Sniffing out a profit in print

Something stinks in the world of women’s magazines – or rather something that used to stink no longer does. There was a time not so long ago when women’s magazines – and latterly men’s titles – contained at least one scented strip promoting a new brand of scent or other cosmetics product.

But in recent years, demand for this type of effect has all but disappeared, meaning a drop in work for those that specialise in this field. However, some industry pundits report that scratch and sniff enquiries are on the increase and there are early signs that a recovery could be on the cards. Last year, influential marketing magazine Advertising Age identified so-called ‘scratch and sniff’ as a trend to watch in 2007.

And this prediction became a reality earlier this year when the free US-based newspaper Metro New York offered aromatic advertisements, the first of which was for a brand of flavoured mineral water. The announcement came around the same time as the Wall Street Journal and USA Today unveiled that they were also planning scented ads.

Smelly marketing
With scientific studies showing that the sense of smell affects human emotion up to 75% more than any other sense, the argument for using scratch and sniff as a promotional tool has become ever more compelling for marketers looking to stand out in an increasingly crowded commercial world – hence the resurgence in reported enquiries.

However, any printer looking to break into this market should do so with caution. Scratch and sniff had its heyday in the 1980s, when fragranced stickers and scented drawer liners seemed to be everywhere. But, like all gimmicks, the trends were short-lived and the stickers and drawer liners were cast into the decade’s cultural dustbin with products such as Cabbage Patch Kids and ‘Frankie Says’ t-shirts.

Stale scent
For those involved in the micro-encapsulation business – to give scratch and sniff its proper name – the gradual downturn throughout the 90s was partly attributable to the availability of discount cosmetics in a wider range of outlets. As cosmetics manufacturers entered into deals with super­markets and discount retailers, which in turn had an impact on the profit margins of their products, one of the first things to come under attack was the marketing budget.

“We have to link the profits being made by manufacturers who are being forced to sell at these reduced rates to the amount of money being spent on promoting products,” explains Syd Bennett of Celessence, one of the UK’s leading print scent specialists.

Another factor in the downturn of micro-encapsulation as a sales or promotional tool, according to Bennett, was the high turnover of staff in the marketing departments of major cosmetics manufacturers. Bennett says this, along with differing views on the effectiveness of micro-encapsulation marketing, has led to an inconsistent use of the technology.

While its history may sound chequered and complex, thankfully the actual process of micro-encapsulation is relatively straightforward. Fragrance oils are broken down into molecules, which are wrapped in polymers to create sealed pockets of fragrance. These fragrance capsules are then mixed with a printing ink or other media and printed onto the substrate. The substrate is then scratched or rubbed, breaking open the capsules and releasing the fragrance.

Fragrance phenomenon
In recent years, major advances have been made to enhance the quality of the micro-encapsulated fragrances by companies such as Euracli, a French-based olfactory advertising and sensory marketing firm. Euracli offers smells ranging from herbs de Provence right through to the instantly recognisable pong of horse droppings. Its products include scented inks and varnishes, which enable printers to work on large surfaces, as well as ‘rub breathe’, an adhesive label that contains a fragrance powder that is deposited between two layers of paper. When it is applied delicately to the skin, the substance delivers an accurate translation of the perfume.

Another leader in the olfactory field is American firm Scentisphere, which some of the US newspapers have worked with on the recent resurgence of scented adverts. It markets a product called ‘Rub‘n’Smell’, which can be applied inline as a fifth colour or as a coating.

Many people mistakenly believe that technology offered by the likes of Euracli and Scentisphere comes with a hefty price tag but, according to Celessence’s Bennett, the cost is small compared to the proven impact it can have on sales.

Indeed, Bob Bernstein, co-founder of Scentisphere, argues: “Printing a brand’s unique scent directly onto packaging is one of the most cost-effective ways to differentiate a product on store shelves.” His company cites potential sales increases of up to 25% for brands using Rub‘n’Smell.

The oft-cited example of a company successfully employing this kind of technology to its advantage is Unilever, which used micro-encapsulation to promote the ‘fresh’ fragrance of Radion washing powder in 1997 (see box). Of those who had been exposed to the micro-encapsulated fragrance but were regular purchases of other brands, 13% switched to Radion. The post-promotional research also saw similarly enviable results in product recall – the Holy Grail for measuring the effectiveness of a promotion.

Perfumed promotion
In more recent times, micro-encapsulation was used successfully in the marketing of Ambi Pur 3volution room frag­rances. This promotion, which ran in the August 2006 issues of Ideal Home and Woman and Home, involved three scented strips on a display advertisement in the magazines. The three strips represented the three rotating scents of 3volution and the scents were undetectable prior to the removal of the covering strips.

The Royal Mail also recently issued a scratch and sniff stamp as part of a collection that celebrated 100 years of Nobel Prizes. The stamp allowed purchasers to inhale the aroma of the healing eucalyptus plant. Royal Mail’s stamp wasn’t a world first, however, as Switzerland, with its chocolate scented stamp and Hong Kong, which produced green tea-flavoured stamp, both got in on the act first.

These developments provide a timely reminder to people of the potential benefits of using micro-encapsulation technology. However, according to Bennett, the fact that there are still a limited number of businesses that could potentially use it to promote their products – firms to whom the smell of their products is important – there is always likely to be a dearth of this type of work around, no matter how popular it becomes.

But with enquiries on the up, let’s hope that the market expands and printers once again experience the sweet smell of success.
Source: printweek