By Leigh Andrews

We’ve become accustomed to the trend towards in-store and in-package sampling – think of that mini tub of yoghurt you are handed by an enthusiastic promoter while doing your groceries to try out and tempt you to buy a new flavour, and the tiny bars of soap and lip gloss that are now packaged with certain magazines to extend a brand association and get you ‘hooked’ on the product.

Jo Malone used this form of branding in conjunction with the local Sex and the City premiere – Media Update’s entertainment reviews writer, Marie Straub, reports that people were present in the movie preview bathrooms during the premiere with a range of Jo Malone’s fragranced soaps and creams, which made a big impact on the aspirational theatre-goers, who “spent the… evening running around smelling their hands…” – a clever method of getting the audience to pay attention to your new product.

Still on the nose, Amy Corr of the Media Post blog recently touched on what she called a ‘beefy promotion’, stating that a popular highway in North Carolina is now home to a scent-emitting billboard for Sheffield & Sons USDA Choice Angus brand of beef. The billboard was equipped with ‘scented air technology’ (fragranced oil cartridges that blow into the air) to emit the peppery grill scent during ‘prime commuting hours’ of 07:00 to 10:00, and again between 16:00 and 19:00. Very clever, as I know I tend to crave fried chicken if a KFC TVC airs at suppertime, and I veer toward the bakery section of Woolies if there’s a strong smell of fresh pastry in the air. I love that the scent is only emitted at ‘prime time’, but surely it would be better suited to lunch than the morning (07:00 to 10:00) breakfast run?

Midway through last year, I mentioned that Dion Chang’s monthly Flux Trends newsletter reported on UK parking provider, NCP’s ‘Stairwell Smells’ trial programme - to counteract the often awful smells associated with parking lots and stairwells, users of four NCP garages across the UK got to vote for their favourite smell from a myriad options (think mint; cinnamon; or freshly cut grass), which NCP would then spray through the garages’ air vents. Not necessarily branding, but still a clever marketing idea.

Going back to the sense of sight, colour has been said to play a big role in consumers’ purchase decisions, often the focus of the Flux Trends newsletter. Kate Smith, Editor of Sensational Color, mentions the physiological impact and messages that certain colours can bring about, in a Duct Tape marketing podcast. Smith touches on common colour associations, as well as colour combination in messages, and how this affects the audience’s recognition of your brand and logo.

A controversial topic at best, as colour associations are based on individual perceptions. Lloyd Burrell, Publisher of Officedeskreviews.com, comments on the site, “However synthetic our perspectives may prove, [colours] tend to overwrite our intuitions and manifest on their own. I think that our control over this field is limited.” Lynne Whiteside adds, “…colour may be a small market to some, to others it opens up a whole new world and changes everything.”

I’ll let you make up your own mind regarding the use of colour in branding, and move on to an innovative new way of attracting attention, which links back to the ‘timed commute’ concept mentioned earlier – KNORR Cup-A-Soup is generating attention in its series of new billboards, that are “causing motorists to rubber-neck as they try to figure out whether the adverts are on fire or just really hot.” The billboards emphasise the steaminess of the new flavours in the KNORR Cup-A-Soup range by emitting steam between 12:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 20:00 (that’s more like it!) The ads have definitely attracted attention, with some worried commuters going so far as to call the fire brigade.

What are your thoughts? I think these examples all pave the way towards innovative new marketing ideas and embracing more of our senses in trying to build brand association. Please leave your thoughts on our blog.