Tidbits Issue 52 January/February 2019
SENSATIONAL PRODUCTS & EXPERIENCES
Multi-sensory products and services are one of my favorite subjects. Tidbits has addressed this topic several times in the past 11 years. Here’s a look back at past Tidbits issues on this topic - Sensory Scents (May/June '15), Sensational Technology (April/May'14), High-Tech Sensory Sensations (March/April '13), Sensory Sensations (November/December '11), Multi-Sensory Experiences (October/November '10), You Fill Up My Senses (May/June '09) and Sensory Overload (February '08).
 
In today’s experiential economy, brands are looking to engage and maintain consumers and consumers are looking for unique and interactive sensational products and experiences. Luckily innovation does not cease and creative new products continue to launch. Scratch-and-sniff technology, scent branding, scented tattoos and cosmetics as well as intriguing visual cues, interesting textures or mouthfeel and heating or cooling sensations are all current tactics to capture consumers' attention.

Smell It First: Smell before you buy is replacing try before you buy. Scratch-and-sniff technology, scent branding and scented tattoos are having a moment. Captain Morgan flavored rum offers a variety of flavors each packaged to look like the ingredient with scratch-and-sniff labels to promote the flavor such as Coconut, Green Apple and Watermelon. The rosé wine brand Cocomero, which means “watermelon” in Italian, offers a 2017 rosé that contains notes of watermelon and features a scratch-and-sniff label printed with watermelons. Even the United States Post Office launched a collection of scented ice cream pop stamps this summer. Tri-Seal patented Sniff Seal® technology allows consumers to experience a scent/aroma in store without compromising the seal or the product contents including dairy, confectionery, bakery and beverage products. In London, the launch of Bosh!, a vegetable vegan cookbook was unveiled using a scented bus shelter advertisement. The ad featured a sweet-smelling chocolate fudge cake, chosen specifically to encourage the public to try a vegan diet. For the holidays, in late November, to accompany General Mills’ 15 second commercials for its Pillsbury refrigerated-dough products, the brand pumped the smell of Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls in about 25 movie theaters. This winter, for a limited time, Kentucky Fried Chicken debuted a fried chicken-scented firewood aptly named 11 Herbs & Spices Firelog from Enviro-Log®. In personal care, Tattly introduced a multi-sensory experience, which combines six geometric shaped temporary tattoos that are infused with a eucalyptus scent. The tattoos are accompanied with a sound meditation download by Sara Auster playing crystal singing bowls. Amkiri developed a long-lasting fragrance ink that is applied to the skin with specific applicators to allow the user to create body art infused with fragrance.

Flavors Make Scents: Flavored non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages are using scents to enhance the multi-sensory olfactory experience. UK-based company Smith & Sinclair developed Edible Flaming Hot Choc Candles in two flavors: Candy Cane Peppermint and Spiced Orange. Once the candles have melted, the wax, made of coconut oil and raw cocoa butter, is meant to be poured into your hot chocolate. In addition, Smith & Sinclair designed a line of Edible Fragrances that are “an aromatic alcoholic vapour in a light, non-stick formula that can be applied directly to the skin.” With a kitsch slogan, “Lick your scent,” there are three scents offered: Cherry Blossom & Mandarin, Pear & Vanilla and Watermelon & Citrus. In collaboration with IFF, the Tippling Club in Singapore offers a new 2019 creative cocktail menu with a perfume theme of 12 cocktails such as Blush of Roses, Cream of Sandalwood, Elixir of Orris, Osmanthus Blossom and Oud & Lust. SZENT is a new and unique beverage that launched exclusively on Amazon in October 2018. The Los Angeles-based brand debuted five core flavors: Passionfruit, Pineapple, Mint, Tangerine and Tropical. Each BPA free PET bottle features a resealable overlap cap around the neck made from a polymer infused with natural oils that replicate the experience of drinking flavored water without the use of any additives to the liquid itself. 

Cosmetics You Want To Eat: The love of chocolate and other sweet treats are inspiring scented cosmetics and packaging. L’Oreal launched the Pro Matte Les Chocolats Scented Liquid Lipstick line in six shades with fun names: Bittersweet, Box o Chocolate, Candyman, Dose of Cocoa, Sweet Tooth and 70% Yum. Similarly, Too Faced offers a Chocolate Bar Eye Shadow Collection in 16 natural browns, delicate pinks and plums infused with a chocolate-scented, 100% cocoa powder formula in a fun package that looks like a chocolate bar. Covergirl released the Peaches & Chocolate Collection exclusively at Walmart, which features chocolate and peach scented makeup that can be mixed, matched and layered. Too Faced released the Tutti Frutti 53-product collection in a variety of fruity scents including Pineapple, Cherry, Pink Lemonade, Grapefruit and Berries. For the fall, Too Faced introduced the Pumpkin Spice series on HSN with a 16 scented eye shadow palette. The newest products to drop are Sephora and Museum Of Ice Cream’s makeup collaboration in six skus. The Let Them Eat Popsicles Lip Set showcases four scented lip stains while the Dream Team Pigment Palette Eye Shadow looks like a popsicle and has 12 eye shadows with an eye shadow brush hidden inside the stick.

Sensational Products: In addition to sensory experiences, brands are developing products with sensory attributes such as intriguing visual cues, interesting textures or mouthfeel and heating or cooling sensations. Last spring, Hershey released Ice Breakers Ice Cubes Glitter Gum Summer Snow Cone as a limited edition. It is dubbed as the first glitter gum in the U.S. and is formulated with edible glitter. In Atlanta, Nakamura.ke is a “mobile kitchen serving lumen-ramen.” Ami Sueki in collaboration with UK-based Bompas and Parr, engineered a glow-in-the-dark bowl of ramen noodles that is made with all-natural ingredients. Starbucks now offers a cold foam topping that is frothed cold by blending nonfat milk until it is smooth, creating layers of creamy texture and flavor. Ripples, the system that originally was created to print images and text on top of the foam layer of coffee, now offers Beer Ripple, which uses an edible malt-based ink to print images and text on top of beer foam. Coca-Cola European Partners introduced Oasis Aquashock in two flavors. Oasis Aquashock Spicy Raspberry is a “hot” hydration experience flavored with fiery chili while the Chilled Cherry is a “cold” hydration experience that contains a cooling, tangy lime flavor. Mondelez International introduced sensational Sour Patch Kids Fire and Sour Patch Kids Freeze. The Fire Fruit Mix includes four flavors and is formulated with a heating sensation while the Freeze Lemonade Mix also offers four flavors and is made with a cooling sensation. The heavy metal band, Metallica's Blackened Whiskey is made with low-frequency sound waves of Metallica's music that "shakes the whiskey molecules to their core." This summer on the back of a Middle Eastern-based monthly magazine, Ikea featured a print ad focused on “sleepy” products such as the brand’s mattresses. The ad was detachable and self-standing and when activated the ad emitted a white noise frequency and an aromatic lavender scent using lavender-infused ink.

Multi-sensory experiences and unique, interactive sensational products are continually evolving. Consumers crave personal experiences and brands are always jockeying for position to capture consumers' attention. Expect to see more captivating sensory products and experiences.

Winter has arrived. Get motivated! Let Trendincite LLC custom-design an interactive fragrance & flavor trend excursion, an engaging marketing presentation, an eye-opening newsletter or a curated retail list of inspiring and sensational shops and restaurants.

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