-coasters?  The wallet-emptying shopping?  Or was it the brief tour of the mock chocolate factory in Hershey’s Chocolate World?  Bingo!

So, what was it about a 5-minute Disneyesque ride through a simulated chocolate factory that I found so appealing?  For starters, within seconds of entering the darkened ride, cacao’s appealing scent gently tickled my nose and I instantly found myself on the alert!  By minute two, I was immersed in full-blown chocolate-scented heaven.  By the end of the ride, I couldn’t wait to hit the shop and stock up on an assortment of every product that had been featured in the ride!

Afterwards, I couldn’t help but wonder if my nearly primitive reaction had been exacerbated by the scent of chocolate which further enhanced the stimulating visual experience of the “brown gold” pouring all around me.   Had the scent not been a prominent part of the ride, would my reaction have been the same?  I don’t think so.  As interesting as the chocolate manufacturing process is, it was the scent’s “promise” of what I would soon be tasting that prompted my guttural response.  Oh, and the singing cows were kind of cute too!

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To Scent or Not to Scent?…That is the question!

Posted in Fabric Care, Fragrance Marketing, Fragrance Trends, Hair Care, Scented Products, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 27, 2009| 1 Comment »

On a recent morning with my workout group, one of the ladies asked for a recommendation of a laundry detergent that would effectively remove “sweaty odor” from her workout clothes.  Naturally, I chimed in with my recommendation, as did several others with their personal favorites.

Not surprisingly, someone emphatically declared her preference for fragrance-free laundry detergent.  This immediately prompted a debate of sorts regarding the majority’s preference and desire for fresh and clean-smelling clothes, vs. clothes which we know are clean (because they’ve been through the laundering process), but that do not have the “trademark clean smell” that only a scented fabric care product can deliver.

“Ms. Anti-Scent” posed this question to the rest of us:  “Why should my clothes have a scent, when my deodorant, shampoo and body lotion already do? ”

Well, when you put it that way…   Clearly, there will always be indisputable fans of fragrance – such as myself – as well as critics of its overuse.  However, my workout buddy does bring up a good point regarding her concern about wearing too many incompatible scents on her self, which may prove counterproductive; i.e. clashing instead of smashing!

However, with a little fragrance know-how, a quick-fix (of sorts) can be found to that situation.  You see, many personal care and fabric care scents are increasingly inspired by the fine fragrances sold at the department store counters — what in the fragrance industry is known as “trickle-down scents”.

So, if you’re partial to fruity scents, then select a shampoo (Herbal Essences) and/or laundry detergent (Gain) in that scent arena.  If you’re more of an oriental (warm vanilla spicy woody) fragrance lover, then reach for the bottle of Organix shampoo’s Shea Butter variant, and soften your clothes with Downy Simple Pleasures in Lavender Vanilla scent (my personal favorite!).  In this way, all this fragrance “layering” will be complementary, and will add to your signature style!

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The Nose Knows: Product Scent = Aesthetics + Functionality

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Marketing Consulting, Scented Products, tagged , , , , on April 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

 

Although perhaps taken for granted by the average person, connoisseurs in the fragrance industry never overlook the importance of a product’s fragrance to its overall commercial success.

The team of perfumers, scent evaluators and marketers behind the fragrance development process for personal care, fine fragrances, fabric care and air care products understand that scent needs to be fully integrated into a product’s positioning, functionality and image.

Fragrance’s driving purpose is to effectively communicate the whole product concept:  its positioning, its target market, the featured product attributes and/or benefits.

The scent for a premium priced body cream claiming emollient and anti-aging properties will be much different than that of an anti-oxidant body lotion containing botanical ingredients.  The former product calls for a luxurious floral scent with oriental, woody or creamy touches for added depth, warmth and softness, hence delivering the richly “nourishing & caring” aspects of the product.

In contrast, the lighter body lotion product with a “well-being” positioning calls for a scent that communicates its own distinctive message.  The fragrance story should be built around a fresher & lighter “green” aspect that communicates the botanical positioning, with exotic fruity accents (anti-oxidant benefits) and sheer woods in the background to add texture and help deliver a “natural“  feeling.

Similarly, fragrance selections for a men’s shampoo will be vastly different than those used in a kid’s shampoo; prestige differs from mass, etc.  Get the picture?

So you see, a product’s scent isn’t just a pretty accessory that is added as an afterthought once a product’s basic chemical formulation has been developed.  Quite opposite… Fragrance designers recognize the integral role that scent plays in establishing a product on the path towards commercial success as a key driver of sales.   Hence the importance of aligning yourself with a fragrance marketing professional that knows how to let your fragrance tell its story…

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