Aroma and Persuasion

“I love the smell of napalm in the morning…”

Lt. Colonel Bill Kilgore, Apocalypse Now

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

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)

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 15-20 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)

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

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?

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

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.

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

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.)

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.