Mash Media MD Julian Agostini suggests our olfactory senses might provide a useful metaphor for sniffing out who stands out in the events market:
Does your home have a distinctive smell? Most do, although we won’t be fully aware of our own because we have become ‘nose blind’ as one prominent air freshener piece of advertising rightly tells us.
Can you think of a friend or family member whose house is always fragrant as soon as you walk in? We all wish our humble abodes have the same effect on guests but… do they? Let’s face it, the majority of places don’t have that sweet aroma, which is why the stand out performers are so memorable.
Self-perception can often be quite different from the reality of how others view us. Wouldn’t it be powerful to see or smell ourselves as others do? In most cases, it would surely evoke some changes and self-improvement.
What about your business; how does that ‘smell’ do you think? Not in actuality but metaphorically, if your business had an odour that your clients could describe, what would you like it to be? Mint. Toast or freshly baked bread, newly mown grass, lavender perhaps or something more edgy and exciting?
Whatever you choose, it’s more important to know what the current air around you says if your client took a big sniff. Smell is such powerful and personal sense that it always engenders emotion. No-one wants to stink or even have a scent that is anything but pleasant but, like our houses, most businesses will be unaware of what others are ‘breathing in’.
What other reactions does your business create? If your brand is put in front of your audience, what emotions result?
Are you an intelligent company, a caring organisation, a dynamic powerhouse, or is the reality something a little less positive? Unfortunately, what we do know is people won’t tell you the truth about how they feel (even if you ask) but they will tell others.
All we can do is try to control the narrative and ensure that our chosen message is getting across and make sure that message reflects the smell and feeling we want to elicit.
There are some great examples for us to learn from. In the UK the John Lewis Christmas advert captivates us and touches our emotions. It doesn’t have anything to do with being a department store; it just tells you that John Lewis gets Christmas and all that it means. To me, it smells like cinnamon and mince pies straight out of the oven and it makes us want to do our shopping at their stores because it will really feel Christmassy. Also we know that anything bought or gifted from John Lewis is a solid present wrapped in love from the giver. The traditional Christmas Coca-Cola lorry delivery advert has a similar effect.
Fantastic and fascinating. Chocolate makers are also usually very clever in tapping on our heartstrings in their advertising. We all know what chocolate is but receiving that special box, be it Cadbury’s or Lindt, means more and is bought by people who care; brilliant.
If you think my smell analogy is a little strange, think how many perfumes and colognes are marketed on TV and billboards. The images send out the aroma in your imagination.
Studying how these brands use marketing is so interesting. It’s not about what you do as a business or product, or being known; for example we all pretty much know all about each other’s business in our own community. It’s rather about how you make people feel. Just being known may actually be more damaging if the market doesn’t see you the way you think they do.
It’s easy to do nothing, change nothing and hope that you, at least, smell like you’ve had a wash but that won’t make you memorable or loved. However, the biggest, most successful and trusted brands are supported by intelligent and innovative marketing messages; it’s not a fluke.
So, if you really want to get ahead and get your marketing message fully percolating through to the audience, perhaps it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.
