Brand Sense by Martin Lindstrom 3 of 5

31. We don’t have a name for those who can’t smell or taste.

32. In an African village the people didn’t have names. They knew each other on the basis of the individual smell they had.

33. 90% of Japanese population have no underarm odour. Through research it has been found that the Japanese are more sensitive to the senses than US/UK.

34. Purex Tabs is a floor cleaner. It was a very effective product but smelt very badly. The new marketing manager felt that it would be better to change the smell to a more pleasant one which he did. The sales went down by 42 %. The smell was changed back to the original. The bad smell was associated with its effectiveness.

35. Our senses are finely tuned to pick up signals that warn us of danger. Jack Holly, a U.S. Marine stated “I am alive because of my nose. You couldn’t see a Commie bunker if it was right in front of you. But you can’t camouflage smell. I could smell the North Vietnamese before hearing or seeing them.” We need to brand our daily touchpoints.

36. Crayola Crayons have a patented smell. So when the Chinese imitated Crayola Crayons including the packaging it was very difficult to distinguish the original from the imitation except through the smell.

37. The no. 1 recognizable smell in USA is coffee. No. 2 is peanut butter. And no. 18 is Crayola Crayons.

38. We have been given our senses to understand our world. According to Prof. Gerald Zaltman (Harvard Business School) the brain processes smell more quickly than the other senses. Metaphorically from the nose to the brain would require 3 to 4 jumps while for touch would require around 1000 jumps. Our sense of smell registers in our emotional brain where judgements are made. According to Helen Keller “Smell is a potent wizard”.

39. We also remember smells according to the time when we were born. Before 1930 people would remember the smell of hay, pine, horse and meadow. After 1930 the smells remembered would change to J&J Baby Powder, Crayon Crayola and Vanila.

40. Smell triggers memories and affects brand perception. The McDonald’s smell is greasy and associated with stale oil. It makes you feel fat even before you enter the outlet. Smell creates brand associations. Burger King is associated with the smell of ‘grilled’. The smell of fresh popcorn is used to draw people into the cinema halls. Smell impacts purchase decisions. A new car has a distinctive smell. Smell can’t be turned off.

41. Within Barclay’s Bank they brew coffee so that the customer may feel at home.

42. The smell of a new car comes about with the car being sprayed 2 hours before it leaves the factory. Rolls Royce has broken up its trademark smell into 800 odour components and created ‘Eau Rolls Royce 1965’ which is sprayed into every new Rolls Royce. Post 1965 the sales increased.

43. Singapore Airlines patented the smell of its ‘hot towels’ in 1995. One can get the Singapore Airlines smell while one is on the aerobridge and about to enter the aircraft. The cosmetics used by the airhostesses are patented Pantone shades viz. SIA face colour, eye colour and lip colour. The way the plate is placed in front of the passenger is determined. There is a brand manager on every flight who notices if there is any infringement regarding any aspect of the Singapore brand. If there is any infringement then the person concerned goes back to the Singapore brand school.

44. In an experiment conducted in Las Vegas it was found that by spraying a particular smell people gambled more and the revenue earnings of the casino increased. In a Nike experiment 84% preferred the pair which was sprayed with a smell than the pair which did not have any smell sprayed on it. And they were willing to pay extra for the pair with the smell. Similarly it has been found that in the part of the store where a particular scent has been sprayed people spend more time and money than in any other part of the store which does not have any scent sprayed.

45. 82% felt that Coco Cola tasted better from a glass bottle than from a can. The tactile experience too is important.