Product Innovation: Ink

Please Sniff This Aromatic Article: The Magic Is in Rub'nSmell™ Inks, Scented to Enhance Brand Appeal

Earlier this year, Flint Ink, the world's largest privately owned ink manufacturer, announced the introduction of new Rub'nSmell™ scented inks to significantly enhance the appeal of consumer brand packages. Through new microcapsule technology, a gentle rub is all it takes to release the scent. (Rub the labels of the images on these pages to see for yourself.)

The ink adds a new dimension for package designers by offering them a way to communicate the olfactory appeal of the product inside, and differentiate their product on a store shelf. Smells even often have an emotional element, conjuring up a specific memory. Printing a brand's unique scent directly onto a package may be an effective way to reconnect a consumer with a familiar product.

Many consumers are looking to identify with the products that they select and, for some, winning them over might be a matter being able to convey what is in the package without having to open it up. Rub'nSmell inks extend the enticing scents of products to consumers at the point of purchase to drive brand sales. The marketing-enhancing technology is distributed through a partnership with Scentisphere LLC of Pleasantville, N.Y. The new, colorless inks are ideal for packaging and labeling applications, as well as for promotional uses such as direct mail pieces and printed advertisements.

"Research has shown that scent is the strongest trigger of memory," reports Bob Bernstein, president of Scentisphere. "New York Times marketing research indicated that, when given a choice between two similar food or beverage products, more than 80 percent of consumers would choose one they could smell and see."

The inks can be formulated with stock scents, like lemon, or custom fragrances for unique cosmetics, personal care, and other consumer brands. The scented inks are applied directly over printed graphics and activated only when gently rubbed. "Scented packaging provides a significant competitive advantage," reports Jim Rogers, director of new business development, Flint Ink. "Instead of having a scent sprayed at them, consumers can interact with a brand in a very personal way."

Rub'nSmell inks contain fragrance oils that are microencapsulated using FOLCOScent® technology, which utilizes patented synthetic polymers for the microcapsules. The inks can be run in-line for offset, flexo, and gravure print applications. Rigorous testing assures that the scented inks withstand heat, pressure, humidity, and other printing and converting stresses. Unlike some other scented products, encapsulated Rub'nSmell scents do not permeate the pressroom environment.

A custom scent for any product

For now, Scentisphere custom formulates each order, as well as assists brand owners in finding the right scent they are looking for to enhance a package's shelf appeal. "Give us approximately four weeks, from receipt of fragrance oil, and we'll deliver a new scented ink," says Bernstein.

The fragrance component of the product must be addressed as early on in the project as possible. If the customer has an existing scented or flavored product that they want emulated, then in the vast majority of these cases they already work with a fragrance or flavor supplier who can provide the finished fragrance needed for encapsulation. If the customer does not have an oil to supply, Scentisphere can recommend various fragrance suppliers who have a wide range of existing stock scents or, depending on the volume, Scentisphere can help develop a custom scent as well.

"The unique phenomenon of this product is that the application of scent is now integrated directly into the printing process," says Rogers. "Because it's dispersed into the ink it makes the process of scenting packaging as simple as applying a fifth color."

Once Rub'nSmell is applied to a printed surface, there is virtually no prerelease of scent until activated. Scent is released by gently rubbing the printed surface. The rubbing action shears the capsules imbedded on the surface of the ink releasing the fragrance oil. The net result is a pleasant release of scent, which, after a short while, dissipates until rubbed again. Since there is a high concentration of capsules on the printed surface, the printed area can be rubbed many times with scent being released each time. Fragrances applied with Rub'nSmell remain stable under a wide range of environmental conditions for time periods that can extend 10 years or more.

So, how many rubs do you get? That, company officials report, can be hard to quantify since there are no standards on how hard or rigorously any one person will rub the scented area. Simply stated, the bigger the scented area, the more impact the scent will have, and the more rubs it will yield.

Using scents to showcase product attributes or product innovation is not a new phenomenon. Scent increases awareness and product recall. It increases the amount of time a consumer will interact with a product during shopping. After all, the appeal of aroma is ancient, and its selling power has certainly stood the test of time. Learn more at www.flintink.com.