In-store fragrances can be winners by a nose

THE SMELL of disinfectant may transport you back to infants' school, or an aftershave may instantly remind you of an ex- boyfriend. Now a growing number of companies are using the power of scent as a marketing tool to help their brands stand out.

Shirtmaker Thomas Pink wafts the smell of fresh laundry around its outlets, Woolworths has its own "Christmas scent" and Superdrug has pumped the smell of chocolate through its stores. Rolls-Royce's coachbuilder, SC Gordon, has replicated the distinctive aroma of a 1965 Silver Cloud. The scent - leather with undertones of wood - is missing from newer cars because more plastic is used today. Cars that come in for repair are now injected with the aroma to recreate that sense of luxury.

Travellers using BA lounges at Heathrow are assailed with the smell of new-mown grass, courtesy of scent specialist The Aroma Company. Director Sarah Harrop explains: "We have worked with BA to produce a fragrance for its passengers and to bring the outside inside to jaded people who move from office to plane to office."

Harrop says scents can help reflect a brand's values and make an environment a more pleasant place to be.

"A lot of companies go for natural fragrances such as 'mountain air' but if you walk into a store and can smell something really distinct, then we have got it wrong."

She adds that as well as enhancing perceptions of brands, scents can also be used to give tired shoppers a boost. "You could use fragrances such as peppermint after lunch to keep people alert, and citrus scents are also very uplifting and could also be used in retail outlets," she says. Ira Matathia of consumer trends con- sultancy The Intelligence Factory says: "Scents can really say something about your brand. They can produce an emotional rather than a rational response.

"Pumping a scent around a store will not make consumers buy more products but aromas can be used in an

associative way and put them in the mood to buy.

The smell of coconut oil, for example, could be used in a travel agency."

To help companies take advantage of the power of scents and smells, Carlson Marketing Group has just launched a new division called Emote. It specialises in "sensory marketing" and advises companies on how smell, touch, taste and sound can enhance a brand.

Geoff Crook, who runs the sensory design research laboratory at Central St Martin's School of Art and is a consultant at Emote, says: "It is about getting

brands into consumers hearts as well as their minds and creating an emotional landscape for brands."

But while appealing to our sense of smell may seem like a great way of communicating with consumers, we may see a backlash warns Mata- thia. "We are already seeing it happen in the US and Canada," he says.

"Fear of lawsuits from people who suffer from asthma and allergies means that schools and public buildings now ban the wearing of perfume.

Scents pumped around retail stores may be next."

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