Coatings protect and beautify our homes, cars, appliances, and personal electronic devices. They also help consumer brand manufacturers market their products to us. Packaging coatings help differentiate products through the use of color and design. For some products, coatings go even further, influencing multiple senses from touch to smell. Scratch and sniff coatings might be the most well recognized. Today, however, marketers have access to many different types of scented coatings, including those that release their scents in response to handling of the package by the end user.
Aromas are known to often be connected to previous experiences and to elicit certain emotions. Using scented coatings, therefore, provides a mechanism for marketers to develop a personal connection between their brands and consumers. Including scents in packaging also creates interactive experiences for end users, driving greater interest and ultimately increased sales. According to H&H Graphics, studies have shown that scents are recalled more strongly than images, and companies like Yankee Candle and Mitsubishi have experienced measurable increases in sales following the use of scent in their advertising campaigns.
Most scented coatings, unlike scratch and sniff slurries, are formulated as aqueous air-dry or UV-cured systems that can be applied using a variety of processes, including sheetfed or heatset litho printing, flexo printing, gravure printing, and silkscreen printing. In addition, scented coatings can be applied directly to the packaging itself or to product labels, while scratch and sniff stickers must be printed separately and then affixed to the package.
Scented coatings can be used on magazine and catalog inserts, direct mail pieces, and a variety of packaging materials, as well as applied to tissue paper, greeting cards, construction paper, wrapping paper, and other products. Scented coatings can also be used for very practical purposes, such as safety/education. For instance, sulfur compounds used as additives in propane and natural gas can be encapsulated and applied in marketing materials to educate consumers so that they can recognize when a gas leak is occurring. In addition to H&H Graphics, they are offered by companies such as Scentisphere, Ronald T. Dodge Co., and ScentSational Technologies.
Scented coatings are formulated using microencapsulated fragrance compounds or essential oils. Generally the same fragrance ingredients that are used in a branded product are used to make the scented coating for a marketing campaign so that consumers experience the actual aroma of the product in the advertising material. In November 2012, ScentSational Technologies launched in collaboration with Sun Chemical SunScent™ coatings, commercially printable coatings that are applied directly onto packaging (film, cartons, paperboard, or other packaging materials) on commercial print presses as the package is being printed. They remain inactive until the package is handled by the consumer, which triggers release of the aroma chemicals. These coatings allow consumers to experience the aroma of the product simply by touching or handling the packaging and without opening it. The company also offers EncapScent™ Coatings that contain scented microcapsules that rupture when the product is handled.