With the recent news that Johnny Depp has become the face of Dior’s new male fragrance the interest in fragrances is keener than ever before. The marketers for Dior are tuned into the finding that associating fond memories with a fragrance helps make it well liked. Already well developed fond memories of Depp’s brilliant role in Pirates of the Caribbean appear to be creating a positive feeling about Dior.
When a fond memory is triggered by the scent of a fragrant product it is more likely to be a hit. This study was done by Rachel Herz of Brown University, and Haruko Sugiyama and colleagues at the Kao Corporation in Japan and the US. The results of the study show that a product’s scent generally evokes personal emotional memories which influences its appeal to customers. This is the first time researchers have set out to determine how odor-evoked memories influence customers’ perceptions of a product.
The researchers observed that lotion fragrances which smelled pleasant and which evoked potent personal emotional memories were the fragrances which were preferred. The same lotion whose scent was equally pleasant but did not trigger any fond recollections was not as well liked. There was a greater chance that the fragrance would be held in high regard if the fond memory which the fragrance evoked was more potent.
This study has been published in the journal Chemosensory Perception. It has been well established that there is a Proustian memory effect wherein fragrances elicit greater emotional and evocative memories than other memory cues. Many psychological states from moods to motivated behavior are also potentiated by fragrances. Researchers have found the personal potency of Proustian memories which are evoked by a product’s fragrance drive product perception greater than the actual hedonic qualities of the scent This leaves us appreciating just how powerful good memories can be.
