Archive for December, 2007
Australian states ban scented cigarettes
I hadn’t even realized there were fruit-scented cigarettes, and here they are now, banned in Australia. According to a brief article in Australia’s LiveNews, young people “don’t realize they’re unhealthy.” Fascinating. Perhaps Australia has unscented, healthy cigarettes I haven’t heard about.
Add comment December 28, 2007
Hospitals take on ambient scenting
Ohio’s Riverside Methodist Hospital is using scenting machines in some of its lobbies and waiting rooms. Ambient scenting of its public spaces is part of the hospital’s aesthetics-improvement program. According to the article in The Columbus Dispatch some U.S. hospitals have also infused scent into MRI machines to aid relaxation.
Add comment December 27, 2007
Neuron circuits rewire themselves in response to sensory input
Results from new study report the discovery that neuron circuits are constantly rewiring themselves in order to identify and discriminate between sensory input. It was previously thought that the circuits were anatomically determined and only changed slowly over time. The study comes from the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC), comprised of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Recently published in Nature Neuronscience, the study examined the process of lateral inhibition in the olfactory bulb.
Read more at Science Daily
Add comment December 19, 2007
Squirrels scent themselves to avoid predators
In case you had any doubts about perfuming in the animal kingdom, check out the next issue of Animal Behavior. A researcher from UC Davis found that in the case of New Mexican and Californian squirrels, the chosen aroma is eau de rattlesnake. The squirrels chew up the skin without swallowing, then apply the scent by licking their bodies. The rattlesnake scent serves to mask their own squirrel scent, thus reducing their risk of getting discovered by the rattlesnakes.
Read more at the Discovery Channel
Add comment December 17, 2007
Hotels: the science of scenting and unscenting
During the past couple years, I’ve seen hotels being utilized as a kind of laboratory for sensory branding scientists. It makes sense. Hotels are serving customers 24/7, and mostly for activities that are of a more personal nature. Vacationing customers want a relaxing and special experience, and business travelers need a good night’s sleep. So, to attract and satisfy these customers various needs, hotel design trends are increasingly prioritizing sensory appeal, particularly with fragrance and sound. (See the New York Times article Eau de Hotel.)
Enter the latest twist: Hampton Hotels promoting unscented hotel rooms (see Hotel Chain Unscents Itself). Hampton launched this “Non-Scents” program in response to their own customer survey, which revealed that most customers want their rooms to smell like nothing but fresh air. The program is co-created by Proctor & Gamble’s Febreze “Linen & Sky brand,” which leads one to believe the rooms aren’t scent-free, they’re just scented like “fresh air.” I’ve written them to ask for further details. This isn’t the first hotel-room un-scenting program: recall the advent of “Pure Rooms” last spring — an effort to serve customers with allergies (see Hotels Go Hypoallergenic).
Hampton’s survey begs the question: Do the customers that voted for unscented rooms enjoy the scented public spaces?
How are people reading this in terms of trends?
I’d like to know more about how companies using scent determine the success of the scent — is there a mechanism for customer feedback? Is it based on the “feedback” of sales numbers?
–Max
Add comment December 15, 2007
Help with the Holidays
In case you’re having trouble getting in the mood for all the parties this holiday season, there’s a new aromatic therapy available. California-based company Aromatherapy Interventions has created a “Holiday Therapy” line of scented candles to help keep you up all night and in the mood to party. The candles are aptly named “All Nighter” and “Extro-Version.”
Read more at PR.com
Add comment December 13, 2007
Simpsons Smell-o-vision put on hold
Plans for a smell-o-vision version of the Simpsons movie have been cancelled due to “production issues.” ScentAndrea announced earlier this year that they’d be pairing their scent machines with the December-release DVD for trial in New Zealand. According to Auckland company Apollo Marketing, there will be scent market testing in 2008 with other movies.
Read more at stuff.co.nz
1 comment December 11, 2007
