Does Your School Smell?
Bangkok--Back at the Shangri La on the Chao Phraya River for the EARCOS Leadership Conference, and was instantly reminded of the hotel chain's olfactory branding (a form of sensory branding) effort when I stepped into the lobby. Whether in Vancouver, Shanghai, Manila or Bangkok, every Shangri La uses a ginger-and-bergamot-infused room fragrance called Essence of Shangri-La in its public spaces to engender a sense of familiarity. It certainly does with me.Singapore Airlines famously uses a scent called Stefan Florida Waters onboard its long-haul airplanes--flight attendants even wear it as perfume. According to Martin Lindstrom writing in the book Brand Sense,
[Singapore Airlines olfactory branding has the] potential to kick-start a kaleidoscope of smooth, comfortable memories, all reflecting the more obvious customer service and quality efforts of the Singapore Airlines brand.
While I am not yet encouraging schools to adopt olfactory brands, I do think the notion of invoking consistent and positive feelings in our constituents is a missed opportunity worthy of some brainstorming.