Olfactory Fact #109: Lemon Aides Productivity!

When lemon oil was diffused throughout a Japanese office building, productivity among data entry operators increased by 54%!

The Similar Smell of Mice and Men

Whiff! readers know that our individual positive or negative reaction to a given odor is largely influenced by our own culture and personal experience. Germans, for instance, are partial to the aromas of sausage and bleu cheese but dislike that of cypress oil and fermented soybean, while the Read more

The Sacredness of Your Brand

It may seem a bit far-fetched to speak of your brand as being of a sacred nature, but really successful brands are sacred to their fans. Think of how Apple users, Starbucks loyalists, NASCAR enthusiasts, or Dead Heads relate to these brands. Brand loyalty seems such an inefficient description of how these admirers feel about their relationships. Sacredness means a feeling of reverence for a unique, special, venerable idea. When we consider something sacred, it has a certain devotional quality, immune from criticism, devoid of dissenting opinion. When we hold a brand sacred, if pressed, we may even admit that we don’t think that we can live without it. I personally never fly without my supply of Airborne. I ritualistically take a dose before my flight, during my flight, and afterwards. If I find that I run out of my supply in a foreign place where it is not for sale, I will have it shipped to me. Now that’s reverence.
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Givaudan finds Room to Breathe

You think your job stinks? Chances are, the 200+ employees at the state-of-the-art product testing center at Givaudan Fragrance and Flavor’s new East Hanover headquarters have got you beat. It’s the job of the scientists who work in and around the multiple airtight glass-walled rooms of this facility to verify the claims of scented products ranging from air fresheners and to laundry detergent. If that Glade Plug-In really does last 30-60 days, these guys will be among the first to know.

Formerly located in Teaneck, Givaudan’s Consumer Products Fragrance Creative Division relocated last month to the new 150,000 square foot facility to allow their team, quite literally, room to breathe. “There are many noses here,” said project manager Steve Andersen, of Montroy Andersen and DeMarco, the lead architectural firm behind the $28 million renovation. “Noses that know chemistry.”

The renovation began more than a year ago, and involved gutting the two existing buildings, then installing new electrical, plumbing and—significantly–HVAC systems engineered to meet the strict requirements necessary for the numerous impermeable odor booths used for the scent research. “The HVAC systems can’t contaminate each other,” said Andersen.

The bank of airtight glass-walled rooms allow the researchers to inhale a pure fragrance without outside odor contamination. The evaluator can waft the fragrance directly in the room or through a special porthole outside the room. A push of a button sucks out the odor and, after about 10 minutes, the room is ready for its next concoction, Lewis said.

In addition to the Ridgedale Avenue site, Givaudan has two other locations in Morris County: Merry Lane in East Hanover and 300 Waterloo Valley Road in Mount Olive.

Congratulations to ScentAir & DMX!

Congratulations from the Whiff-Guys to our friends at ScentAir Technologies, Inc on their shiny new partnership agreement with sensory branding provider DMX!

As part of the multiyear distribution agreement, ScentAir will provide DMX with its complete line of commercial scenting solutions for private-label distribution. DMX, which provides multisensory environments for such heavy hitters as Nike, Starwood Hotels, 24 Hour Fitness and American Eagle, will use ScentAir’s extensive product line to augment the scent component of its services. And through DMX, ScentAir gains a new global distribution channel and immediate reach into previously untapped markets for its patented delivery systems and high-quality fragrances. The mutually beneficial agreement will allow ScentAir to gain access to DMX’s sales team and national installation and service network, while DMX will benefit from ScentAir’s wide range of scent delivery systems, scalable operations, and production capabilities.

“This is a great opportunity for ScentAir to grow and introduce our scent solutions to new markets and new customers,” said Tom Conroy, CEO of ScentAir. “We believe the combination of ScentAir’s world-class scent solutions with DMX’s global reach and commitment to leadership in the multisensory branding industry will help strengthen ScentAir’s leading position in the scent marketing industry.”

“Scent is a very powerful marketing tool because it is directly tied with emotion and can have a significant impact on brand loyalty,” said Paul Stone, President of DMX. “Scent marketing is a core component of our multisensory branding services, and we are excited to now offer our customers the highest quality and broadest selection of scent solutions through ScentAir.”

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of the recent merger between ScentAir and scent communications company EnviroScent, the current source of scent solutions for DMX. Together, ScentAir and EnviroScent will serve as the exclusive scent providers for DMX.

Prolitec offers Home Delivery!

Amid the slowdown in commercial and residential construction, HVAC-industry professionals are focusing harder than ever on innovative ways to boost revenue. In a major new sales-generating opportunity for the industry, global scent solutions company Prolitec Inc has unveiled the Air/Q™ Whole House Air Freshener™ (WHAF)–the first fully adjustable, HVAC-integrated home air freshening system.

The new technology, on view through Jan. 29 at Chicago’s AHR Expo, comes at a time of rising concern among consumers about the harmful effects of aerosols, plug-in air fresheners, reed diffusers and other low-performance air fresheners, noted Roger Bensinger, Prolitec’s Executive Vice President of Marketing and Business Development. “People today want to add scent to their total home experience, but thanks to the green movement they also are much more aware of what is in the air,” he said. “They are particularly concerned about the ill effects of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted in large doses by some of these old-fashioned products, including scented candles.”

Prolitec created Air/Q WHAF to give homeowners a safe, affordable and highly efficient air-freshening alternative, Bensinger said. This proprietary technology and chemistry, he added, already is in use at many major hotels, resorts and spas. Without flame or heat and without releasing any harmful VOCs, Air/Q WHAF creates a pleasant scent throughout the home. As an option, when used with ARIA™, Prolitec’s breakthrough air-treatment agent also being introduced at the AHR Expo, Air/Q WHAF and automatically sanitizes the air by killing airborne odor-causing bacteria and mold, fungus and microorganisms.

Patented micro-droplet technology enables Air/Q WHAF to deliver a uniform air treatment and scent throughout a home using an ultra-low concentration of liquid, and with no build-up in the duct work. “The system puts out droplets that are less than 1 micron in diameter, compared to a typical aerosol droplet of 50 microns,” explained Bensinger. “These micro-droplets weigh about a million times less than those formed by traditional aerosols. Consequently, Air/Q WHAF can cover massive spaces using a tiny fraction of the liquid required by other air-fresheners, and does so in a much more uniform way.”

HVAC professionals will find Air/Q WHAF simple to install—it attaches to air handlers using a mounting template with four screws—and Prolitec designed the system to make cartridge-replacement easy for homeowners. In addition to direct sales of and installation fees for AIR/Q WHAF, a variety of air-freshening agents are available for sale as a recurring revenue opportunity, especially for spring and fall check-ups. “The ambient scent business has taken off in recent years,” Bensinger said. “Prior to Air/Q WHAF, however, no product could uniformly and efficiently cover the entire home.”

Peter Alexander teams with AirAroma!

Australian sleepwear designer Peter Alexander, famous for turning ho-hum flannel pyjamas into fashion statements, has joined the scent marketing revolution by teaming with the global scent marketing experts at Air Aroma. Six of the Peter Alexander outlets in Australia, as well as stores recently opened in California, will now use Air Aroma’s patented diffusion technology to create a multi-sensory shopping experience for their customers. Throughout the day at these locations, four perfume-quality fragrances will be alternately diffused, perfectly complimenting the creative visual merchandising and uplifting music already in place at the Peter Alexander storefronts.

Congratulations, Peter! We at Whiff! can’t imagine a sweeter way to celebrate your “20 years of sleeping around”!

ScentAir featured at Retail’s Big Show 2009

The patented scent delivery systems of ScentAir Technologies were prominently featured among the cutting-edge technologies showcased at the National Retail Federation’s annual Convention & Expo last week in New York City. Running January 11 through January 14, “Retail’s Big Show 2009″ marked the 98th
yearly convention for NRF, the world’s largest retail trade association.

With the downward-spiraling economy now eating up such established giants as Circuit City, retailers might be reluctant to shell out the bucks to invest in such new technologies, but Susan Newman, NRF’s vice president of conferences, points out that this time of decreased spending is precisely the moment when such marketing innovations may prove crucial to a company’s survival. “Anything that gets the consumer involved and feeling like they’re having a personalized epxerience is going to let (the retailer) have a better interaction with them,” Newman told the Wall Street Journal. “The reality is, if they don’t step it up to communicate with and excite the customer, they’re not going to be around.”

Information about next year’s 99th Annual Convention & Expo, slated for January 10 through January 13 of 2010 in New York City, is available at NRF’s website.

Olfactory Fact #76: Smelly Gym Shoes Sell!

A study by the Smell and Taste Instutute revealed not only that 84% of respondents were more likely to purchase a pair of Nike trainers in a scented environment, they were also willing to pay $10 more!

Air Aroma goes Wireless!

With the December launch of the sleek Aroslim™, the innovative wizards at Air Aroma demonstrated that their eye for form rivals their keen nose for function. No need to tuck this versatile little device away behind the ficus plant–the attractive slim-line design of the Aroslim™ make it look more like a piece of modern art than a scent diffuser, perfect for hotel lobbies and guest rooms.

Now, with the latest addition to their ingenious product line, Air Aroma has raised scent marketing to a new level of automation and customization. Using wireless technology, Arologic™ creates a network of scent diffusers which can be managed via remote access, giving complete control over multiple scent zones. “We live in a wireless world where smart technology equals simplicity in many aspects of our everyday lives,” says Steven Slot, Air Aroma’s Senior Product Developer. “We are simply responding to the needs of the market.”

Using a Local Area Network (LAN) to connect between the Arologic™ Control Unit (ACU) and scent devices like Aroscent™, Ecoscent™, or the above-mentioned Aroslim™, the revolutionary new device provides a central remote access point to activate scents, vary the intensity, or even change the aroma. Hotels, for instance, can release a micro-mist of roses in the lobby, eucalyptus in the gym, and chocolate in the lounge, at any given time of day. Even more stunning, Arologic™ means every single guest room - from 1 to 100 to 1000 - can simultaneously diffuse a unique scent, also controlled from one point, with the option of in-room override if necessary. And no more complicated controllers in inaccessible locations with this clever new system. The Arologic™ can be operated from any desktop computer or laptop, or even your iPhone, from anywhere in the world.

Installation, according to Air Aroma CEO John van Roemburg, is as slick and efficient as the Arologic™ system itself. “It had to be a simple, low maintenance process for clients. Within 48 hours a hotel can be scenting every space.”

For further information, contact:
Air Aroma America Inc. (Regional Head Office)
2801 Florida Ave. Suite 18, Coconut Grove
Miami
FL 33133, U.S.A
Phone: Toll Free USA 877-97-AROMA
Fax: +1 480 247 4333
Email: aaa.info@air-aroma.com

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