|
[ Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Archive ] [ Main Archives Page ] [ Glossary/Index ] [ FAQ ] [ Recommended Books ] [ Bulletin Board ] |
Search this site! | |
Here is an article I read in Advertising Age today (I work in advertising), that has me feeling really gloomy about my future, as a 23 year-old living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. My main trigger is synthetic fragrances. I know many of you have the same issue. If this article is accurate, it looks like people like me are just going to have to become hermits as society keeps rolling along...
Big Marketers Smell Money in Scent Technology
Mars, Pepsi, Others Add Aromas to Their Package Goods
By Stephanie Thompson
Published: October 31, 2006
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- It's time to lead consumers by the nose. So goes the thinking at major package-goods marketers including Mars, PepsiCo, Kraft and Procter & Gamble, who hope scents will help them get attention among fragmented audiences.
Pepsi added the aroma of black-cherry vanilla soda to its recent magazine inserts for Diet Pepsi Jazz.
Pepsi added the aroma of black-cherry vanilla soda to its recent magazine inserts for Diet Pepsi Jazz.
Scent technology
Mars has recently used scent technology to spread the aroma of chocolate around its M&M's World retail outlets and put Pedigree dog-food-scented stickers in front of supermarkets and pet stores. Pepsi spread the smell of black-cherry vanilla with People magazine inserts and store displays for Diet Pepsi Jazz. There's also been a whiff of activity sniffed out at Kraft and P&G, but neither would comment.
And then there's Smellavision. Carmine Santandrea, CEO of "multisensory communications" vendor ScentAndrea, is putting 8,000 scent-delivery systems by that name into in-store flat-panel screens in Kroger stores and other top retailers, including Wal-Mart. In fact, Mr. Santandrea -- long a proponent of the sales-lifting ability of scent -- has dubbed 2007 "the year of the scent."
Media executives like the smell of that, even though they've in the past had spotty success selling the technology to clients.
Most primal of senses
"Our olfactory sense is the most primal of all the senses and is extremely powerful, much more invasive than reading or hearing something," said Jack Sullivan, senior VP and out-of-home media director for Starcom. "Why it's not used more often is beyond me." But he did offer some reasons: There's always the possibility that an olfactory campaign might offend, and "huge concern over people with allergies."
Cost and implementation hurdles have prevented Connie Garrido, president of MindShare sibling Wow, from going forward with media plans that involved attaching scent to transit shelters and bathroom mirrors. That said, Ms. Garrido said the agency is increasingly investigating scent for clients as media buying becomes "far less one-dimensional."
David Van Epps, president-CEO of ScentAir, which has just signed on with music and broadcasting service Muzak to offer scent wherever there is sound and video, said he's seen "exponential interest" recently from major package-goods players for his products, which include retail displays with scented cartridges triggered by motion sensors. But, he noted, there are hurdles.
Not always cost-effective
Even though the price has come down, it still isn't necessarily cost-effective to use scent technology for low-cost products such as bread or jam, where the sales lift would have to be incredibly high to ensure successful profit margins. "For a consumer-package-good play to work, it must be for a product where the aroma is crucial to the positioning," Mr. Van Epps said. And it must be clear what exact product a scent in the air is linked to; otherwise it can lift sales for the whole category rather than just the product that paid for it.
But the costs are improving. Tad Acker, president of display company Marins USA, said the units it sold to Verizon Wireless stores recently to waft chocolate scent for LG Chocolate phones were only $20 each, down from nearly $100 for such display pieces a few years ago.
The phones, according to Joe Fiamingo, manager-print and related services for Verizon Wireless in the Northeast, have been one of the most successful launches in Verizon history, and the scent played in that success. How much? "Enough for me to try it again."
Gail Stein, client communications director for Pepsi Beverages at OMD, would also be apt to use scent again following the marketer's recent foray into fragrance. Though the costs limited Pepsi's efforts to subscriber-only mailings of People in Los Angeles and New York, she said the tactic worked well at stopping the busy 30-something Jazz target in its tracks in buzz markets.
In Reply to: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Matt [2555.2866] on November 02, 2006 at 10:46:13:
I know...it's aggravating, isn't it (well, more so for some people than others, of course!)? I can't stand fragrances either (get thick post-nasal-drip gunk after exposure). I have to hold my breath when I go down some aisles (or even just walking past them) of supermarkets. I use ALL FreeClear laundry detergent, but I have to walk to the middle of the HIGHLY fragrant aisle to get it (they should put it at one end!). Forget the candle area....
It just gets me that everyone associates "clean" with having to have a "good-smelling scent" (detergents, cleaners, anti-perspirants, soaps, shampoo, etc., etc.....and that's BEFORE anyone ever adds perfumes and potpourri!).
We should unite and protest!
Tabby
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Tabby [20.2532] on November 02, 2006 at 11:26:05:
Hi Tabby,
This has been going on for decades...
I can remember back in the 70's when there were all sorts of advertising gimmicks like flashes of images in movies showing popcorn or a
box of fries to encourage a visit to the snack bar.. Subliminal Advertising has been debunked..
(If you did not see the image flash it did not influence you.)
Theaters also intentionally vent the popcorn smell into the audience area...
There was even some experimentation with injecting scents that
made the viewing of the movie more realistic... like the smell
of gasoline or alcohol duringa car race, or the smell of tropical
rainforests during Tarzan movie... the smell of a fresh hay and even manure during a movie about horseracing . The term was
"Smellivision"
Magazines have long used a "Scratch and Sniff " insert to advertise
perfumes and aftershave...
I learned all this from the editorial section of Playboy. (See! There is some value to that magazine. ;? )
Ron
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Ron [2014.1575] on November 02, 2006 at 12:19:26:
Ron:
But what do they do with the lingering scent of manure at the movie theater? If they're spraying manure scent in the air during the horseracing scene, will it dissipate by the time the dinner scene is shown? How about when the winning jockey is shown?
In Reply to: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Matt [2555.2866] on November 02, 2006 at 10:46:13:
People are talking about movie theaters, smelly aisles, things like that.
What I am talking about is a whole new animal. When you go into Wal Mart, their flat screen TVs that show WalMart loops will now be outfitted with a scent machine shooting scents into the air.
Verizon Wireless shot out chocolate scent around their new "Chocolate" phone.
The Pepsi display at the grocery store will shoot out fake Pepsi scent.
The Doritos display will shoot out spicy perfume.
And the list goes on.
In other words, there literally will be nowhere safe for people like me if this trend continues.
Popcorn smell in a theater is at least the actual smell of the popcorn. What I am talking about is synthetic, tox stuff everywhere in all stores and advertising venues, put there in the name of a more "invasive" means of advertising. Invasive is ironically the right word, except it is invading the body of people like me and hurting us, just to sell a product in a store.
This just makes me very sad :( I actually wrote a letter just now to the lady who wrote the article and copied the editor of the magazine. Hopefully they do some research and write a follow up or something.
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by PhillyLady [5444.2385] on November 02, 2006 at 12:33:36:
Philly,
Wow, here I thought it was the large woman sitting in front of me.
Silver Fox!
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Matt [2555.2866] on November 02, 2006 at 12:53:35:
Can you not just avoid going to those places?
In Reply to: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Matt [2555.2866] on November 02, 2006 at 10:46:13:
I'd be more worried about the perfume in the magazines than the cola.
But it's nice to know our advertisement geniuses are even lower than I thought they were. Why do they have to be so darned sneaky?
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Ron [2014.1575] on November 02, 2006 at 12:19:26:
I was always suspicious of the popcorn smell at the movie theater.
I don't think I'm really very susceptible to subliminal stuff though. Or maybe I just don't get excited about much of anything in the way of food, beverages, or much of anything else someone wants to "sell" me. really
In Reply to: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Matt [2555.2866] on November 02, 2006 at 10:46:13:
Even worse is the workplace where you can't escape. Despite having a
supportive boss who emails a "no fragrance please" reminder every
semester, around November a few staff members start wearing it. I
hide out in my office with my air purifier. I am a therapsit and now
routinely ask clients to come unfragranced. One hour of exposure and I
am ill for hours. Even in my fragrance free home I am starting to get
blasted by the fabric softener from my neighors dryer. Sigh, it really is
a problem. Has anyone here fornd anything that really works to
improve fragrance sensitivity?
In Reply to: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Matt [2555.2866] on November 02, 2006 at 10:46:13:
Yeah, Matt.
It IS getting worse and will continue so long as most professionals still say it is an imaginary condition--until they get it themselves.
The only reasonable thing for people like you to do is get rid of the predisposing causes by practicing the 3LS for the best foundation.
Walt
In Reply to: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Matt [2555.2866] on November 02, 2006 at 10:46:13:
NMI
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by ukchris [1400.2914] on November 02, 2006 at 19:55:42:
I'm really not even going to answer that, Chris.
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Matt [7422.2844] on November 03, 2006 at 12:04:50:
Fair enough!
Reasonable question.
If you don't like the place, keep away.
What solution is more simple?
~smacks head~
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by ukchris [1400.2914] on November 03, 2006 at 12:10:30:
Hi Chris,
O.K. I'll answer it then,the problem is so bad he would have to become a hermit to avoid it (which he said in his initial post).
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by ukchris [1400.2914] on November 03, 2006 at 12:10:30:
when it gets bad enough, you do avoid the sources. You have no choice, or pass out.
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by lissa [2032.8] on November 03, 2006 at 12:17:08:
It is hypothetical how far this thing will go. North Korea could blow the world up before long, then we'd all be screwed!
For now the answer is to avoid it where possible.
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by Vince F [4572.2947] on November 03, 2006 at 12:21:37:
Yeah, the other option is to try to rally a group of like-minded people against this type of thing.
I would find it quite intrusive to be subjected to these chemicals without prior warning.
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by ukchris [1400.2914] on November 03, 2006 at 12:28:54:
that might take too long. How long did it take to start to get smoking banned in public places? Busineses have more clout than citizens.
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by ukchris [1400.2914] on November 03, 2006 at 12:26:21:
Hi Chris,
Matt is already avoiding it where possible. He was simply sharing information from an article in a magazine that he read that makes it more difficult for people with multiple chemical sensitivities than it is already to go somewhere whenever they feel like it without their senses being assaulted.
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by PhillyLady [5444.2385] on November 02, 2006 at 12:33:36:
Hi Philly,
I think that those scents would be overpowered by the Roar of the "Greasepaint and The Smell of The Crowd" ;?)
In Reply to: Re: Horse manure.. posted by Steve [3019.1399] on November 02, 2006 at 13:36:15:
Hi Steve,
Good one!!
I deserved that.
I suppose she could have been a "Cowgirl"... D'oh!!
Ron
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by lydiar [7454.2725] on November 03, 2006 at 04:36:51:
Boy, you really can tell who and when everyone is doing their laundry these days, can't you?
It's hard to hug a greeting these days....people wash their hair with fragranced shampoos, wash bodies with fragrant soaps, and use scented deodorants and a splash of perfume. Then they put on clothes that were washed/drenched in powerful-smelling detergent and dried with a dryer sheet. Even if they refrain from wearing actual perfumes (which most people associate with being asked to "not use fragrance"), they're still over-powering. A person can only hold their breath for so long!
It really should be regulated with more and more people experiencing MCS........just like second-hand smoke.
Good luck to you!
Tab
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by lissa [2032.8] on November 03, 2006 at 17:20:11:
Thank you, lissa.
In Reply to: Re: Toxic scents In stores, an ongoing trend :-( posted by lydiar [7454.2725] on November 03, 2006 at 04:36:51:
The only thing I have found is practicing wellness in conjunction with large volumes of aerobic exercise (1-3 hours duration). This has gradually had the effect of strengthening my system to the point that I recover nearly immediately after exposure. I don't know of anything we can do to stop from being affected by the junk though - it is so toxic your body can't help but protest when you smell it.
|
[ Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Archive ] [ Main Archives Page ] [ Glossary/Index ] [ FAQ ] [ Recommended Books ] [ Bulletin Board ] |
Search this site! | |