1. Aroma and Persuasion “I love the smell of napalm in the morning…”
Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore, Apocalypse Now

2. Smell is multifaceted Odor “means” many things. It functions as:
a boundary-marker, distance maintainer
a status symbol
a method of identity management
a cultural marker

3. Aroma: the neglected child in the persuasion family
Smell is the one sense you can’t turn off
Smell, fragrance, and aroma are neglected in communication research
few scholarly articles on the role of fragrance
smells not viewed as symbol usage
Smell and “real world” persuasion
perfumes, fragrance inserts
air fresheners
cleaners, deodorizers
ambient aromas (Baron, 1997)

4. The Olfactory System Smell is our most primitive sense
part of the limbic system (emotional center of the brain)
nasal passage is “hard-wired” to the brain
Average persons’ sense of smell is poor
only able to identify scents by name
women are better at distinguishing smells than men
30-50 scents can be identified with practice.
People have poor smell vocabularies
Scents are often defined in terms of other senses (e.g., sweet, smoky, nutty, fruity)

5. The role of smell in human relationships
By 4-6 weeks, infants can discriminate between their mother’s scent and a stranger (Russell, 1976; Schleidt & Genzel, 1990)
Almost everyone has experienced a situation in which a smell evoked a nostalgic memory
Importance of smell in daily relationships (Olfactory Research Fund, 1999):
opposite sex: 76% very important
spouse: 74% very important
family: 35% very important
friends: 36% very important
co-workers: 39% very important

6. More on the role of smell in human relationships
Preferences for smells are highly idiosyncratic, or individualized.
There is probably no universal agreement on what smells good or bad
Americans’ disdain for body odor, breath odor
cow dung as a hair care product in Africa
Culture and social conditioning teach individuals what smells to like or dislike.
Liver and onions, meat cooking, ethnic foods
Gender and smell: a double standard?

7. The Fragrance Industry
Fragrance industry nets $20 billion annually
colognes and after-shaves alone net $4.4 billion per year (Ortega & McCartney, 1994)
naming or labeling a smell affects how the smell is perceived, hence the sensual, exotic names given to perfumes.
The attractiveness of the container affects the perceived pleasantness of the smell
The fragrance industry is selling romance
marketing themes associated with fragrances revolve around images of romance, intrigue, sensuality, sexiness

8. Branding with Fragrance
Samsung Electronics introduced the fragrance, Intimate Blue, to its flagship store in New York City.
The Park Hyatt Washington, D.C., pumps a scent into the lobby using atomizers
The new official fragrance of Omni Hotels is a blend of lemongrass and green tea.

9. Fragrances and persuasion
No clear consensus on whether fragrances increase attraction or arousal
at best, scent is only part of the attraction equation
Fragrance as a peripheral cue--may reinforce, alter, enhance affective responses
positive or negative mood states
recall of memories, experiences

10. Scents and persuasion Ambient aromas and consumer behavior
(Crow, 1993) Nike shoe study
Helping behavior
Baron (1997) effect of ambient aromas on helping behavior at a shopping mall
Shoppers at a mall were more than twice as likely to help a stranger in the presence of pleasant odors like roasting coffee or baking cookies.
Driving behavior
Baron & Kalsher (1998) examined the impact of a pleasant fragrance on driving behavior. Performance was significantly improved in the fragrance condition.
Medical applications of aroma
(Jellinek, 1994) pleasant aromas can reduce anxiety and stress associated with medical tests MRIs, CAT scans, etc.)

11. Fragrance limitations
Smells are subjective: People don’t always agree on what smells good (liver & onions?)
People may become desensitized to, or oversensitized, to smells.
Fragrances can backfire: Job applicants whose resumes were fragranced were less likely to be called for an interview (Sczesny & Stahlberg, 2002). Masculine fragrance were superior to feminine fragrances for male and female applicants, but the “no fragrance” condition was best of all.