Only recently have companies begun assigning smells to everyday products: frangipani-scented sewing threads, tires that smell like roses. A paper soon to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research confirms the wisdom of this tactic, finding that scented products linger in the memory.
— From It’s the Scent That Tickles the Memory at the New York Times.
26 Comments
Read more about commenting at Now Smell This.
This would prevent me from resenting my winter tires, perhaps.
Yep.
I wonder if husbands would vacuum more if the Hoover smelled like bacon?
Hell, I would vacuum more if it smelled like bacon. My dogs might actualy cower a little less, too.
There you go!
That would be wierd, tires already have a distinctive smell! Can you imagine walking into a Les Schwab and being hit with roses instead of rubber? And might scented sewing threads compete with my sotd?
The only tires I knew about were these:
http://www.nstperfume.com/2007/1/08/scented-tires-no-really-and-other-perfume-news/
But there might be others. And I had never heard of the scented thread!
Of course, it’s all the scented functional products that make people sick of fragrance. I actively dislike scented make-up, detergents, shampoo, etc. I want to smell my fabulous perfume, not a cacophony of scents that some marketing group thought were attractive.
The scent of roses combined with tire rubber must be nauseating.
You summed up my reaction almost perfectly. I actually LIKE the smell of rubber tires (not that I actively seek it out) or the distinctive smell an auto-parts store has, or whatever.
I mean, I enjoy scented shower gels as long as the scent doesn’t linger long, but this kind of thing is why Robin points out we sometimes can’t tell the difference between “fancy perfume” and Glade.
gg- I agree. I don’t like my perfume having to compete with my deodorant, lotion, hairspray, etc. I do like scented products, but I choose those which have a subtle scent.
Ggperfume, agree!
Ditto, wholeheartedly!!! I usually wash my clothes with fragrance-free detergent, and fabric softener. I abhor the combination of that sharp synthetic detergent scent with my perfumes. I can’t imagine having scented tires, that would drive me bananas.
I once bought a skirt at Max Studio, and for the longest time I couldn’t figure out why I kept smelling violets. Turns out, they had scented the fabric, and it lasted through many washes. It was one of the strangest ideas ever, for a brand that is not exactly avant garde.
A few brands have experimented with scent clothing, it’s an interesting idea.
So true. I like the scent of roses, but please not on wires… That must be awful……..
Too quick. I mean of course tires……….
I haven’t smelled any of the scent tires so couldn’t say…
Companies assigning smells to their products brings to my mind that cloying,plastic type “fragrance” that they use for scratch and sniff stickers.
I think the scent marketing world is much more sophisticated than that now.
I suppose, although the early experiences with this type of marketing scent seemed to have left an imprint on my subconscious.
I had to smile at this and think I’d much prefer roses that smell like tires a la Bvlgari Black. That would be far more interesting.
LOL…yes, I’d plant those!
I understand the scented thread — don’t want it, but I get the concept — but scented tires? What is the point of scenting something that a) spends its entire life outside and b) you’d have to crouch down on all fours to smell?
I don’t know, but I don’t get anything about cars: why wash them, for instance? So I’m obviously not the one to talk to about scented tires.
I like my tires….
I hate functional fragrance though. Shampoo and conditioner, I don’t mind as much; Biolage tends to smell heavenly! But I HATE scented deodorant. And scented laundry soaps. Ugh.
I don’t care about my tires either way…if they were scented, I doubt I’d notice.