MarComm News’ Post

What if branding went beyond what we see and heard? 🌟 Check out this captivating read from Fast Company showcasing McDonald's scented billboards - a brilliant example of engaging multiple senses for a memorable brand experience. 💡 McDonald's strategically placed these billboards in Dutch cities, intriguing passersby with the tantalizing aroma of their famous fries. It featured a side compartment specially designed for holding fries, along with a ventilation system engineered to enhance and spread the scent. 🍟 Leveraging the power of brand color and creative distribution, not one word is needed to entice customers. Incorporating elements that appeal to sight, sound, touch, taste, and even smell creates powerful connections with consumers, driving in customers and leaving a lasting impression. 🍔👃 It is intoxicating when brands explore new ways to captivate audiences through immersive and multi-sensory branding. #CreativeInnovation #BrandExperience #MarketingGenius https://lnkd.in/gHcqxbrd

Forget fancy logos and slogans – sometimes the best advertising is the kind you can smell a mile away. McDonald's knows this, turning french fry fragrance into their latest billboard sensation. This move is surprisingly sophisticated. Scent triggers powerful memories and emotions. That's why a whiff of McDonald's fries becomes an instant craving generator. Talk about playing with your senses! Turns out, this isn't McDonald's first foray into unconventional marketing. Remember those abstract menu item posters? This scent campaign builds on their reputation for bold, playful campaigns. McDonald's is so iconic, they don't even need to show their food to sell it. Now that's the power of a well-established brand. #sensorymarketing #mcdonalds #branding #advertising #fastfood

And the concept of #scentbranding wins again!! A delicious smell can inspire cravings and lure passersby into a restaurant. In a recent experiment  #McDonald's put that power to the test by deploying a series of billboards diffusing the scent of its bestselling French fries without Mcdonalds branding anywhere!! “Smell has been proven to be more effective at sparking clear and emotional memories than images,” McDonald’s Netherlands chief marketing officer Stijn Mentrop-Huliselan said in a statement after this experiment. The true power of olfactory branding (also known as scent branding) is in its unique ability to form immediate, powerful, and differentiated emotional connections with customers, particularly within a category of functionally similar offerings. While packaged goods, hospitality, retail, medicine, real estate, and fitness are some of the obvious industries for employing scent branding, many brands in other industries have benefited from this approach too. Are you also looking to create a signature scent for your brand or products, hit me on the consultation link below and let's visualise incorporating soothing #aromatherapy fragrances to highlight your unique value proposition in this highly competitive market... https://lnkd.in/dj-Zzcw2

American Express and Galderma redefine their #GenZ marketing strategies by focusing on authentic engagement vs. traditional advertising. The goal is to leverage new experiences that resonate with younger consumers seeking premium value in travel, dining and entertainment. Check out more from the conversation: https://lnkd.in/eEwsd6Ma

I recently came across an article highlighting the opinion of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity judges on the end of the era for purpose-driven brands. 💡 It is an interesting article that made me think about why we might now be in the post-purpose world and some valid points came to mind such as the overuse of purpose by brands, consumer distrust, lack of tangible actions, the macro environment and economic pressures. 🔦 On the other hand, there are some solid arguments against the post-purpose world position. Despite the criticism, many consumers still value brands that have a clear purpose and make a positive contribution to society, building stronger emotional connections with their audiences. Brands that truly integrate purpose into their core values and operations can differentiate themselves in the marketplace. Moreover, in an era of heightened social and environmental awareness, brands have a responsibility to make a positive contribution to society. 🔍 The perceived dilemma between purpose-driven branding and a focus on sales doesn't necessarily exist, because brands can effectively balance the two. Purpose and commercial performance are not mutually exclusive. When done authentically and strategically, they can complement each other, resulting in a harmonious and successful brand. 🤝 Purpose and profitability can be integrated into a cohesive strategy. When a brand's purpose is aligned with its business goals, it can drive both social impact and financial success.  #purpose #purposedriven #postpurpose #CannesLions2024 https://lnkd.in/dURjm_gy

CSB 5210 Assignment #4 After reading "What is Cobranding?" by Julian Oppelt, I found this is a great strategy that expands on collaboration and extends reach awareness. The best example of cobranding that I find most relevant is in fast food industry. I found the most recent co-branding strategy in fast food is Taco Bell and Doritos. Specifically, I admire the introduction of the Doritos Locos Tacos. To me this is the prime example of expanding awareness and capturing new prospective consumers who are intrigued by the combination and want to try something different. #marketing5210Fall2024 #CAUMarketing Check out the article below: https://lnkd.in/eiSDGRDJ

McDonald's Netherlands goes all in with #scentmarketing. The iconic Golden Arches franchise has introduced a groundbreaking way to entice people towards their signature burgers and fries by unveiling the aromatic advertising initiative "world's first scent-enabled billboard" that smells like food. The simple red and yellow billboards (no images, just the flat color) are devoid of logos, but when pedestrians pass about 15 meters from these structures, they are greeted by the distinctive smell of McDonald's fries, enticing them to come closer, literally sniffing the posters. The trick is simple: a tray of fresh fried fries in installed inside the billboard, which relies on cutting-edge fans to spread the scent. True to the principle that "smell is more effective than images in evoking clear and emotional memories" as explained by the Chief Marketing Officer of McDonald's Netherlands, these fries-scented billboards found a new way to remember to the customers the good times spent at McDonald's. Needless to say, the billboards are strategically positioned within 600 meters of a McDonald's, so people can follow the scent trail to its source. I'm positively looking forward to Michelin-starred restaurants advertising, next. 🍟🍔 #McDonalds #Advertising #AdvertisingInnovation #Marketing #ScentMarketing #Communication https://lnkd.in/dATfdCQd

This might be the most brilliant marketing campaign EVER 👏🍟 Picture this: A McDonald’s billboard with no logo, no images, no catchy slogans. Just a scent. Yep, they pumped out the smell of McDonald’s fries directly from the billboard - thanks to actual fries inside it. (How iconic is that?) The result? People followed their noses straight to the nearest McDonald’s. This is what experiential marketing is all about - making people feel your brand in real life. It’s simple, bold, and absolutely unforgettable. Think you’ve seen a better campaign than this? Let’s hear it below. 👇 Motion LA #marketing #experience #experientialmarketing #experiential #creative

Does your brand have an intellectual alibi? Brands use intellectual alibis to help consumers rationalize a decision that is driven by emotion, helping consumers present it instead as a carefully thought-out and logical choice. Jamie King, CEO and Chief Strategy Officer for Camp + King, spoke to ADWEEK about them, including the "five Ps" to make one yourself. Also, somehow he related this all to his favorite tequila brand, which is pretty cool. 🥃 "A great intellectual alibi isn’t over-explained; rather, it’s used as a source of authority for a brand to claim something bigger." Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/gFU-PE6j Havas Havas North America #MeaningfulDifference

There's lots of talk about the use of distinctive brand assets off the back of Tesco’s latest ad.   If you want to learn more about the risks associated with using distinctive brand assets and how to mitigate them (supported by the brilliant work of Nicole Hartnett and Jenni Romaniuk), then read my latest article in Marketing Week. https://lnkd.in/em8Qt7eA Ehrenberg-Bass Institute Byron Sharp Mike Follett Dan White Lumen Research #Distinctivebrandassets #outofhome #mentalavailability #physicalavailability