Does Your Packaging Umm Smell

Writen by JoAnn Hines

If it doesn't, perhaps it should. The latest and greatest packaging innovations are packages that smell. They give those olfactory glands a workout. Watch for packages sporting "fragrances" such as chocolate and vanilla. Just think of all the calories saved by smelling the package and not even eating the product. Weight watchers should love it this concept. Consider all of the applications of tricking your stomach into thinking you have eaten (after all the smell of food is as important as the taste, well almost).

This is a great concept: Using your nose to sell products. The "smelly" package. I can see both the pros and the cons of using this innovation. First, let me tell you I have some samples of fragrance encapsulated in plastic and believe me they are still strong enough to knock over a horse. The fragrance does not truly represent the "essence" it is supposed to, but it does have an odor that works. I'm sure other essences are more "true" in fragrance to the real product they represent. It is especially long-lived too, e.g., never dilutes. In fact, the scent is so strong that I had to move the samples out of nose region for sanity sake.

Consider all of those smells that equate to the good things in life. Did you know the number one fragrance that appeals to men is vanilla? Apple pie, mom and all those homey smells are wrapped up in the analysis of that one fragrance. I am not sure I want to smell like a vanilla bean but it is a very popular fragrance in its appeal to women too. Vanilla fragrance has a multitude of applications useful in product packaging.

What about all the products manufactured that use a little "home cooked" smell? The opportunities are endless. While she is walking down the supermarket isle, delicious odors wafting about that are reminiscent of "home cooked" goodies. Even if she never uses the product, it could just sit on her shelf and smell as if she did. Forget fragrance candles. My toaster does it for me.

The scratch and sniff label application has been around for a while. It has always been prevalent in the cosmetic and toiletries industries but even toothpaste is using scratch and sniff now. How else could you discern your cinnamon toothpaste purchase from the bourbon flavored (just kidding)?

What about the coffee maker that emits the essence of fresh brewed Starbucks coffee? Cha ching! Think about the sales you could capture in this successful marketplace by using an appropriately dispensed fragrance on your product (essence de cappuccino). Anyone ready for coffee?

Let's face it. Marketers are looking for angles to get our attention in this sensory overload environment. Creating products emitting savory odors wafting down the shopping isles. "Smelly" packaging could be just one more way to entice her to pick your product up off the shelf.

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