In the latest entry in the scentvertising wars, The Los Angeles Times will run a full page ad for the Fox-Walden film Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium this coming Sunday. When scratched the ad will release “the universally beloved frosted cake scent,” The Times said in a statement.
The film starring Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman is about a magical toy store. The aroma is supposed to remind readers “to be young and have fun.”
In April, USA Today began a campaign in which readers could pull back a sticker on ads for a coffee-and-muffin deal at Omni Hotels and inhale the whiff of berries.
“Scent has the longest memory and is the most powerful emotional motivator, and that’s what advertising is all about,” said Carmine Santandrea, chief executive of ScentAndrea, a Santa Barbara scent-marketing company.
When the California Milk Processor Board pasted strips that smelled of chocolate chip cookies next to ads for milk in San Francisco bus shelters, people complained. The ads came down.
