About The Author
Kendra Lively

After gaining a decade of experience as a Creative Director, Kendra joined Phase 3 with the acquisition of Brand Fever in 2015. The lynchpin of the Phase 3 creative team, she guides projects from beginning to end, overseeing design innovation and execution to ensure it solves the defined business problem through creative excellence. With expertise in branding, integrated marketing campaigns, design systems and user interfaces, Kendra is a talented leader who inspires work that is individually motivating and collectively influential.

OnBranding Episode 19: ScentAir, Ed Burke

By Kendra Lively
March 06, 2017

Whether or not you work for brands or buy from them, it’s a universal truth – every brand in the world has its own look and feel that makes it appealing. Food brands have their own unique taste that keeps people addicted. Music is becoming a powerful new way to trigger emotional resonance to a brand, as we discussed in our first (ever) episode with Songza co-founder, Eric Davich.

But scent. Ah, yes. Scent. The forgotten sense.

Chances are, you’ve walked into a Westin, Bloomingdale’s, Hard Rock Cafe, or Hugo Boss — among other casinos, restaurants, and hotels — and have noticed your heart rate booming. Suddenly, everything seems more friendly, more possible, more attainable. Not just the store, either. You feel more posh, more friendly, sexier, savvier, smarter, swifter. You check-in, buy the pants, stay for dessert, or decide – oh, what the heck, I’ll just play one more round of blackjack.

That, right there, is the art and science of scent branding. And in fact, 84% of people in a scented store are more likely to buy products than those without branded scents, according to a recent BBC feature on Secrets of the Sale.

Today, we’re sitting down with Ed Burke, Director of Communications at ScentAir. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, but operating in 109 countries and among 70,000 scent installations around the globe, ScentAir reigns supreme as the industry leader in scent branding design and psychology. Ed explained a little bit about the “black magic” behind the process, and how brands are realizing that ScentAir helps them meet strategic business objectives, thanks to the olfactory nerve. Who knew?

To Ed, and the brands he serves, scent branding smells like – well, success.



Tune in, subscribe on iTunes, and be sure to share this episode. As always, you can let us know what you think on Twitter or Facebook!