Olfactory branding: a new trend for defining brands through smell - a case of ITC Sonar Hotel in Kolkata, India

Smell triggers immediate emotional response. Today's marketers are conscious about its usefulness in communicating with consumers, leading to the advent of Olfactory Branding, creating an experiential retail environment having fragrance to stimulate the overall experience of the consumer. Previously branding was guided more by audiovisual stimulus but because of tremendous advertising clutter it is becoming difficult for organisations to create a niche. It started with the implementation of sensory branding using all five sense organs, though observed initially that senses like sight and hearing were extensively used, whereas smell was potentially underused. This paper tries to understand and create awareness of the proper usage of olfactory branding trends in ITC Sonar Hotel in Kolkata to persuade and convert potential customers into buyers and also to create an insight into the psychological background of scent branding and gives the basis of relevance of Olfactory Communication to influence consumers.