Sniffs for Profits

You may be innocently walking through the mall, then your nose lifts and you get a waft of a delicious smell. You continue to walk, now without a thought of your previous path, but you walk along to find where that smell is coming from. Then you come upon Cinnabon. It was that invisible, warm, delicious, sweet, cinnamon-y, doughy smell that silently lured you over. Walking up to the counter, you can see them knead the bread and pour the liquid icing over...and a little runs off the edge. After seeing fresh rolls come out of the oven, it is a monstrous temptation. How could you resist?

Smell is used often as a tactic of marketing. House salesmen often cook up fresh baked cookies, or even just put something good smelling in the oven. Grocery stores, ice cream shops, bakeries, everything is a smell- see and taste galore. The sense of smell is the only sense that is not filtered before the information reaches the brain. The olfactory gland is directly linked to the brain through evolution. It helps let us know of dangers and also what we can approach. Smell is also very strongly linked with memories. You can remember your yearly Christmas dinners with just the slight hint of smell from a pecan pie. The smell of burning wood can remind you of those cozy winter days in front of the fireplace.

With more than just food, stores have certain scents as well. Smelling the obtrusive smell from across the mall will send you to its store. Perfume, another great industry is based on the fact that people like good smelling things and want to smell good as well. Air freshners, candles, what-have-yous, they all try to create a special environment that not only soothes you, but can also be a proponent to get you into action.

Back to smell and food. All food may not be universally good smelling, though the ones that are- these can be powerful tools to lure your next customer. As for those cinnamon buns, can you smell them? I sure can.