在這個數字化發達的時代，仍有一樣東西不能通過屏幕來體驗：那就是香味。所以，何妨用香味作誘餌，讓人們實際體驗線下的地點呢？如果這些香味悅人身心，能否吸引人們在此駐留，多花點錢，并一次次地光臨呢？

香味營銷學告訴我們，可以的。

這個行業常被稱為周邊氣味市場，香味市場或者嗅覺市場，它“基本上是使用香味來闡述品牌故事，強化品牌體驗，”香味營銷公司首席執行官卡羅琳·法布雷加斯解釋說。

品牌和營銷利用香味做文章，已有數十年了——剛開始時用于賓館和賭場，目的是掩蓋煙味——香味市場最近幾年里的發展勢頭，更體現在旅游勝地里。

紐約新世貿中心頂樓的觀景臺One World Observatory就是一例，在那兒有著觀看下方城市的一流視野，另有一種特殊香味飄散在空氣中，有著樹木的芳香。這種香味是觀景臺自己制造的，并有著一個名字：一個世界。

又比如星巴克，它發現把準備食物和館內進食的氣味隱藏起來，能強化客戶體驗，享受到更多沖泡咖啡的芳香。

In a digitally advanced culture, there is still one thing that can’t be experienced via screen: scent. So why not turn smell into the reason one should actually experience a venue? And, if pleasant enough, can that aroma actually entice folks to stay longer, spend more money, and come back to a destination over and over again?

According to the science of scent marketing, yes.

Also referred to as ambient scent marketing, aroma marketing, and olfactory marketing, the industry “basically uses the power of scent to tell brand stories and to enhance experiences,” explains Caroline Fabrigas, the CEO of Scent Marketing Inc.

A branding and marketing exploit that has been around for decades—at first prevalent in hotels and casinos seeking to mask the smell of cigarette smoke—scent marketing has relatively recently gained momentum across tourist destinations as well.

One World Observatory, the top floor of One World Trade Center in New York, for example, is defined by world-class views of the city below and a specific smell pumped through the air that is reminiscent of the aroma of trees. That scent was commissioned by the venue itself and actually has a name: One World.

Starbucks, on the other hand, figured out that hiding the odor of the food prepared and served in-house enhances the in-store experience of customers who enjoy the smell of brewing coffee more.

這種想法并不特別：我們都會依賴于我們五官的感受，來記住生命中的時刻。那些銷售下滑、房租上升的公司，試圖將產品對人們五官的吸引方式多樣化，寄希望于此來吸引更多客戶，并用喚起感官感受的方式，來塑造他們的生活方式和對品牌的理解。

至于喚起怎樣的感官感受，那就因品牌而不同了。凱悅酒店的氣味，讓人聯想到家和舒適，法布雷加斯說；百家樂則追求“一種黑色的、煙味的、神秘的、非常與眾不同的氣味，以符合其氛圍。奧伯格酒店希望客人們感受到“納帕山谷從窗口撲面而來”， Physique 57健身房則追求“精致與奢華”的味道。

對于香味營銷公司來說，業務流程開始于對品牌屬性進行DNA分析，法布雷加斯開發了一種所謂香味地圖。這種香味地圖作為主干，需要與高級香味師合作。公司10人的團隊中并沒有香味師，法布雷加斯與一家香味屋合作，從而獲得了“全世界最靈的鼻子”。精選后的幾種香味帶給客戶，釋放在空氣中。等客戶選定之后，再大規模使用這種香味。整個過程要花費8到12周時間。

香味不能申請專利，所以多數公司采用獨家協議。“你的公司擁有獨家的權利，使用某種特地為你制作、并與你一起制作的香味，”法布雷加斯說。當被問及香味仿制問題，比如其他人是否可以“偷盜”一種香味時，法布雷加斯引用了一個廣為人知的品牌例子。“你可以試圖重造可口可樂，但你永遠不知道其商業秘密，”她說，“你可以制作一種類似口味的飲料，但它永遠成不了可口可樂。”

有些品牌會自己開發出一些香味。比如烘培品連鎖店Cinnabon,每隔30分鐘會出爐新鮮的肉桂卷，以確保空氣中彌漫著某種芬芳。烤爐也放在每家店的前部位置，讓走過路過的客戶，也可能聞味掏腰包。

這個行業的理念是有科學研究作支撐的：如果一個東西好聞，我們會想要得更多，更頻繁。“過去有很多研究證實了這一點，有著某種特定氣味后，一個事物會被認為更有價值，”法布雷加斯說，“在酒吧和餐館的人們會待得更久，（如果里面有著某種芳香）。當某種香味再度出現，人們對某個品牌會瞬間產生認知。”

The idea isn’t an odd one: We tend to remember moments in our lives based on how we lived them across our five senses. Companies dealing with declining sales and rising rents are trying to diversify ways to appeal to those five senses, hoping to draw in more customers and actually shape the way they live and breathe the brand by evoking certain sensations.

As to what those sensations are, it depends on the brand. Hyatt requested a scent evocative of home and comfort, says Fabrigas; Baccarat went for “a black, smoky, cabalistic, very unusual smell that matched the decor.” Meanwhile, Auberge Resorts wants customers to feel “as if Napa Valley rushed in through your window,” and Physique 57 sought the scent of “precision and luxury.”

For Scent Marketing Inc. specifically, the process begins with a proprietary brand DNA analysis that Fabrigas developed herself in order to create a scentscape. Said scentscape functions as the brief that a maestro perfumer works with. The company’s 10-person staff doesn’t actually include a perfumer, so Fabrigas works with a fragrance house that gives her access to “the best noses in the world.” A few selections are then brought to the client and diffused in the air. After a choice has been made, the scent is launched at scale. The entire process takes anywhere from eight to 12 weeks.

Scents can't be patented, so most companies work on exclusivity agreements. "You have exclusive rights to use the particular scent that was created for you and with you,” Fabrigas says. When asked about olfactory thievery and whether others could potentially “steal” a smell, Fabrigas brings up a widely recognized brand. "You can try to re-create Coca-Cola, but you'll never know what the trade secret is," she says. "You may create a beverage that tastes like it, but it won't ever be the original."

Some brands take scent development into their own hands. Baked goods chain Cinnabon, for example, dishes out fresh cinnamon rolls every 30 minutes to guarantee a certain aroma in the air. The ovens are also at the front of each store, so that potential customers walking by could turn into guaranteed customers.

Science backs up the industry’s central tenet: If something smells good, we want more of it—and more often. “There have been a lot of studies in the past that have proven that, in the presence of a custom scent, an object will have a higher perceived value,” Fabrigas says. “People in bars and restaurants tend to linger longer [if a pleasant aroma wafts through the air]. The recognition of a brand will be more instantaneous after being in the presence of a scent when [smelled] again.”

香味的應用除了發散到空氣中，還有著更多實際可觸的用途。一些標志性的品牌香味，被做到蠟燭、房間噴霧器、汽車空氣清新劑中，甚至賓館清潔人員在客房服務中也使用噴霧劑。又比如巴黎的盧浮宮，最近受到藝術品的啟發，開發了8種香味，這些香味不是噴到館里的空氣中去，而是在禮品店里售賣。

法布雷加斯說，一些公司甚至試圖通過香味來強化員工的工作體驗。“有些人會跑來說，我們想要在辦公室有某種香味，讓員工享受這種氣味，并提升工作的勁頭，同時又符合我們的品牌特點。”

當然，這個行業也面臨一些局限。首先，要把標志性的氣味發散到空氣中，公司得花錢。幾項必要的設備可以是獨立式的，或者能輕松裝在墻上，但法布雷加斯說，“最好的散發香味的辦法，是通過暖通空調系統，從一開始就進入空氣循環，從而獲得最無縫的、美妙的、背景式芳香效果。”當然這種方法，也更昂貴，技術要求也更高。

法布雷加斯提到，這個行業的未來將被數字科技定義，也將受益于它。“現在可以通過中央控制一切，實現真正個性化體驗，因為你可以通過手機控制氣味散發器，”法布雷加斯說，“還有一種極好的技術，可以將氣味的體驗引入到家用電腦中。”

這個行業也受到安全標準的管制，有兩個機構制定管理規則：國際香氛協會（由一批全球專家組成，他們對這個行業有興趣，也關注其安全）以及香料研究所，該所是香料問題的國際性科學權威，“評估并發布香料原材料安全測評的科學數據，這些香料涉及個人和家用護理產品。”

不過，還是有許多公司尋求開發一些超越手機和電腦的體驗——法布雷斯加對此也不陌生。“我們花費了這么多時間、金錢和精力，打造我們的標識、制作氣味調板、精挑細選并統一我們服務人員的水準，”她說，“但真正把這一切裹在一起的是香味，它幾乎就是空氣中的標識。”（財富中文網）

譯者：宣峰

The idea goes beyond diffusion to encompass more tangible streams of revenue. Signature brand smells can be turned into candles, room sprays, car fresheners, and even housekeeping sprays used by hotel cleaning crews. The Louvre museum in Paris, for example, recently developed eight scents inspired by artworks in the collection. The scents are not pumped through the air in the galleries but are actually on sale at the gift shop.

According to Fabrigas, some companies even look to enhance their employees' work life through smell. "Somebody will [come to us] and say, 'We'd love a scent for our fleet of offices, something that our employees will enjoy, and it's going to be uplifting for them but will [still] align with our brand," she says.

Of course, some limitations define the industry. First, companies have to invest in ways to diffuse their signature scent across their spaces. Some of the necessary equipment is freestanding and can easily be mounted onto a wall but, according to Fabrigas, “the best way to do scent diffusion is to put it into your HVAC system at the point of inception where the air is flowing to get the most seamless, beautiful, backdrop effect of aroma in the air.” The method requires more expensive and technically advanced systems.

The CEO mentions that the future of the industry will likely be defined by and will certainly benefit from digital technologies. “There is a possibility now to control things centrally and to have really individual experiences because you can control the diffuser through your phone,” Fabrigas says. “There also is a terrific opportunity to bring the scent experience to the home computer.”

Safety standards also govern the business, and regulations are put in place by two bodies: the International Fragrance Association (made up of a global team of experts with the interests and safety of the industry in mind) and the Research Institute of Fragrance Materials, the international scientific authority on the subject, which "evaluates and distributes scientific data on the safety assessment of fragrance raw materials found in personal and household care products."

Still, many companies are seeking to develop experiences that go a bit beyond a phone or a computer—a fact that isn’t lost on Fabrigas. “We spend so much time, money, and energy on crafting our logo and doing our color palette and picking our music and the uniform of our hospitality staff,” she says. “But the scent is the thing that really wraps all of that together. It’s almost like your logo in the air.”