Pawtucket, R.I. – Visual communication has long been used to help companies sell products and heighten brand awareness.  Printed ads in newspapers, magazines and direct mail have been followed by radio and television commercials and more recently by way of the Internet.  Greater frequency was tabbed as the surefire way to have your message resonate with the audience.  More recent methods have shifted to a shock-and-awe philosophy to grab their attention, with some deep pocketed corporations running as many different campaigns to break through the clutter and capture business.

Advertising clutter is the norm and not going away, so companies will have to be bolder and more unique in their marketing efforts.  That's why Packaging Graphics in Pawtucket, RI is looking to capitalize on another sensory perception to trigger consumer response.  They have teamed with SCENTISPHERE of Carmel, NY to offer the Rub'nSmell scent application program.  Used on advertising items like catalogs, coupons, direct mail and packaging, Packaging Graphics can embed a combination of 60 distinct smells during the print process.  

"Using sharp scents is not new, but the method we offer is a new-and-improved version.  The technology available now can make an immediate impression with a unique, distinct scent that is very critical to consumers purchasing habits," said Nick Carafa, Executive VP - Sales of Packaging Graphics.                

"Major Fortune 500 companies are using, for example, scented labels and other things as a way to attract customers for products like detergents, soaps and shampoos.  Research shows scents produce emotional responses, often leading people to spend more time considering a brand which can impact buying decisions.  We put together a holiday promotion for buyers where we printed ornaments and candy canes.  When they rubbed those images, they got a whiff of a refreshing mint scent.  It provided us with great feedback and now marketing budgets are starting to improve, we're looking to win some business for this program."

Mint is just one of 60 stock scents used with Rub'nSmell, but Carafa said that any scent provided by customers also can be matched. Fruit and spice scents dominate the list, ranging from apple and watermelon to citrus and vanilla, but several exotic aromas are also available.  Packaging Graphics has a six week turnaround time to deliver any project, indicated Pressroom Manager Pat Gilmartin, who said the sky's the limit with his production capabilities.

Rub'nSmell works this way.  The scent is contained within thousands of microscopic urethane nanocapsules and activated when rubbed.  The product has an unlimited life cycle that remains dormant until called into action.  The capsules are set in a varnish stage of the print process, applied inline as a fifth color or coating.  Transparent and non-obtrusive, they are usually applied over graphics in one of several print treatments: heat set and sheetfed overprint varnish; aqueous coating for offset; flexo and silkscreen applications; gravure overprint varnish or as a UV and EB overprint varnish.  

Gilmartin oversees a unique, 300,000 square-foot facility with plenty of press capability.  It includes a 40-inch, custom-designed press that measures 127 feet long, prints up to 10 colors and has multiple coating units. He said customers are not limited to using just one scent per sheet.
"These capsules are so small, we have the capability to offer a combination of possibilities to customers.  Because of their size, the cost to do something like this is less than traditional methods.  Having a scented varnish adds value and interest to plenty of products and printed promotional items.  I would expect some companies to start breaking with tradition and applying it to everything from bookmarks, coupons, handouts and fliers to lottery tickets and scratch off game cards, as well as gift wrap."

Packaging Graphics, LLC, is an award winning, industry leading one-stop provider for highly visible products and an industry leader in printed blister cards, folding cartons, stretch pack cards, and blister and clamshell packaging.  The company is both ISO 9001 and 14001 certified, and is a division of The MATLET Group, a certified Minority Business Enterprise and Corporate Plus member of NMSDC.   For more information, visit www.packgraph.com.