Illustration by Quentin Blake depicting the food that can be found in Mr Twit’s beard!
Men with beards. Love them or loathe them, one of the most famous bearded characters is that of Mr Twit by the beloved author Roald Dahl.
Festival season is upon us! With the height of the summer outdoor events season coming up, it’s not too late to speak to us about including aroma in your plans.
So, we don’t claim to be whisky experts but to celebrate World Whisky Day we have put together this little overview of how adding an aromatic element to a whisky’s brand marketing plan, can lift communication to a new level.
The sense of smell is so important in the whole whisky tasting experience. Your nose will discern more subtleties than your palate can.
As part of Scalarama 2014, John Waters’ POLYESTER returns to the big screen, now in ODORAMA once more. Audience members at screenings across the world will receive our special touch to smell cards (scratch ‘n’ sniff) to smell along with the film, which stars Divine as a suburban Baltimore housewife plagued by her philandering husband, perverted offspring and worst of all – bad odours!
Yum Yum Yum. The girls in the office were very excited when this project landed in front of them.
What would you say is the best way to promote a city and the numerous activities and experiences that can be enjoyed during a visit there?
London saw in 2014 with a multi-sensory bang and The Aroma Company were proud to play its part!
In this world first, thousands of people at once, had all five senses catered for by a host of special effects.
To accompany the hugely popular and stunning annual fireworks display 100,000 people, in key areas along the Thames, received multi-sensory packs.
Featured inside were the Aroma Company produced scratch ‘n’ sniff programmes.
Scratch n sniff Firework Programme, London New Years Eve 2014
Caressing the “Touch to Smell” aroma panels, while the corresponding coloured display exploded, allowed people to smell the fireworks as well as see them!
The Aroma Company’s Touch to Smell is a modern day scratch and sniff, used to create scent solutions in print.
The multi-sensory packs also contained LED wristbands (that pulsated in time to the music) and seven kinds of fruit-flavoured sweets that again, related to the multi-sensory display.
In another area along the Thames, another 50,000 revellers could see, smell and taste clouds of apple, cherry and strawberry scented mist, experienced peach snow, could pop enormous floating bubbles filled with orange smoke and also enjoy edible banana confetti (another world first).
Revellers enjoying peach flavoured snow
For those not able to make it into London a free app allowed people at home, an augmented reality experience synchronised with the firework display.
Val Lord said: “It’s always exciting to be involved in projects where the senses are of paramount importance to an event’s experience. Incorporating the sense of smell is extremely powerful in building engagement and creating lasting memories with attendees. Scent marketing continues to be an industry which we have been at the forefront of for over 20 years”.
The multi-sensory fireworks display was proudly presented by The Mayor of London in partnership with Vodafone and “Vodafone Firsts” – a new global brand engagement strategy. “Firsts” focuses on a simple concept: that Vodafone’s technology and connectivity can enable and inspire people to do something amazing for the first time, from making their first call to sharing their first video.
Boris Johnson, The Mayor of London, said: “A spectacular display of pyrotechnics that you can taste and even smell! Where else but London would you get such an experience? Whether you are getting a sensory overload along the river, or having your new year reality augmented at home, our partnership with Vodafone is creating a fantastic first for London, one that will help kick off 2014 in magnificent style.”
Martin Green, Head of Brand Engagement at Vodafone and the former Head of Ceremonies for London 2012, said: “We are delighted to work with the Mayor of London to bring a fantastic experience to Londoners for the first time and to use Vodafone’s technology to bring the excitement of the world’s best fireworks display in to people’s living rooms.”
Among those who have been involved in the months of planning for the display and the multi-sensory packs, were food art company Bompas and Parr (famous for its spectacular dining events and elaborate jellies), and Vodafone’s global “firsts” brand strategy agencies, Wasserman, AKQA, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, and Ogilvy London.
Think we could assist you and your brand promotion or event? Call on +44(0)1491 835510 or email us info@aromaco.co.uk
Anyone browsing through the January 2014 edition of Glamour magazine will come across a blue advertising insert.
So “what’s been surprising Glamour readers” and hiding behind the glossy gatefold?
What’s hiding behind the glossy gatefold?
Head & Shoulders of course!
And what’s so special about this advert? It’s not just the anti-dandruff properties that are being highlighted, but the glorious aroma – a key product attribute that provides washed hair with an unexpected and “surprisingly good” aroma of Fresh Apples.
Opening the gatefold advert to reveal the advertiser to be Head & Shoulders.
Head & Shoulders have used The Aroma Company’s Touch to Smell technology, to create an engaging advert allowing readers to sample the lovely Apple Fresh aroma. Available as a shampoo and conditioner, the fresh burst of green apple scent leaves hair irresistibly fragranced and up to 100% dandruff free (visible flakes from 2 feet with regular use).
Why choose to advertise in Glamour?
Head & shoulders conducted a product trial through Glamour’s Insiders (an exclusive online community for readers of Glamour magazine and users of glamourmagazine.co.uk , run by Glamour and its publishing company Condé Nast Publications Ltd).
91% of Glamour readers said Apple Fresh made their hair smell amazing (survey of 1,196 Glamour readers Sept 2013). Beauty bloggers have also been raving about the product’s aroma “I loved the smell of this shampoo, clean and fresh…. The apple was a refreshing change to all the mint shampoos out there.”
The reason Head & Shoulders can make hair smell so great? New “Scent Burst Technology”, a creation with higher levels of top notes that literally burst to life when they come in to contact with water.
The Aroma Company’s Touch to Smell is a modern day scratch and sniff, used to create scent solutions in print. The advert, designed by Saatch & Saatchi, needs to be touched to release the Apple Fresh fragrance. It gives the reader a perfect rendition of how their hair would smell after using the Head & Shoulders product.
Touch her hair for a scent burst experience.
The Aroma Company printed and finished the advert, before it was bound into the Glamour magazine. The Touch to Smell printing application allows the extension of the Head & Shoulders scent technology from the product, into advertising – enticing more people to try the surprisingly good smell of this hair care product.
Val Lord from The Aroma Company said “This project has been really interesting from start to finish. Ensuring that the aroma of brand is perfectly represented, to working with Saatchi & Saatchi to establish a final gatefold design that presented all the desired key brand messages. We’re really happy with the final result”.
The Aroma Company offer a full fragrance printing service. Have a printed item in mind; not just magazine advertising? Give us a call on +44 (0)1491 835510. We’d love to chat through your ideas.
Want to know more about the benefits of scented magazine advertising? Read our blog post:
In 1981, the comedy film Polyester was released.
The leading character, Francine (played by Divine), has a particularly keen sense of smell and aromas in general are a running theme throughout the movie.
To highlight this, the writer & director, John Waters enhanced the cinema viewing experience by providing the audience with ‘Odorama’ cards.
At ten different points during the film, a number flashed up on screen and viewers were encouraged to smell the corresponding area on their card.
On the 9th of March 2013, Polyester is being shown as part of the Offscreen film festival in Belgium.
John Waters’ The Filthy World with Polyester screeningOdourama cards have been reproduced by Midnight Movies (late night films for after dark people) and The Aroma Company’s Touch to Smell technology. Touch to Smell is an advanced version of scratch and sniff. Just touching or gently rubbing the numbered areas releases smells ranging from roses to skunk, pizza to flatulence!
Reprinted Polyester cards (front and reverse).The Odorama cards were first recreated by The Aroma Company for Midnight Movie’s 30th anniversary rescreening of Polyester at the Edinburgh International Film festival in 2011.
Polyester audience with Odorama cards© All rights reserved by Midnight Movies
Midnight Movies will also be touring, in the UK, with Polyester viewings in autumn 2013. Sign up with them to be the first to hear of screenings near you!
Recreating the aromas of the cards has been a challenge that we are very proud to be a part of.
Do you have a project that we could assist you with? No matter how weird and wonderful you think your request is, get in touch! +44 (0)1491 835510 or info@aromaco.co.uk
The September issue of Sainsbury’s magazine featured a launch advertisement for new Velvet Almond Milk toilet tissue.
A key attribute of this new Velvet, is the almond milk aroma. This product feature is demonstrated using a tip-on (which is a separate fragranced card that is adhered to the magazine page) scented using Aroma Co’s “Touch to Smell” technology (an advanced version of scratch and sniff; just gently rubbing the scented area releases a generous amount of aroma to sample).
Scented magazine tip-on for Velvet Almond milk toilet tissue.Why advertise in magazines?
There are a number of well researched benefits to general magazine advertising including (source of the following):
• The targeting of specific consumer demographics
• Magazines are kept for a longer period of time than e.g. newspapers or direct mail.
• There is a high reader involvement in the magazine especially as magazines are so tactile.
• Readers give commitment to their magazines. Substantial time is spent thoroughly reading them. Copies tend to be read repeatedly, often picked up more than once during a day and on multiple days.
• TV campaigns can be enhanced by combining with magazine advertising. Magazine adverts can convey information that is not possible during the TV commercial.
• A print advertisement can be studied for as long as the reader wants, and repeatedly too.
Why does the inclusion of aroma, enhance magazine advertising?
Smell is captured in the oldest part of the brain, the limbic system, which is responsible for memories, and triggers an emotional rather than rational response (memories of aromas, over time, gain an emotional attachment).
The sense of smell is also intrinsically linked to the sense of taste. According to Dr Alan Hirsch of the Taste Treatment & Research Foundation, 90% of what is perceived as taste is actually the sense of smell.
Whilst perfume adverts are the most common form of scented magazine ads, any brand where a key attribute is the smell or taste can use Touch to Smell to showcase it’s aroma within an advertisement.
For instance, in the same Sainsbury’s magazine there are thirteen other advertisements that could have been enhanced through the use of The Aroma Co’s print solutions (obvious adverts that could have used Touch to Smell include a washing powder, chocolate products, a fruit brand, body washes, various flavoured beverages, ice-cream etc).
So, how could scented magazine advertising enhance your magazine creative?
The benefits of enhancing magazine adverts with a scent:
• Printed smells attract additional attention to the advertisement (one study indicated 78% weighting for a print ad with fragrance sample, compared with 9% and 10% for straight print ad and TV ad respectively.)
• Providing the opportunity to sample an aroma in a consumer’s own home often affords a more considered analysis of the aroma, and their views of it.
• The call to action of e.g. rub to release the aroma is an invitation to encourage interaction; something tactile that just has to be touched.
• TV advertising often provides information on the aroma or taste of a product, but until smell-o-vision is available, touch to smell in magazines offers a simple and effective way of demonstrating the aroma in the consumers own home!
• Touch to smell provides immediate sensory gratification and the sampling opportunity draws the reader closer to the advertiser
• Touch to Smell technology has the benefit of allowing multiple sampling opportunities; it is the action of rubbing the scented area that releases the aroma. The scented area can therefore be rubbed multiple times over a period of time, before the aroma is completely removed.
• There are various creative ways that Touch to Smell can be used; the whole or part of the actual magazine page can be scented, tip-ons adhered to the magazine page (square or die-cut to shape), scented inserts and onserts and magazine wrap-arounds (belly bands). Multiple aromas can also be demonstrated e.g. if there is more than one aroma in a product range.
• The brand’s own fragrance or flavouring can be used. A suitable smell from our library can be chosen or we can create a bespoke aroma that matches your product.
So what are you waiting for? We offer a full printing service, so give us a call to discuss how your brands can be enhanced through scent marketing +44 (0)1491 835510.
