Having long been mocked in film and stand-up comedy as "the next big thing" in television, a practical aroma-transmitting display is in the works - at least for commercial advertising use. Japanese telecom giant NTT Communications has recently announced that the company is launching a feasibility study of digital signage equipped with an aroma-emitting device to strengthen the impact of marketing communications. According to a company press release, NTT believes this type of interactive signage could become a highly effective marketing tool.

Aldo Cugnini
Analyst

In this first stage of the study, the company is operating a digital sign in front of Kirin City Beer Hall in Tokyo’s Yaesu Shopping Mall from October 21 to the end of December. Aromas such as lemon and orange, associated with beer apparently, will waft from the sign to enhance the impact of its messages. Through the study, NTT expects to measure the sign’s effectiveness in attracting the attention of passersby in the underground mall.

The aroma-emitting digital signage, branded as Kaoru Digital Signage, combines the company’s Spot Media digital signage service and Fragrance Communication (Kaori Tsushin) online service, which instructs specified Web-connected devices to emit mood-heightening aromas. The latter service is being used in venues such as retail stores, cafes and office lobbies, reflecting the growing trend of using aromas as an active marketing tool to strengthen the impact of marketing communications and enhance onsite customer satisfaction. The Kaoru Digital Signage service was also exhibited at the NTT Communications Forum 2007 in November.

Said to be the world’s first advertising sign system capable of emitting multiple aromas while displaying electronic images, the system consists of a 12 x 20 x 6 inch aroma diffuser, a 19-inch display and an NTT Spot Media content receiver. In the tests, the sign’s smell will change according to the time of day, dispersing appetizing orange and lemon aromas at lunchtime, and releasing a more relaxing "woody" aroma at night.

The signs combine NTT’s Spot Media digital signage service with its Kaori Tsushin online fragrance communication service. Kaori Tsushin gives users web-based control over aroma-emitting devices, and is already in use at retail stores and cafes. The system is based on NTT’s Aromageur, which was developed for personal use in spaces the size of a small bedroom. With the ability to deliver fragrances across a 500 square meter (5,400 square feet) area, the new, larger aroma diffuser uses three 450-milliliter bottles of aroma oil. When the "recipe" - which determines the type and strength of smell - is received via the web, the device releases an atomized vapor created by pulsing the oil with a series of ultrasonic waves.

On Valentine’s Day, NTT researchers conducted an experiment with vanilla fragrance in an office lobby. When the fragrance was released near free chocolate, the researchers found that passersby were nearly twice as likely to take a sample. In other experiments conducted at Tokyo-area bookstores, relaxing orange and lavender aromas were found to boost monthly sales by nearly 5%.

As an advertising medium, the idea has great merit. Personal versions of the NTT technology, however, would not be practical with a large set of aromas. For that, other devices have been proposed that use a compact-disc-like medium to carry microcapsules of scented oils, much like the "scratch-and-sniff" technology used on printed media. Maximum synergy may require a heavily aroma-oriented production, such as a cooking show or possibly Discovery’s "Dirty Jobs." Even Comedy Central could use it to their advantage, but it may require new dimensions for content ratings. "That show really stinks," would take on a whole new meaning.

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