When was the last time you flattened a glob of Silly Putty across a
Beetle Bailey comic?
Or ran a wad of Play-Doh through the plastic spaghetti maker?
Or ripped open a brand new pack of Topps baseball cards?
You know what I’m talking about, right? You can almost smell it.
From Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts to Abercrombie & Fitch,
more and more companies are spritzing our senses — specifically, our
sense of smell — in an effort to build a deeper brand connection. Social scientists have long known that scents trigger memories, emotions and associations. But scent is gaining wider acceptance as a key dimension of branding recently.
Case in point: The aroma of A&F’s Fierce cologne envelops every person strolling in front of one of the chain’s stores. It lures their targeted customers toward the showcase window, where, hanging on the wall, just beyond the array of Daisy Dukes, is a larger-than-life poster of some JFK wannabee, topless and windblown.
Le Meridien hotels created a unique scent that captures the essence of its recent brand revival. It’s piped through every floor of every one of their properties.
Other brands capitalize on scent to create ancillary products or to extend an experience. Consider the array of oils and candles made available to spa guests who want to recreate their 90-minute massage back at home. A bottle Johnson’s Baby Oil could get the job done, but it’s the $20.00 scented spa lotion that delivers the experience.
Does a real estate have a scent? Not yet. But it could. And considering the high level of emotion that courses through its
transactional veins, I would argue that it should. There is no reason why a real estate brand cannot not take a cue from the companies I list above.
But what could some leading real estate brands smell like?
- RE/MAX. High above the clouds, our RE/MAX agent soars through the stress of the real estate transaction inside their hot air balloon. What does that altitude smell like? For me it might be the The Rio Grande Valley. Piñon. Crisp air. This scent could be piped through every RE/MAX office or handed out through a RE/MAX line of hot air balloon air fresheners for the home. Each time it spritzes, you think RE/MAX.
- Coldwell Banker. With its roots in Old San Francisco, this brand conjures up the scent of a well appointed sitting room in a Nob Hill mansion. The scent is a mix of mahogany, fine leather and oak embers — a blend that elicits a sense of tradition, stability and discretion. CB could even fire up the scent in an exclusive line of specialty cigars.
- Sotheby’s. A picturesque English countryside filled with Agrimony, Wild Marjoram and Heather serves as the perfect compliment for enjoying a simmering cup of Earl Grey. These scents conjure the finer things in life. Every Sotheby’s office should smell like this, provoke those connections. They could be taken home through a Sotheby’s gift line of wildflower seeds and teas.
- GMAC. Why hide this brand’s muscular flex towards real Americana? Power. Brushed steel. Detroit. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t love the smell of new car. In fact, that scent is known as the New Car Smell. How can that translate to the smell of buying a new home?
- Windermere. This brand speaks of pine trees, rain and the aura of its ozone aftermath. Much could be done with a light application of these scents through every office and on every piece of collateral — an evocation of place no website or sign rider can deliver.
- First Team. This SoCal independent smells of sunshine. Boat drinks. The sea breeze. Their offices — and a private-labled line of sunscreens — should as well.
Perhaps you think this is far-fetched. It is most definitely not if you are committed to making certain that every one of your brand’s touch points — whether seen, heard, touched or smelled — communicates its essence.
Brokers who embrace this basic tenet of brand care will come out of the down market smelling like a rose.
- Davison
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Not at all far-fetched. Some scents have even been trademarked in the EU (smell marks)
http://tinyurl.com/4n9yqp
Thanks for the link Joe. The idea here was to take the next step beyond your post and give real estate concrete ides on where they could go with this.
Scent marketing is not new. This was a basic tenet of study way back when I studied it in college as we dissected products from moth balls to Crayola to lemon scented furniture polish.
None of these products needed scent to work but they needed them to bridge an emotional connection. This is age old stuff.
As many of us keep harping on the power of Web 2.0, I want readers to know that there are many other facets to marketing and brand building that extend beyond technical, web based solutions.
Real estate is still a real life business. Despite the fact that it may begin on line, it ends in person. And the power of something like developing a brand scent allows that experience to linger long after. Maybe a lifetime.
There is a seriously grand opportunity here for a brand to do something no other brand has every done in real estate.
I think this idea is genius, although you have to be careful to not take the scent too far.
I can smell the Abercrombie shop from 3 blocks away in Downtown. By the time I get close to the store that scent is actually making me nauseous.
As Bob L always says, we live in an era of "permission". You should always be asking permission to reach out to your customers. Not shoving it down their throats.
There is a fine line between drawing attention and shouting at your potential customer. A & F crosses that line for me.
Awesome point and I believe a rep from the A&F marketing team would point out that what you are experiencing is pure intention. You might think A&F is a clothing store – ha – it's really a RAGE. All the accents – the music, the smell, the layout the clothing extasy – it's all aimed at keeping us out and them in. I know all too well as I have spent many shopping spree OUTSIDE while my teenage daughter was INSIDE.
A&F – these guys know their customers inside and out.
This can even be applied on a personal level for the agent. Wear a unique and pleasant scent everywhere you go and have it floating around your office and car at all times, just not too outrageous!
Very compelling post!
I for one love the smell of Scotch tape – the shiny, transparent kind – and ONLY Scotch tape, because it smells just like Christmas, to me.
That said, I would beware of trying to brand yourself or your office by scents.
I had to LOL @ Coldwell Banker – I'm familiar with CB branch that's definitely known for its scent – or, rather, stench – of cigarettes.
Anyway, many people are actually allergic to perfumes and scents, and what is pleasing to one is gross to another (guarantee if I like the scent of a particular lotion or perfume, my husband will grimace and state he hates it.)
the best scent you can have is a CLEAN FRESH SCENT – clean clothes, clean hair, clean car, clean office – says you're careful about your appearance. Perfumes make people wonder what you're trying to mask.
Good point.
Crafting a brand scent is not, by any means, simple. Nor is crafting brand feel, sight or sound. Building brand is not, as it has seemingly been taught in real estate, simple.
It requires a deep analysis of who you are and what your brand means. As it often happens, when our firm performs a brand analysis, the client is often surprises to learn that their brand means something a little different that what they originally thought.
In any event, the best scent you can have is actually one that triggers a positive memory long after the initial interaction. For you Karen it could be a clean, fresh aroma. For others, well, the fun is in sniffing out what that could be.
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I think this idea is genius, although you have to be careful to not take the scent too far.
I can smell the Abercrombie shop from 3 blocks away in Downtown. By the time I get close to the store that scent is actually making me nauseous.
As Bob L always says, we live in an era of "permission". You should always be asking permission to reach out to your customers. Not shoving it down their throats.
There is a fine line between drawing attention and shouting at your potential customer. A & F crosses that line for me.
[...] marketing until I read this post in 2008 by Marc Davison of 1000Watt Consulting. Check it out here http://1000wattconsulting.com/blog/2008/05/real-estate-sti.html. Also, I get a lot of information about Scent Marketing from the Scent Marketing Institute – and [...]