The idea of an olfactory meeting smelled good, but it was not new. Intended for ” give substance to more abstract concepts “, culture, digital, space and sea, the Nantes meeting of Jean-Luc Mélenchon recycled a publicity stunt almost as old as the cinematograph (1895).
→ CONTEXT. Presidential 2022: in Nantes, Jean-Luc Mélenchon offers himself an “immersive and olfactory” meeting
In 1906, the owner of a hall in Forest City, Pennsylvania, held a cloth soaked in essence of rose in front of a fan during the broadcast of a newsreel regarding a floral parade being held in Los Angeles.
Since then, many experiments have been attempted to allow spectators to “smell” the smells of the scene they are watching on screen: Scentovision, Smell-O-Vision, AromaRama, Odorama… In the 1950s, the heavy fittings necessary (the piercing of the bottles of “perfume” scattered under the armchairs is synchronized with markers on the film!) involve the operators in crazy expenses, without the process being successful.
Scent Marketing
In 1981, American John Waters’ trashy comedy, Polyester whose heroine has a very fine sense of smell, simplifies the system: the spectators scratch a card which diffuses the smells of rose, then… excrement, marijuana and glue! An entire program…
Despite the failures, the initiatives continue. In 2016, some projections of The smell, documentary by Kim Nguyen, are accompanied by scents of truffle, ambergris or saffron when they are evoked.
Today, sensory manipulation by odors is more successful with the emergence of olfactory marketing, which, using artificial odors, can boost sales of a particular product in a store. Bakers and perfumers, same fight! According to a BVA study published in 2016, a pleasant smell would increase impulse purchases by 38% and intentions to return to the store by 78%.
→ TO (RE) READ. The power of smells
The market seems unlimited, opening up to places as different as exhibition spaces, hotels, public housing offices and even car parks or public transport: orange blossom for the Gare du Nord, in Paris, tea green with citrus fruits for the Lyon metro, or bergamot, pear and grapefruit for the Lille metro.
Some companies even develop their own “logolf”, an olfactory logo that signals the brand’s scent. Crédit Agricole Centre-Est welcomes its customers with notes of pine needles and green tea intended to make the wait more pleasant and improve its brand image. Jean-Luc Mélenchon was not looking for anything else.
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