She Smells Sea Scents by the… British Airways Cabin
From British Airways’ signature cabin scent to theme parks’ “Smellitizers,” brands are bottling emotion to sway decisions. Here’s how scent marketing taps memory, elevates experiences, and gets customers to stay longer, spend more, and come back for another sniff. Plus, practical ways small businesses can make it work on a budget.
Air travel: it’s a means to an end.
As long as the result is me, sitting by a pool in the sunshine, with an Aperol spritz in hand, I’m not too fussed about how I get there. And I don’t really mind who the air carrier is that shoves me in a 43x79cm space in economy whilst charging me for the privilege of bringing a backpack on board.
But don’t be fooled by their sneaky tricks and hidden fees: airlines do want you to choose them, and they’re willing to invest a decent chunk of this year’s marketing budget to convince you to fly with them again and again.
And no, it’s not by reducing their prices or flashy air campaigns - they’re putting their brand right into your brain.
The Marketing Technique That’s Right Under Your Nose
Not content with just harnessing the power of sight, marketing masters are shifting their focus to one of the most powerful senses, the olfactory system - the sense of smell, for those who just scraped through bio in high school.
Take a deep breath - a cabin filled with the scent of reheated plane food (which I am weirdly a fan of) and excessive amounts of deodorant (which I am decidedly not a fan of)? It’s just another exhausting transport option.
But a cabin delicately filled with the ambient scent of freshly cut grass and the refreshing spray of the ocean? It becomes a luxurious experience, blissfully transporting your mind to your promised holiday destination - and away from the crying babies and that person still talking loudly on their phone (despite multiple warnings).
British Airways is one of the latest global companies to enlist the help of ‘scent sommeliers’ to create a signature scent that instantly evokes a response in your brain (whether you like it or not).
Scent marketing is all about building specific perfumes, fragrances, or scent notes into a brand’s identity, and then strategically using them at different touch points of the customer experience to influence their purchasing decisions.
The Proof is in the (Deliciously Scented) Pudding
Have you ever been walking along, minding your own business, and then: bam!
No, not you accidentally barging into a street pole.
A scent on the breeze that fills your nose, and with it, a memory. Something from your childhood, long forgotten, but suddenly brought back to the forefront.
Known often as the ‘Proust Effect’, memories brought on by scent are some of the most powerful, and it’s all due to one of the most crucial parts of our evolutionary history. It doesn’t need significant cognitive processing like other senses, and you’re often already smelling something before you’ve even noticed it consciously.
Our sense of smell is the primal instinct most closely linked with the parts of the brain responsible for emotions and memory, designed to help us survive. That delicious, sweetly smelling fruit we shared with our family in the past: good. The smell of burning smoke that reminds you of the time you knocked over the coals and singed your tent: bad.
The science of smell has drifted away from a purely biological standpoint, however, and has started to expand into other industries where mind tricks mean success. Marketing research shows just how much of an impact a scent has on your actions:
100 consumers who shopped with a simple scent in the air spent an average of 20% more
Adding a pleasant scent in stores could boost the likelihood of customers wanting to buy products by a significant 84%
75% of customers report stronger memories of spaces with pleasant aromas
Shoppers underestimated shopping time by 26% and visited three times more products when exposed to themed fragrances versus non-themed ones
Scent marketing in retail stores increased intent to purchase by 80%
A positive scent environment can elevate one’s mood by 40%
Scent significantly increases consumer involvement in experiences by a margin of 38 per cent
The Sweet Smell of Success: Putting Scent Marketing Into Practice
I know, I know.
‘Scent marketing’, really? It probably induced such a dramatic eyeroll that you now kind of have a headache.
Whilst it seems like this is a ‘trend-one-day, gone-the-next’, scent marketing is actually nothing new. Bakeries have been enticing customers long before the term ‘Chief Marketing Officer’ was even a seedling of an idea. That warming aroma was then co-opted by real estate agents, frantically baking cookies in the oven before open homes to tempt buyers' stomachs (and their wallets). And I’m sure you’ve gotten into a friend’s new car and commented on that crisp leather smell. Be honest - you’d bottle that if you could!
Larger brands, like hotels and spa franchisors, have been filling their lobbies with luxurious signature scents for years, but it’s now becoming more and more accessible as e-commerce entrepreneurs are creating budget-friendly options for smaller businesses. But you don’t even have to have an entirely new scent created for you - it’s all about using a scent right.
So, how is scent used in marketing, and who does it well?
We’ve broken down the 4 main types for you, as well as some of the brands that have mastered the technique:
Aroma Billboards: The name pretty much says it all - it’s an aroma that is so strong, it may as well be advertising your business on a billboard! Aroma billboards are usually scents placed at the front or even the surrounding outside area of a business, designed to have customers follow their noses right to your door.
Businesses that do it well:Aesop & Lush: You can’t walk past these stores without being hit with an almost solid waft of perfumed air. All the products are heavily scented, and they’re not trying to hide it either - essential oil burners and diffusers are positioned perfectly at the front of the store to send scent signals to those passing by. You might not have come to the shops for a hand cream, but with that luxurious scent tempting you in, you will be leaving with one.
Cinnabon, Subway & McDonald’s: It’s every diet's worst nightmare: strolling down the street with your healthy packed lunch, and then suddenly - the smell of fast food, and all resolve drifting away.
Cinnabon conducted studies on the placement of their ovens in their stores, and found that stores with ovens at the back of the restaurant sold significantly less than stores that had them front and centre for all to smell.
Similarly, Subway bakes their bread in-store, causing that signature smell to envelope you as your walk past.
McDonald’s pumps the air above their fryers out of the kitchen and into the air around the store to entice customers with the smell of French-fry goodness. Taking it a (literal) step further, they’ve trialled using scented billboards (yes, fries-scented) within a few hundred metres of their stores to subconsciously destroy even the best of healthy intentions.Ambient: Scent doesn’t have to only be used in a knock your socks off kind of way. Ambient scent marketing gently fills the space, and whilst it may not be the first thing you notice, once you do? It’s already in your head. Ambient scent marketing is designed to be subtle - rather than luring you into the store, it aims to keep you there until you’re ready to purchase.
Businesses that do it well:Apple & Samsung: When you think of these tech giants, you don’t automatically think of scent. And that’s a good thing! These digital pioneers don’t want you to immediately think of a signature smell when entering a store (save that attention for their products!), but they also want you to have a pleasant store experience that sticks in your head for a reason you can’t quite pinpoint. Using clean scents like apple and white tea drowns out the metallic and plastic smells from their products, setting them apart from other ‘cheaper’ smelling stores.
Nike: As one of the most recognised brands in the world, Nike doesn’t need you to remember it through a signature scent. Instead, they’re using scents inspired by their products to play on that emotional and memory link in your brain. From freshly cut grass in the golf section, or the smell of court rubber in the basketball section, they pair it with invigorating general notes of citrus and mint to stimulate and excite. Nike is playing hardball when it comes to scent marketing.
Signature: Much like your posh nan and her iconic Chanel No 5, signature scents are the perfume uniform for brands. Just as with any good brand identity, this is all about consistently presenting a specific scent time and time again until it’s impossible for your customers to smell it and not think of your brand (and get them coming back for another sniff).
Businesses that do it well:Shangri-La, Ritz-Carlton, Hilton: You know those luxurious hotels - you cross the pearly marble floor of the lobby, trying to act with that air of nonchalance like you’ve been here plenty of times before, and it seems as if every corner of the room is filled with that snobby energy. Well, it is! A cornerstone of luxury hotel chains is having a signature scent that they use throughout their locations to remind guests that no expense has been spared for their stay. Releasing product lines with that signature scent allows guests to take the fancy hotel experience home with them, and the brand (much like the holiday memory) continues to linger.
Tigerlily & Country Road: When the market is saturated with competitors, how do you stand out? By creating a signature scent, of course! These stores have sought to create their own point of difference through distinct scents - fig and linen to suggest the quality of Country Road’s clothing, and coconut and lime to match the holiday boho aspirational aspect of Tigerlily’s brand.
Thematic: Now, this is a fun one! Scents aren’t limited to enhancing the brand identity - they can also enhance the experience. Amplifying the existing, adding complementary smells, or appealing to your audience’s desires can take a standard event to an unforgettable affair.
Businesses that do it well:Movie Theatres: We had to do a nod to one of the great classics of scent marketing - everyone give a round of applause for buttery popcorn! Movie theatres could make pre-pop their popcorn and package it up ready to go, but is that as appealing on the shelf? Better to have it freshly popping in front of their customers, with that salty savoury goodness wafting through the air - it’s the classic movie theatre experience, one you’re willing to leave home for.
Disney World & Universal Theme Parks: Thematic scent marketing and theme parks go hand in hand. Disney used their imaginations to create ‘Smellitizers’ (fragrance dispensing machines, not new characters) to disperse scents that match the attraction. Sweet treats and baked goods on Main St, fresh ocean scents on the Pirates of the Caribbean rides - everything is calculated to leave you immersed in the experience.
It’s undeniable that eye-catching visuals and thought-provoking copy (ahem, like ours) are must-haves in any good marketer’s toolbelt. But when so much of a customer’s decision-making process involves emotion, it just makes sense to use scent to engage them in a completely new and innovative way. So sure, you could spend money on ads, billboards, or spinning sign guys that stand at intersections to get your customers’ attention.
To really stand out? Give scent marketing a go - after all, your nose knows best.
For small business owners:
Align, don’t confuse: The sweet, sweet smell of cookies baking (whilst delicious) isn’t going to be at home at a car dealership. A kid’s clothing brand should be reminiscent of fun, vibrant perfume notes, rather than serious, deep peppery musks. Your scent is designed to reflect your brand, so choose smells that the brain can easily align with your business to maximise impact. Now, excuse me while I go find a cookie.
Creativity doesn’t mean budget-breaking: Whilst creating a signature scent sounds like something only the bourgeoisie could achieve, it doesn’t have to be! Rather than calling upon the Chanel No 5 gods to teach you their ways, find simple complementary scents, and then use them consistently in creative ways. Add scented sachets to your parcels, collaborate with a small candle business in your network, position your scent right at the door so it lures customers - it’s all about scent that you barely spent a cent on.
Harness the power of restraint: It sounds a bit contradictory to everything that’s been mentioned, but constantly bombarding your customers with a nose-assaulting amount of fragrance isn’t going to win anyone over. Embrace the subtleties - choose a diffuser for ambient settings, be selective about where you use your scent, and don’t be afraid to keep signature scents simple.
Need help turning psychology into sales? Here's how Milkshake can help when you're ready:
🧪 1:1 Strategy Session — Borrow our brains for an hour to audit your brand touchpoints through the five senses. We’ll map opportunities for anything brand-related from signature scents, in-store ambience, and content hooks that drive dwell time and spend. Book your session →
🧠 DIY but kinda lost? Grab our free resource: "The Ultimate Guide to Brand Psychology" and learn how to apply these principles yourself. It's packed with science-backed principles, real-world examples, and actionable tips ready to use. Get your slice →
🧱 Brand Strategy — Build a distinctive brand system that aligns your positioning, voice, and sensory cues so the experience feels cohesive from store to unboxing to socials. Learn more →
✏️ Conversion Copywriting — Product pages, landing pages, emails, and ads that make people smell the scene and click “add to cart.” See our copywriting services →