The sweet smell of scent marketing

I read a fascinating piece from Christopher White in the Independent this week about the use of smell to promote products and reinforce brands, particularly when it comes to food and drink.

Apparently smell is fast becoming the third sensory tactic in marketing alongside old favourites sight and sound. The article told how a mini-mart in America saw coffee sales rise by 300% after it started pumping the aroma of fresh coffee beans into the store, and how the use of cinnamon smells where cinnamon buns are on sale makes people more likely to buy them. Even the new M&Ms megastore in London pumps in a smell of fresh chocolate to tempt customers into a purchase.

As White puts so well, scent marketing compares well to “fast-food outlets displaying photographs that bear no resemblance at all to the limp lettuced burgers actually on sale.” I’m no expert but I would suggest it won’t be long before this trend moves out of retail locations and into our homes. Just don’t let the pet food companies get a whiff of the idea!

Learning by Work Experience: Taking baby steps towards that fabled first job

Back in autumn 2010, it hit me like a tonne of bricks that the cosy cocoon of university life was starting to fray at the edges. The cycle of going out, sleeping in, and general sofa-dwelling, punctuated by the occasional lecture or exam, was a seductive lifestyle, but the expiry date was looming ever nearer. By summer 2011, I’d be a graduate, catapulted willy-nilly into the world of work.

Making a choice

Luckily, by the beginning of my final year, I’d realised the path I wanted my postgraduate career to take. Never one of the ‘jocks’ at uni, I had always ticked the extracurricular box with journalistic and publicity roles.

As it dawned on me that Facebook and Twitter could be more than just effective revision-avoidance, I started to experiment with social media as a tool to promote the student publications and societies I was involved with. Factoring in my interest in current affairs, it was definitely media and communications for me.

Ditching the ‘Friends’ reruns

The next step was to turn off E4, break off the long-term relationship with the sofa and get some experience in the industry. I managed to bag 6 months of part-time experience as a content writer at a digital marketing agency in Lichfield, learning the tricks of the SEO trade.

The chance to develop a promotional campaign with a social media focus came in the form of the B-Hive competition for aspiring media professionals. Challenged with a brief to promote Birmingham as a centre of gourmet dining, I went for a combination of traditional advertising, website, Facebook and Twitter platforms, all reinforcing the city’s diverse cuisine as the key proposition: ‘Where Will You Eat Next?’

A finger in the digital pie

The B-Hive judges saw fit to hand me the Digital Media top prize, which was four two week placements at some of the best digital agencies in the West Midlands region. Getting involved with their work has been a great way to get to grips with how the industry is harnessing the social media beast and unlocking its marketing potential.

Getting into PR

At the Public Relations agencies I’ve spent time in, I’ve been lucky enough to work on two Royal Wedding campaigns, welcome guests at a champagne reception, write press releases aimed at national papers and call up any number of journalists (with varying degrees of success, ranging from great coverage to an angry click and a dialling tone halfway through the sell-in).

Although traditionally concerned with the print and broadcast media, the public relations industry seems to be swiftly moving into the online and social media space to engage with audiences here as well. As a PR intern I’ve been involved with reaching out to bloggers, interacting with online communities and writing content that will resonate online. The integration of old and new media, plus the variety of clients and sectors covered, makes a PR agency like Willoughby an exciting place to be.

To the old adage, ‘Experience is the best teacher,’ I’d add that it’s also the best job coach. Real-life experience is the perfect way to learn how the creative industries work. It’s also an important career asset in a sector that values what you’ve done just as much as what you’ve studied, if not more.

The Smoking Ban: Four Years On

You may not know it but this month marks four years since the introduction of a ban on smoking in public places in England. The original arguments of 2007 may have died down, but as a major campaign to amend the smoking ban gains momentum, the same issues continue to rumble on.

Thinking back four years, opinions couldn’t have been more divided. I was a 23 year old beginning a career in public relations and with a list of food and drink PR clients supplying the foodservice industry, I kept a close eye on developments.

While non-smokers cheered, smokers stubbed out their cigarettes in anger. Tobacco companies ran scared and suppliers of outdoor garden furniture, including shelters and patio heaters, rubbed their hands with glee. Many licensees were understandably up in arms about a law which they argued would kill their livelihood. So, four years on, what has been the impact?

One thing is for sure, pubs are in decline. They were in decline long before 2007 though and how much of that is down to the smoking ban needs expert analysis from someone far better positioned than me. While it has clearly had an impact, there is no doubt that supermarket pricing, the rise of social media and of course the recession, have all had their own input to this continued decline over the last four years. According to the campaign to Amend the Smoking Ban, “it is reasonable to predicate” that as many as 20 pub closures per week are due, in part, to the smoking ban.

The ban did signal a shift in attitudes by licensees and many venues looking to recover trade turned to a strong food offer. Pub dining has improved drastically and I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that there are more Michelin starred pubs in the UK than ever before. That must be a good thing?

And what about health? This one’s more difficult. One year after the ban, a survey claimed as many as 400,000 people quit as a result of not being able to smoke in public places but others disagree, including Amend the Smoking Ban - which claims there is no evidence to suggest that the ban has reduced the overall smoking rate.

So what next? Retain, amend or repeal? I get the impression this one will drag on.

O’Neill departure leaves Villa fans singing the blues!

As the dust settles on Martin O’Neill’s departure, the rumour mill is going into overdrive. Who will replace the fiery Irishman? What forced him to quit? Was he as popular as we thought?

Apparently according to the Daily Mirror, players toasted their gaffer’s resignation by texting each other pictures of champagne bottles – sparking debate about O’Neill’s relationship with his squad, something which has always been considered exemplary.

But whilst there may be some truth in the players falling out with him, most of the fans seem sorry to see him go. Pictures on Midlands Today last night showed how he was greeted by thousands of optimistic Villa fans when he was appointed 4 years ago, and it certainly takes a hell of a lot for Villa fans to be optimistic about something!

After a fairly successful reign which included regular 6^th place finishes, another season in Europe and Carling Cup final and FA Cup semi final appearances last term, most Villa fans were still very much in support of O’Neill. But the question remains, will they ever really know if he jumped before he was pushed, whether he had lost the dressing room, or if mild-mannered American owner Randy Lerner just didn’t have the transfer cash to keep him happy anymore.

The Birmingham Mail seems sure that Lerner’s failure to back O’Neill in the transfer market for the first summer in his four year tenure was the straw that broke the camal’s back. After all, he was given £40m last summer, and with just 3 weeks left until the transfer window slams shut Villa are yet to spend a penny, while prize asset James Milner is certain to leave for big spending Man City, and other first termers Emile Heskey, Ashley Young, John Carew and Luke Young have all be linked with moves away from Villa Park.

After steady improvement under O’Neill, you have to fear for the club a little, no manager with 4 days until the big Premier League kick off, no new players in while stars look set to leave, and the teams around Villa all looking to improve. I can only see Villa taking a few backwards steps now, unless Lerner makes a big statement of intent with a high profile managerial appointment – Van Basten or Hiddink, perhaps? I just don’t think Curbishley, Southgate or Zola would appease the oh so pessimistic Villa faithful.

Once a new boss is selected, one question will remain, who is the real Villain of the piece? O’Neill for leaving a club he calls ‘magnificent’ in the lurch a few days before they face West Ham, Lerner for pulling the plug on the transfer pot, James Milner for leaving? One thing is for sure, the potential for staunch rivals Birmingham City to overtake Villa as the Midlands’ highest place team since the Premier League began is now higher than ever, and that will leave a far more bitter taste in the mouth than O’Neill’s surprise departure.