Friday, March 29, 2024

Scent Marketing Connects to Hispanics on a Deep Cultural Level

Posted by Elena del Valle on October 5, 2011

By Jennifer Dublino, chief operating officer, Scent Marketing Institute

Jennifer Dublino, chief operating officer, Scent Marketing Institute

Jennifer Dublino, chief operating officer, Scent Marketing Institute

Photo: Scent Marketing Institute

Go to any Latin American country or Latino community in the U.S. and you will find that you are immersed in a multi-sensory experience. Colors seem more vibrant, music more dramatic, tastes more distinctive and the smells more heady.

I was born in Miami, and while not a Latina myself, grew up immersed in a delicious mix of various South and Central American and Caribbean cultures, with Cuban being predominant. Along with their close family ties and warmth, one of the things I love about Latinos is their passion for fully experiencing the world through the senses.

While each of the senses, to one extent or another, influences our behavior and mood, scent is the most powerful of our five senses after sight. Yet, when it comes to marketing, scent is often neglected in favor of solely visual and audio messages. When brands want to appeal to the large and growing Hispanic market in the US, this narrow use of the senses can be a big mistake.

Read the entire article Scent Marketing Connects to Hispanics on a Deep Cultural Level