A scent marketing strategy is a plan for how fragrance will support a business: what it should achieve, which scent, where and how strongly it is used, how it is delivered and maintained, and how you will know it is working. Plug-in air fresheners are not a strategy. They are a product bought to fix a smell, with no brand fit, no control and nobody responsible for the result.
For the fundamentals, start with our complete guide to ambient scenting. This article sets out how to plan a strategy step by step.
Why plug-ins aren’t a strategy
- They scent a metre or two around a socket and nothing else.
- They cannot be scheduled, zoned or calibrated.
- Different staff buy different refills, so the business smells of several unrelated things.
- They say “household fix” to anyone who notices them.
- Nobody measures anything, so nobody knows whether scent is helping.
How to plan a scent marketing strategy
1. Set the objective
Be specific. A calmer arrival experience in a hotel lobby, longer dwell time in a flagship, a recognisable brand cue across outlets, or a fresher-feeling office for clients. Each leads to different choices.
2. Understand the audience
Who spends time in the space, for how long, and what do they expect? Business travellers, families, patients and staff on long shifts need different things from the same air.
3. Choose a scent that fits
Research on scent in retail consistently finds that a scent congruent with the brand and products works better than one that is merely pleasant. Choose from a library or develop a signature scent.
4. Map the zones
Decide where the scent leads, where it is softer and where there is none, such as dining areas, treatment rooms or desks where someone sits all day.
5. Set the level
Noticeable on arrival, forgotten minutes later. See scent intensity.
6. Choose the delivery system
Standalone units for rooms and small shops; ACMV-connected systems for lobbies, atriums and whole floors. See our commercial scent systems.
7. Plan maintenance
Refills, servicing and adjustment on a schedule, with one party responsible. Consistency is what makes scent work.
8. Measure
Record a baseline before you start, then compare sales, dwell time, conversion or feedback. Our article on scent marketing ROI explains how.
9. Extend it
Once the scent is recognised, carry it into packaging, products, events and gifts.
Scent marketing strategy in Singapore
Plan for constant air-conditioning, humid entrances, landlord approval for ACMV connections in multi-tenant buildings, and a population that meets a great deal of scent every day in malls and on transport. Distinctiveness and restraint matter more here, not less.
Frequently asked questions
What is a scent marketing strategy?
A plan covering objective, audience, scent, zones, intensity, delivery, maintenance and measurement.
What is the simplest way to start?
One well-chosen library scent in your main customer-facing space, delivered professionally and measured against a baseline.
How long before a strategy shows results?
Allow at least one to two months of consistent scenting before comparing against your baseline.
Want help building a plan? See our commercial and ambient scenting service.
Further reading: Sensory branding on Wikipedia.
