Occupancy odors are inevitable in the built environment. Each home has its own unique “signature” scent, derived from pets, people, food, detergents, fibers, moisture, etc. Smells can elicit both positive and negative emotional reactions that are either consciously recognized or subliminally felt. Memories are evoked and associations are drawn with each inhalation. In fact, research by uber-marketer and Buyology author Martin Lindstrom, has shown that up to 75% of our emotional reactions are due to our sense of smell.
Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles
Eliciting positive emotional responses through the use of appropriate scent selection is both an art and a science. How your home smells significantly affects your emotions and impacts your guests even more. Choose your scents wisely when marketing your property: avoid old-fashioned bakery scents in high-end kitchens; instead use more complex edible scents such as green apple/mango, white tea and ginger, red currant or lavender/french vanilla. Such subtle yet complex scents target higher demographic and psychographic (values, attitudes, lifestyles) profiled buyers.
Scent congruency should be tied to room function, area lifestyle perceptions, the natural environment and your home’s architecture. Incongruent sensory stimuli can cause subconscious confusion and discomfort. And, of course, you do not want to overpower your home with scents that are going to have people who are legitimately scent sensitive running for their lives. Scents that are nearly imperceptible can still invoke the ”Ahh, I can see myself here” response in potential buyers.
WebMD had an interesting article about scents a few years ago, here it is.
Time Magagzine wrote an interesting piece about corporate branding and fragrances a few years ago, here it is.