The Natural Art of Scent Marketing

It’s all about demographics, in the world of scent marketing, and the “Stinking Corpse Lily” (rafflesia arnoldii) of Southeast Asia effectively targets pollinating flies by smelling…well…like a Stinking Corpse!

The reddish-brown flower, which can reach a diameter of 3 feet and a weight of 24 pounds, is pretty much the whole ball game with this peculiar plant. Rafflesia arnoldii has no observable leaves, stems or even roots. Though still technically considered a vascular plant, it behaves more like fungi, living as a parasite on the Tetrastigma vine and obtaining water and nutrients through thread-like strands of tissue which contact surrounding host cells.

The patent is neither pending nor necessary for the aroma of decaying flesh, but there’s a lesson here: What does your target market smell like and like to smell? What scent will draw them (like flies) to your product?