Posts Tagged Conferences
Electric shock improves odor perception
It sure seems like we’re discovering an exponential number of fascinating new things about the olfactory system these days. An article that came out of the recent Symposium on Olfaction and Taste has been forwarded to me at least a dozen times already, because it’s so filled with interesting true tales and cliff bits. Check out the studies presented by Dr. Jay Gottfried. In one, humans exposed to just one floral odor for about three minutes markedly improved their abilities to tell families of flower odors apart from one another. Then there’s the one where the people learned to discern “undetectable” differences between an herbal smell and its mirror-image molecular twin. How’d they do that? Electric shock as punishment for the wrong answer! Makes me wish I’d gone to that symposium.
Read more in the New York Times
Add comment August 8, 2008
Olfactometer debuts in SF this week
If you’re in San Francisco this week, stop by the International Symposium on Olfaction and Taste. While you’re there, check out the “olfactometer” to find out whether your sniffer is up to snuff. It takes 12 minutes to smell 40 difference scents, after which you’ll get a printed profile of your sense of smell. Designed by neuroscientist Lloyd Hastings, the olfactometer is making its debut this week. Hastings hopes to sell the machine to medical labs and specialty clinics.
Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle
Add comment July 25, 2008
Scent marketing winners announced
Winners of the 2008 SMItty awards were announced at SCENTworld earlier this month. Presented by the Scent Marketing Institute, the awards honor innovative people and companies in the scent marketing industry.
Honored this year:
Best New Proven Technology: Steven M. Landau of ScentSational Technologies, for development of unique aroma-enhanced packaging.
Best New Concept: Juan Miguel Antonanzas de Toledo of A de Aroma, for building a European network of “scent system operators” who can share resources that help grow the industry.
Most Unique Implementation: Clément Jeanjean of Presensia, for development of a scent-emitting digital flat screen for use in retail settings.
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Add comment July 23, 2008
Public space scenting: Is it safe? Is it green?
Ambient scenting companies tackled questions about ecological and human safety at SCENTworld, the scent marketing expo and conference held recently in New York. According to Richard Weening, CEO of environmental-services and scent-marketing company Prolitec, “Scent safety for humans and the environment is relatively easy to insure, because it depends entirely on the ingredients and the quantity used to create the scent effect. Great fragrance can be produced from ingredients that are safe for humans, in the quantity needed for successful ambient scenting, and have no negative environmental consequences.”
Several conference participants pointed out that traditional methods of scenting, such as candles, oil burners, plug-ins, and other methods that rely on evaporation cannot be finely controlled. Weening agreed, saying “It’s worse than you imagine. Scented candles burn fragrance oil to create scent, aerosols use propellants and alcohol, which are harmful VOCs, unsafe for both humans and the environment.”
The answer for safe scenting in public spaces, according to Weening, is “scent delivery systems that can control quantity and have the technology to produce a good scent effect with ultra low quantities of human safe ingredients. The technology for controlled delivery is available and is being used now.”
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Add comment July 16, 2008
AdAge reports from ScentWorld
AdvertisingAge interviewed C. Russell Brumfield, author of the recently-released book “Whiff,” at the recent ScentWorld conference in New York.
Add comment July 7, 2008
Scent increases investment returns, panel says
Women’s Wear Daily reported on the scent marketing panel at GlobalShop 2008, the branding conference and trade show that took place in Chicago earlier this month. The panel included Russel Brumfield, chairman and CEO of marketing company Whiff Solutions, Christine Belich of Sony, who is using a proprietary scent in 41 of its Sony Style stores, and Richard Weening, president and CEO of ambient scenting provider Prolitec.
Weening discussed research of scent’s impact on retail investment returns. One study he cited showed that customers interviewed after visiting unscented stores overestimated the length of their stays by at least 20 percent, whereas those interviewed after visiting scent-enhanced stores consistently underestimated their stays. Fascinating! Weening referred to this as scent’s “time compression” impact. According to panelist Brumfield, research shows that scent keeps customers in stores up to 40% longer.
My favorite quote from the panel comes from Brumfield, who makes the point that all environments have a smell, it’s a matter of whether you control it or not. Touché, Mr. Brumfield. Who could argue with that?
Read more at Women’s Wear Daily
1 comment March 30, 2008
ScentWorld Expo hits NYC this summer
It’s about time. The non-wearable scenting industry finally got its very own conference. Sponsored by New York’s Scent Marketing Institute, SCENTworld Conference & Expo is the first-ever conference focused solely on the use of scent in marketing, branding, and ambiance. The conference has four seminar tracks: one for ad execs and creative directors, one for scent developers, one for commercial real estate pros, and one for scent marketing professionals. There’s also a full-day program called “Scent Marketing University,” industry-related exhibits, and plenty of opportunities for networking.
SCENTworld takes place June 29 - July 1 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in Manhattan, NYC. Find out more at scentworldexpo.com
1 comment March 29, 2008
