Vindicated!
My wife complained years ago that Abercrombie & Fitch was pumping a fragrance through the ventilation system. She walked into their store and almost immediately her olfactory went on high alert. The scent in the air was too sweet and too strong for her. “They’re pumping perfume through the vents,” she exclaimed. She turned to another customer in the store for confirmation. “Do you smell it?” Without waiting for confirmation, she headed toward the door. “I have to get out of here.”
Our daughters were astonished. “They can’t do that,” they insisted. My wife would have none of it. She knew what she sensed in the air and it was overpowering for her.
Until this week, that experience was brought up occasionally by our daughters to poke a bit of fun at their mother. Now we know they owe their mother an apology.
We also now know that scent diffusion is a marketing strategy that has been deployed in retail outlets, hotels, law, doctor and dental offices and in the cabins of jets flown by major airlines for quite some time.
In an article in this week’s AdWeek online, experts tell us that just a few microparticles is all it takes to do a lot of marketing’s heavy lifting, from improving consumer perceptions of quality to increasing the number of store visits.
Of course, this olfactory strategy can result in a negative customer experience, as was the case with my wife. That Abercrombie & Fitch store visit was abruptly terminated not only because my wife has a heightened sense of smell, but also a delicate sensitivity to some aromas that can bring on undesirable reactions.
It’s a virtual lock she isn’t alone. But how large is this population and what are their rights? Do organizations that use scent diffusers have an obligation to inform these people that they are pumping a scented oil into the air?
If you argue against, then how about at least a courtesy notice stenciled on the entrance door, or printed on a small placard at the checkout or customer service counter or the reception desk? Is that too much to ask?
Or will activists defending the rights of folks like my wife have to push for legislation or legal proceedings to secure vindication?
Let’s hope it doesn’t have to go that route. Enlisting the aid of politicians or lawyers is a “nose-tion” that sort of leaves a bad odor in your whiffer, doesn’t it?
No comments:
Post a Comment