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Will Kraft's latest ads pass the smell test?
In a sign of how marketers are making more use of scent in their advertising, Kraft Foods is sponsoring a special holiday issue of Time Warner's People magazine that comes with an olfactory twist. Five of Kraft's 31 ads in the issue, which should arrive in subscribers' mailboxes today, allow readers to rub a spot to experience the smell of one of the products being advertised.
A full-page ad for Philadelphia Cream Cheese, for instance, shows a picture of strawberry cheesecake. When rubbed, the picture gives off the aroma of the dessert. Similarly, the scents of cinnamon coffee, cherry Jell-O and white chocolate will all be present in different ads. The smells aren't limited to ads: one of the articles will be accompanied by pictures of food, such as hot chocolate and sugar cookies, that give off a scent if rubbed.
Magazines have long offered ads that tickle consumers' nostrils, most noticeably perfume strips and ads that ask readers to "scratch 'n' sniff." But those ads had a downside: the scent often permeated the magazine, irritating some consumers. Improvements in printing technology have lately made it easier for publishers to add scent to ads -- as well as editorial features -- with less risk of turning off readers.
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The scented ads are a new element in what is the fourth People holiday issue that Kraft has sponsored in recent years. The issue is full of articles about celebrities' holiday celebrations and holiday recipe suggestions, subject matter that could give the Kraft food-themed ads greater resonance. The issue is being sent to only one million of People's 2.3 million subscribers, readers who fall into Kraft's target audience of women ages 25 to 54 who have children or households with multiple family members.
Kraft's promotion comes as part of a larger ad deal it has with People's parent, Time Inc., says Mr. Gruneberg. Kraft spent about $60.8 million on ads in People in 2005, about 12% of its total magazine ad spending, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Kraft declined to comment on the cost of the promotion but Paul Caine, publisher of Time Inc.'s People Group, says Kraft will have to pay for extra production and printing costs.
The scents are housed in microscopic capsules applied in a varnish in the printing process, Mr. Caine says. Old-style magazine scent ads typically use gelatin capsules that tend to break easily in distribution of the magazines, says Arthur Sherwood, managing partner of Scent id LLC, a Purchase, N.Y., consultant who helped to devise the special pages for People and Kraft. Those breakages produce the overwhelming smell that irritates some consumers. The People ads used capsules made of stronger compounds that last through the journey from printing press to mailbox, he adds.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print/SB116338913917821300-gErJUIqFTb8OD09g6DQpbybqzQQ_20071113.html
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