Scenting movie theatre commercials : the impact of scent and pictures on brand evaluations and ad recall

Abstract

We utilize a novel advertising context—commercials seen in a simulated movie theater setting while ambient scent is emitted into the atmosphere—to explore the effects of multisensory cues on brand evaluation and advertising recall. Although both pictorial and olfactory cues enhance brand evaluations and ad recall overall, we find that olfactory (vs pictorial) cues generate more positive feelings toward the brand and enhance recall to a greater extent. We also find that, after a long time delay, re-experiencing the scent activates pictures' ability to facilitate recall. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.