In the ongoing election campaign in the German state of Bavaria the neoliberal FDP tries to sell the political agenda with the whiff of a new car scent and triggers some controversy. What is “aseptic” about it as the FAZ argues? Is it authentic? Or is this a new step of fake politics?
Duftmarketing
The olfactory dimension of automobility is the core theme of a recent essay by Claus Noppeney published in “Das Magazin” a weekly supplement to several Swiss newspapers.
Some insights from our recent sensory turn in management education:
Sensory and scent-marketing highlight how the sense of smell affects our everyday purchasing decisions. Accordingly, one expects an abundance of scented products in contemporary consumer culture. Yet, we can also witness an increasing awareness of multiple chemical sensitivities that might promote an opposite trend. This is the commercial context of a recent thesis submitted in the BBA International Program at Bern University of Applied Sciences by Jennifer Zwyer and supervised by Claus Noppeney: How prevalent is the sense of smell in today’s consumer culture? How prevalent are scented products on the shelf in supermarkets today? How openly is the olfactory status communicated to the consumer? Verbally? Visually?
Abercombie & Fitsch has been nominated the most hated retailer. This post explores how this might be related to the company’s scent strategy.
The city of Bern runs a lively blog that monthly discusses business related issues in the economic area of the Swiss capital. Through it, a diverse selection of people from business, culture, civil service and society engage in public discourse. In this context, Claus Noppeney identifies “olfactory milestones” in the remarkable history of the city and shows how this tradition leads to current product innovation.
Scent marketing is the focus of the ongoing research project by Tobias Huwiler who studies in the Bachelor of Business Administration at Bern University of Applied Sciences.
DASH, the London-based illustrated magazine on fashion and fashion art, published an interview with Claus Noppeney (Autumn / Winter 2013 Issue): ”Olfactory Ontologies“ follows from a longer discussion with Stephen Fortune, an interactive media artist and science editor from London.