So it looks like this year’s Super Bowl will be the Saints versus the Colts. Boring. Bring on the commercials!

This year, the price of a Super Bowl ad has dropped to around $2.5 million from $3 million last year. In addition, some of Super Bowl past’s most iconic brands have dropped out this year. In lieu of advertising Pepsi is focusing on online and social-responsibility efforts and FedEx isn’t advertising for the second year in a row. This means no Justin Timberlake (Pepsi) and no crazy carrier pigeons (FedEx). Dang.

For other brands, like smaller companies or those looking to increase awareness, this is a great opportunity. Just think of all the exposure Cash4Gold received last year thanks to a little help from MC Hammer and Ed McMahon. This year, Emerald Nuts and HomeAway are hoping to generate some buzz among the 100 million viewers.

It got me thinking about what a great opportunity this would be for a smaller company. Of course, some companies don’t have $2.3 million to throw around for a one-time, 30-second ad. So, let’s venture into the world of make believe. If you could give a 30-second spot to any company for this year’s Super Bowl, what company would it be?

Taste and smell are universal languages. We do not need a point of reference, a back-story, or an elaborate marketing campaign to know when something smells or tastes good.

This realization has paved the way for companies to begin using more than simple sights and sounds to reach to target audiences. Sensory marketing is based on the concept that a fully pleasurable experience will reinforce positive associations with a brand.

Check out two companies who are leading the way in the sensory market:

ScentAir
ScentAir helps companies across the globe create customized scents for their products and stores. According to their website, “scent marketing is how businesses are breaking through mundane and overused marketing gimmicks to reach customers emotionally.”

Scent Air has created signature scents for retail stores ranging from Sony to Lexus to Bloomingdales, as well as for hotels, realtors, and spas.

FirstFlavor
Imagine how effective a magazine ad for Hershey’s would be if you could actually taste the chocolate. FirstFlavor has recognized this power and enables companies to incorporate taste tests in their print ads and direct mail.

Branding and marketing a tool called Peel ‘n Taste®, the FirstFlavor website assures that “the flavor of your product is replicated in quick dissolving edible film strips which are distributed through individually packaged pouches to prospective customers.”

Would you try one?
Contributed by: Maghan Cook

The last few years have certainly seen an upsurge of celebrity endorsed perfumes. Similar to last Christmas but even more imminent, the perfume counters this past Christmas season are featuring the latest and greatest releases by Paris Hilton, Faith Hill and Usher. In the early 90s when Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds was released, celebrity fragrances were few and far between. Today, celebrities are using their names as brands and consumers are buying into the idea (literally)! Perfume producers are targeting an existing consumer audience comprised of celebrity fans. Celebrities’ status in society supports this high-end image that consumers strive to impersonate. With the release of numerous new celebrity clothing lines and shoe collections, consumers feel like they can relate to their favorite artists and actors. Now they’re purchasing the toiletries to match. Do the celebrities themselves even have influence on these scents? If so, the question becomes, who do you want to smell like? More importantly, are celebrities really wearing their name brand scents? And if not, why are consumers?

Contributed by:  Ashley Popham