The Complexity of Scent

Incorporating the sense of smell in branding is an effective way to create emotional connections with customers. By utilizing scents that evoke positive memories and emotions, businesses can foster a sense of familiarity and trust, directly influencing consumers' perception of a brand's value. The appropriate application of scent marketing can significantly impact customer behavior and sales performance. Melina Palmer delves into the strategic use of scent in branding and shares examples of successful scent marketing in action. She discusses how a powerful scent can have surprising consequences on a consumer, with a personal story about Lush. Her insights provide a powerful blueprint for marketers and business owners to successfully integrate scent into their branding strategies, leading to enhanced customer experiences and brand loyalty.

• Discover the fascinating impact of scent marketing on consumer behavior and decision-making.
• Uncover the deep connections between smell, memory, and emotion and their role in guiding customer choices.
• Learn how businesses create unforgettable experiences and associations through strategic scent implementation.
• Explore real-life examples of successful scent marketing across diverse industries and contexts.
• Grasp the significance of selecting the right scents to create a cohesive customer journey and achieve your objectives.

• 00:00:00 - Introduction,  Melina introduces the episode and explains why she has started doing a refresh of earlier episodes each week. She discusses the upcoming special episodes and show milestones, and gives a brief overview of the topics that will be covered.
• 00:05:22 - How Smell Works, Melina explains how the sense of smell works and how it is closely linked to memories and emotions. She discusses the evolution of smell and how it has helped humans survive.
• 00:09:23 - The Power of Memories, Melina talks about how smell is linked to memories and how it can trigger vivid emotions that “take you back” to an earlier time. She explains how childhood memories are the most powerful and discusses the association between scent and physical attraction.
• 00:12:10 - Using Smell in Branding, Melina discusses how businesses can use scent to create positive associations with their brand and products. She talks about how the sense of smell can be used in real estate to sell homes and gives examples of brands that use scent marketing and scent logos.
• 00:15:58 - Signature Scents, Melina talks about how signature scents for brands and colognes are complex and often contain a mix of different smells. She provides a link for listeners to find out the ingredients in their favorite perfume or cologne and discusses the power of scent in branding.
• 00:17:25 - The Power of Scent in Business, Scent has the ability to impact the way customers interact with a business. Studies have shown that pleasant ambient odors can increase sales and improve behavior. Companies can hire experts to help them choose the best signature scent for their brand, because the associations made in the brain matter.
• 00:21:47 - The Impact of Different Scents, Different scents can trigger different emotions and behaviors. For example, a feminine scent in a women's clothing store can increase sales, while the scent of lemon can encourage people to order seafood at a restaurant. The context is important, and brands need to be strategic and intentional with their scent choices.
• 00:25:49 - The Importance of Scent in Branding, Scent is closely related to our memories and nostalgia, which can have a significant impact on buying behavior. Good smells can improve recall of brands, while bad smells can make it difficult to focus. Brands need to understand their customers and the context to choose scents that align with their brand experience.
• 00:28:27 - Mirror Neurons and Scent Memory, Mirror neurons are one reason why our brain reacts to certain words or images and can trigger scent memory. This is why the Food Network carefully chooses trigger words to influence food memories and make people hungry. Even if a business doesn't sell food, they can still use scent to prime behavior and trigger emotions.
• 00:32:07 - Conclusion, Melina's top insights from the conversation. What stuck with you while listening to the episode? What are you going to try? Come share it with Melina on social media -- you'll find her as @thebrainybiz everywhere and as Melina Palmer on LinkedIn.

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Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode:

• Evolutionary Ideas, by Sam Tatam
• What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You, by Melina Palmer
• Marketing to Mindstates, by Will Leach
• Alchemy, by Rory Sutherland
• What Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You, by Melina Palmer
• Top Recommended Next Episode: The Top 5 Wording Mistakes Businesses Make (ep 2)

Already Heard That One? Try These: 

• Priming (ep 252)
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• Hearing (ep 27)
• Touch (ep 28)
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• Loss Aversion (ep 9)
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• Change Management: It’s Still Not About The Cookie (ep 226)
• Your Guide to Create a Brainy Brand (ep 230)
• Rebrand, Refresh, or Reinforce? (ep 44)
• What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You (ep 147)
• Evolutionary Ideas with Sam Tatam (ep 203)
• Mirror Neurons (ep 31)

Other Important Links: 

• Brainy Bites - Melina’s LinkedIn Newsletter
• Let Them Sniff, Customers Will Buy More
• The Science of Smell: How Retailers Can Use Scent Marketing to Influence Shoppers
• Good Smells are Good Marketing: How to Use Scent to Your Advantage
• Making Sense of the Hotel Guestroom
• The Impact of Ambient Scent on Evaluation, Attention, and Memory for Familiar and Unfamiliar Brands
• Smells Like Psychology
• The Smell of Commerce: How Companies Use Scents to Sell Their Products
• The Science of Sensory Marketing
• Productivity Hack Of The Week: Use Aromatherapy To Improve Your Work
• Inside the Invisible but Influential World of Scent Branding
• The Art of Scent Marketing
• 2-Minute Neuroscience: Limbic System
• How Do We Smell? – Rose Eveleth
• The Power of Scent
• Hippocampal Projections to the Anterior Olfactory Nucleus Differentially Convey Spatiotemporal Information During Episodic Odour Memory
• The Neuroscience of Smell Memories Linked to Place and Time
• Smells Ring Bells: How Smell Triggers Memories and Emotions
• How Does Scent Drive Human Behavior?
• Fragrant Flashbacks
• Perfume Directory