The Brief

As every good fragrance marketer knows, increasing the sampling rate of your scent can lead to stronger sales. However, consumers can avoid retail environments where salespeople offer scent strips. We would tap into a new channel that increased sampling rates of a designer fragrance at a time when consumers were more receptive to the product.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Mouse pads with a wrist support made of a special material and containing the fragrance were placed in upscale cafes offering complimentary Internet access. As consumers opened the web browser, a splash page greeted them and informed them they were about to sample the new fragrance. They were invited to take part and asked to lift the arm resting on the mouse pad to smell their wrist.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

With just five installations, traffic to the fragrance’s e-commerce website increased by 320 percent in a fortnight. Requests for samples or brochures were unprecedented, requiring the client to print more sales collateral for direct mailouts. Sales figures showed a healthy spike of 135 percent in two weeks.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The campaign identified a new channel for the scent, at a time when consumers were likely to be receptive to a new experience. With an increase in the sampling rate, we saw a spike in uptake.