» Ambient Scenting

Prolitec Named ‘Scent Marketer of the Year’ for Its Retail Innovations

airsense — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:32:03 +0000

Prolitec, Inc., the global provider of ambient-scenting technology and services, along with Abercrombie & Fitch, the internationally known fashion retailer, were named “Scent Marketers of the Year” at the 2011 ScentWorld Expo, a major international conference sponsored by the Scarsdale, N.Y.-based Scent Marketing Institute (SMI).

The conference was held Dec. 7-9 at the Gansevoort Hotel in Miami Beach. In a statement following the announcement, SMI said it jointly gave the award to Prolitec and Abercrombie in order to recognize the two companies for their “ground-breaking in-store scenting program” and “as acknowledgement of their leadership in the use of scent in merchandising and in-store communications.”

“When it comes to using scent in merchandising, Abercrombie is a true pioneer,” said Prolitec CEO Richard Weening. “Abercrombie’s CEO Mike Jeffries and his leadership team are superstars in retail merchandising and masters of the art of engaging all the senses in the store. They are key contributors to ambient scenting’s emergence as one of the hottest trends in retailing.”

From MarketWatch

For further reporting on ScentWorld Expo, check out the NY Times: Scent Makers Sweeten the Smell of Commerce

Tagged: Abercrombie & Fitch, Ambient Scenting, Awards, Branding, Conferences, Marketing, People and Companies, Prolitec, Retail, Scent Marketing Institute, ScentWorld Expo

Reaching Out to Customers, Through Their Noses

airsense — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:54:36 +0000

Via Fox Business:

Whether you realize it or not, a lot of businesses stink.

OK, so perhaps “stink” isn’t the right word; “have a scent” is more like it.

For the better part of the last decade, retailers, casinos and hotels have experimented heavily with “ambient scenting,” a fancy term that describes the process of using scent distribution technology to give a space a unique and inviting smell. The goal for businesses is to enhance the customer experience, increase brand recognition and ultimately drive sales.

Sound too farfetched to be mainstream? It’s not. In fact, if you’ve sat in the lobby of a Westin hotel or shopped at an Abercrombie & Fitch sometime in the last few years, you’ve likely experienced it yourself.

What’s fascinating about ambient scenting is that it’s a trend that hasn’t worn off during these tough economic times. Like a good perfume, it has staying power…

Goodwill jumps on the scenting bandwagon

airsense — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:28:43 +0000

Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin has joined the retail scenting movement, placing Prolitec’s ambient scenting services in all 44 of its Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago retail locations.

While many chain stores across America are stalling growth in today’s economy, Goodwill thrift-store locations are thriving, and the company is expanding. Ambient scenting is part of a move toward making the thrift store shopping experience more like a mainstream retail experience.

The 44 stores will utilize a signature scent featuring hints of sweet orange and honeysuckle, custom-designed by Milwaukee-based Prolitec to create a clean, crisp atmosphere.

More at Marketwire.

Tagged: Ambient Scenting, Goodwill, Marketing, People and Companies, Prolitec, Retail, Trends

Can Ambient Scent Enhance the Nightlife Experience?

airsense — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 20:23:49 +0000

Dutch scientists recently found that when they dispersed pleasant fragrances into a nightclub, the people in the club danced more, rated their experience as more enjoyable, and even thought the music was better when compared to evenings without the added fragrance. Fragrances tested were orange, seawater and peppermint. No significant difference in results was found between the three scents.

[Can Ambient Scent Enhance the Nightlife Experience? in Chemosensory Perception, June 2011]

Tagged: Ambient Scenting, Chemosensory Perception, Dance Clubs, Nightclubs, Science, Trends

Flawless fragrance in Ben Bridge stores for Mother’s Day

airsense — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:39:34 +0000

Ben Bridge jewelers will add a signature scent gift at its stores ahead of Mother’s Day as an add-on to a jewelry purchase. Named “Flawless,” the scent is sold in a distinctive diamond-shaped bottle, and its packaging opens similar to a ring box. The fragrance will be dispersed throughout stores using an ambient scenting system from Prolitec, Inc.

Flawless incorporates a blend of cucumber, pear and citrus along with magnolia and verbena, and is finished with rich saffron and cocoa.

Ben Bridge assembled a dynamic team to create Flawless, including renowned perfumer Raymond Matts, who helped create Clinique’s “Happy” and Elizabeth Taylor’s “White Diamonds,” and Prolitec Inc., whose system enables a scent experience without spritzing.

More at diamonds.net

Tagged: Ambient Scenting, Branding, Clinique, Fragrance Industry, Marketing, People and Companies, Products, Prolitec, Retail, Trends

Prolitec Brings Aromatherapy to Assisted-Living Communities Nationwide

airsense — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:30:07 +0000

Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ Offers New Technology for Community Health and Wellness Programs

MILWAUKEE, WI–(Marketwire – March 1, 2011) – From ancient times to the present day, people have relied on natural scents like lavender, verbena and jasmine to help them achieve states of calm, alertness and well-being. Now, with the launch of its Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ system, Prolitec, Inc. (www.prolitec.com) makes it possible to do this for an entire assisted-living community, enhancing the experience of residents and staff, and making positive impressions on visitors.

ATMOSPHERES™ is a computer-controlled, fully-automated system that works through the HVAC system or from appliances mounted on walls, in or above ceilings or on tabletops to maintain a controlled, light level of a natural aromatherapy scent throughout the common areas. The system is fully supported by Prolitec with onsite periodic service and requires no staff involvement.

Natural scents include blends of chamomile, aromatic lavender and other complementary and proprietary ingredients. Their proven benefits can also be brought to individual resident rooms through the Air/Q™ Whole Room Air Freshener™, a sleek, miniaturized version of Prolitec’s commercial scenting technology that is small enough to rest on a tabletop.

“There is a body of scientific literature illustrating the remarkable ability of natural fragrances to impact mood and cognitive function,” noted Richard Weening, CEO of Prolitec. “Aromatherapy and the use of scent to achieve an outcome has become an important part of holistic health and wellness programs. According to a Duke University study, for example, the scent of lavender relaxed participants every bit as much as a physical massage. These potentially therapeutic benefits make Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ a natural fit for the assisted-living industry.”

The industrywide launch of Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ follows 18 months of testing in more than 50 assisted-living facilities, including most of the communities of Aegis Living, a national leader in retirement and assisted living.

Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ is “green” and fully compliant with the stringent regulatory requirements of OSHA and the state of California, Weening added. “Prolitec’s patented micro-droplet technology creates a uniform scent effect with a bare minimum of product — less than 1 molecule out of every 1 million molecules in the air,” he explained. “In addition to using far less product, this very small amount of scent is unlikely to trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive residents.”

Typically, in fact, residents are exposed to far higher amounts of scented product — up to 100 times greater — from the likes of restroom deodorizers, aerosols and plug-in air fresheners. These relatively inefficient products also tend to be more expensive when used in an assisted-living or retirement setting, Weening added.

Through the Air/Q ATMOSPHERES™ program, Prolitec offers a wide range of broadly appealing aromatherapy fragrances that can be customized for the specific requirements of clients based on the proven benefits of this ancient science. The unique adjustability of the Air/Q system also provides an additional layer of customization. “The result is a transformed atmosphere that improves the overall experience of residents, staff and visitors,” Weening said.

About Prolitec

Prolitec (www.prolitec.com) develops and provides innovative airborne technologies for infection control, odor cancellation, and the use of scent for positive emotional and physiological experiences. The company’s technologies are employed by retailers, hotels, casinos, fitness centers, spas, healthcare facilities, and other institutional and commercial facilities in the U.S. and 46 countries around the world.

Tagged: Aegis Living, Air/Q, Ambient Scenting, Aromatherapy, Assisted Living, Health, Hospitals, People and Companies, Prolitec, Technology, Trends

Koo Jeong A’s NYC exhibit incorporates fragrance

airsense — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:38:22 +0000

Multidisciplinary artist Koo Jeong A’s exhibit at NYC’s Hispanic Society of America, one piece of a 3-location installation entitled Constallation Congress, incorporates visual art, architecture and ambient fragrance. The exhibit reveals Jeong A’s interests in natural phenomena and the intricacies of perception and memory.

The fragrance used in the exhibit, developed together with IFF perfumer Bruno Jovanovic and dispersed with discreetly placed technology from Prolitec, Inc., was meant to create “an impression, or an atmosphere, rather than different phases through evaporation like in a wearable fragrance,” said Jovanovic. “It couldn’t be too complex and sophisticated; it had to illustrate a simple concept.” Jeong A and Jovanovic worked for several months developing the fragrance, during which time Jovanovic wasn’t allowed to see the visual components of the installation, working from descriptions of the artist’s vision.

Constallation Congress is currently unfolding at three locations in NYC: Dia:Beacon(through June 26, 2011), the Hispanic Society of America (now through June 26, 2011) and the Dan Flavin Art Institute (through September 4, 2011).

Tagged: Ambient Scenting, Art, IFF, Prolitec, Trends

Watermill Center uses Prolitec system to diffuse one-of-a-kind scent at benefit

airsense — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 16:42:33 +0000

International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) senior perfumer Loc Dong has created a one-of-a-kind scent to benefit The Watermill Center, an organization that fosters research in theater and various types of performance art. 100 bottles were auctioned off at the organization’s 17th Annual Summer Benefit on July 24, in addition to 10 additional bottles that were designed by Watermill founder Robert Wilson and several of the organization’s resident artists.

Mr. Dong’s scent features ambrette seeds, cashmeran, blood rose and kaffir lime leaves—and was diffused throughout the event via a system by Prolitec Inc.

http://www.cosmeticworld.com/story_jumps/story337.html

Tagged: Ambient Scenting, Art, IFF, People and Companies, Prolitec, Watermill

State of the industry, from Bloomberg

airsense — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 21:03:32 +0000

A fascinating article over at Bloomberg Businessweek gives an overview of the state of scent marketing and some of the latest scent-related developments. A few wildly different items of note:

Research in France indicates scent may have a powerful role to play in helping people who are suffering from severe trauma.
Scent is an integral part of a new transdisciplinary master’s program at the Parsons New School for Design in New York.
Bloom grocery stores recently implemented the first scented billboard in North Carolina, using giant fans to blow a charbroiled scent over a highway.

Check it out over at Bloomberg Businessweek: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_26/b4184085987358.htm

Tagged: Ambient Scenting, Branding, Fragrance Industry, Health, Marketing, People and Companies, Science, Trends

Aegis Living Selects Prolitec for Aromatherapy Service to Senior Living Communities

airsense — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:25:20 +0000

REDMOND, WA — 03/10/10 — As part of its continuing effort to enhance the lives of residents in its retirement and assisted living communities, Aegis Living (www.aegisliving.com) has selected Prolitec Inc. (www.prolitec.com) to introduce aromatherapy to public areas in all 35 of its senior living facilities in Washington, California and Nevada.Following an initial installation in the new Aegis of Bellevue (Wash.) community, the Redmond-based company contracted with Prolitec to roll out the systems to the remainder of its communities over the course of 2010, with several installations now under way. The systems from Milwaukee-based Prolitec will condition the air in lobbies and hallways with tiny amounts of a scent created especially for Aegis.

Aegis’ scent, called ‘Serene,’ is a blend of chamomile, aromatic lavender and other complementary and proprietary ingredients. Chamomile reduces stress and anxiety and is used to treat insomnia, while lavender relaxes the body. According to a Duke University study, the scent of lavender relaxed participants as much as a massage.

Depending on the community’s mechanical system, Aegis’ proprietary scent will be dispersed in the designated common areas through a variety of HVAC or wall-mounted delivery systems from Prolitec. As the program evolves, residents will also be given the opportunity to have aromatherapy in their individual units through Prolitec’s Air/Q Whole Room (www.airq.com) system for an additional monthly charge.

“Already known as one of the premier operators of retirement and assisting living communities, Aegis is taking another step forward in raising the standards for better senior living with the introduction of aromatherapy,” said Richard Weening, CEO of Prolitec. “The scent that we developed for them will make residents feel better and they don’t have to do anything, just breathe in the air.”

“Prolitec is the technology leader in the safe and sensible use of scent in public spaces,” added Jerry Meyer, COO of Aegis. “We chose Prolitec because they have a customer-focused, high-standards culture like Aegis and they understand the special requirements of senior communities.”

About Prolitec

Prolitec (www.prolitec.com) is a world leader in the development and deployment of innovative air-treatment and air care technologies including odor control, ambient scenting, aromatherapy and the use of scent as a medium of communication. Clients include retailers, hotels, casinos and other commercial organizations in the U.S. and in 20 countries around the world. Prolitec’s Aerobiology and Infection Control Unit develops human-safe and green systems for controlling pests and killing airborne and surface bacteria and viruses.

About Aegis Living

Aegis Living is a national leader in retirement and assisted living, offering a progressive selection of senior residences to meet the growing needs of today’s aging population. Providing the finest in senior lifestyle and living options available, “We are the people who make life better” emphasizes health, quality of life, well being and community. Aegis Living is guided by a simple philosophy: strive to treat all people with the highest possible standards. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Redmond, Washington, privately held Aegis Living operates 35 communities in Washington, California and Nevada. Additional information about Aegis Living and its services are available at www.AegisLiving.com. Follow us on Twitter @twitter.com/aegisliving and Facebook at http://bit.ly/OUNyR.