VIEW: Smelly Marketing
A few years ago I attended a trade show and brought back to the office with me samples of scented papers. There was one paper company that even put together a clever little book (with expensive production techniques, in addition to the scented papers), highlighting a number of scents which were applied to individual sheets. Cut grass, garlic, chocolate, and even plastic bandages (why?) were among the different aromas. At the time, I thought the book was neat and wondered if I would ever see these papers used in marketing materials. I have not. Ever.

But this week, a similar idea has sprung up in advertising news. Marketers such as Pepsi, Pedigree and Mars are using scent to sell their products. Read more about it here in Advertising Age magazine's article from yesterday.

Because smell is such a powerful sense, using it as part of a marketing campaign seems logical. But, what will be the ROI? Will it offend shoppers? I won't look forward to being inundated with additional smells while I shop for groceries. I mean, I know what a chocolate bar smells like.