WHAT DOES BANKSY SMELL LIKE?

Imagine walking by a Subway. What is one of the first things you notice? 

SMELL.  

The mouth-watering aroma of freshly baked bread that, if you're peckish, will make you consider getting that foot-long sub immediately.  

Our senses are incredibly influential to our decision-making process. They speed up the journey from a 'want' to a 'need', thus making them amazing marketing tools to utilise. 

Now let's talk examples. 

I was in Amsterdam a few months ago for a weekend of museum visits when I came across the 'Dali x Banksy' exhibition at the Moco Museum and needless to say, I had to go see it. Once I got inside, there was a distinct smell – a nice and subtle fragrance that accompanied me throughout my journey of admiring some inspirational and thought-provoking artworks.  

Towards the end of my visit, the museum's flow design naturally took me to the shop. Right in front of me were various sized bottles of the "museum fragrance" sitting beside all the souvenirs one can buy! 

I was quite pleasantly surprised, to be honest. The smell, something that I noticed as soon as I entered the place, was now an aspect of the museum experience that I can own. 

But what does that mean for marketers?  

According to Kendu, 35% of our capacity to remember our sensory experience is through what we smell, but only 5% of what we see. An art museum is usually somewhere you can't touch things, so integrating scent is actually pretty smart! Not only does it make the experience more memorable for visitors and spark word of mouth, but it also allows for expanding their profitable product offering at the shop. 

What do you think of the Moco Museum experience? Let me know on Facebook and Twitter!