Archive for September, 2007
Ambius chooses Prolitec for new ambient scenting services
Ambius, a division of business-services company Rentokil Initial, is launching ambient scenting services across Europe. The company, known world-wide for its services to hotels, casinos, offices and retail establishments, announced recently that they’ve chosen US-based Prolitec’s scenting technology for the new services. Citing Prolitec’s “uniform, hypoallergenic” scent effects, Ambius says they discovered Prolitec to be the “clear technology leader in the field.” Ambius will use exclusively Prolitec’s hypoallergenic fragrances and computer-controlled scent-delivery systems under the brand name “Microfresh.” Read more at PR Newswire.
Relevant links: Ambius, Prolitec, Rentokil Initial
1 comment September 30, 2007
British pubs to come up smelling like roses in wake of smoking ban
British drinking establishments are no longer unbearable because of all the tobacco smoke. Instead, they’re unbearable because there’s nothing to disguise what the places really smell like: sweaty club-goers, dank basements, and stale beer. That’s the buzz around Britain these days. Leading the movement to improve the smelly situation is Ambius, a subsidiary of pest-control industry leader Rentokil Initial. Using computerized scent-dispersing machines from US company Prolitec, pubs all over Britain will soon be pleasantly fragrant. Ambius plans to provide scenting services to at least 6,000 pubs and nightclubs, generating about £10m per year. Read more at This is Money
Add comment September 26, 2007
Prolitec names US Sales Manager
Prolitec Inc., a leading provider of indoor air quality and scent media services, named Michael Demet as National Sales Director. Demet was formerly National Accounts Manager for DMX Music where he managed music services sales to national groups in the retail and hospitality sectors.
“Here at Prolitec, Mike will maintain focus on national accounts but instead of selling music, he and his team will offer our scent services including scent branding, ambient scenting as well as indoor air quality services,” said Todd Schneider, Executive Vice President of Prolitec. “Mike will also oversee support of our channel reseller partners in the US.
“Scent is the hot new medium for branding and enhancing the customer experience in retail, hospitality and other sectors where customers are served indoors,” Demet stated. “I chose Prolitec because it has the best technology and is the only organization in our field with the nationwide support capability needed by national groups.”
Prolitec is a world leader in the development and deployment of innovative technologies and solutions for aerobiology, indoor air quality and uses of scent as a marketing and communications medium. Prolitec’s leading edge technologies are sold as fully-supported services through channel partners in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia as well as several European countries including Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Portugal and Sweden.
Add comment September 12, 2007
Scientists honing in on olfactory answer to malaria
The mysteries of the malaria mosquito are being uncovered by scientists in an effort to combat malaria. The holy grail, according to an NIH-funded study, is in the specific details of the malaria mosquito’s highly complex olfactory system. A detailed map of the mosquito’s maxillary palp, the area the specializes in detecting human odors, was recently published in Current Biology. What the map reveals is that there are a few very specific molecular targets that, if modified, could prevent malaria mosquitoes from finding (and attacking) humans. The study fills in a major gap in the knowledge of the malaria mosquito and how it differs from other species of mosquitoes that carry diseases such as dengue and yellow fever.
Read more at ScienceDaily and Current Biology
Add comment September 9, 2007
Philippine city nurtures its fragrant reputation
The city of Baguio is renowned in the Philippines for its pine scent. Yet, over the years, the presence of pine trees in the city has dwindled considerably. City officials have vowed to return the pine scent to Baguio by planting a million pine trees before the city celebrates its centennial in 2009. Re-greening areas that have been deforested in the Philippines is just one part of a larger effort of environmental protection and education. Issues like this are being addressed in thousands of elementary and high schools all over the country. Read more at Inquirer.net
Add comment September 8, 2007
LA Times rolls out first-ever scented-ink advertisement
The LA Times, the largest metropolitan newspaper in the US, announced that this Sunday’s paper will feature the first-ever ad using scented ink. The ad, promoting the film “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium,” will smell like frosted cake, and appear in the September 9th Fall Movie Sneaks section. The ad will feature areas of soy-based ink that emit the frosted-cake aroma when scratched. The aroma is meant to engage readers in a new way, and to remind them to “be young and have fun.” The innovative ad campaign is a boon at a time when print media everywhere is struggling to find new ways to keep readers in an increasingly internet-based information era. The movie, directed by Zach Helm and starring Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman, opens in US theatres on November 16.Read more at CNN Money, the LA Times and BloggingStocks
Add comment September 8, 2007
Olfactory subsystem key to chemical communication between individuals
University of Maryland scientists have uncovered a unique olfactory subsystem in mice that allows them to communicate hormonal states between individuals, specifically information about water and salt balances in the body. Most mammals have a main olfactory system and an accessory olfactory system, which work together to detect odors and other chemical signals. Previous studies have suggested the possibility of a third group of olfactory cells. This study reveals the first evidence of the third system, which involves “GC-D neurons.” According to the study’s author Steven Munger, this system is not likely to be functional in humans, but may provide clues to other olfactory systems involved in human communication. Read more at ScienceDaily, the Baltimore Sun, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Add comment September 7, 2007
