The Effect of Scented Advertising on Perceived Proximity and Product Appeal
(A2019-9605)

AUTHORS

Ruta Ruzeviciute, University of Amsterdam; Bernadette Kamleitner, WU Vienna; Dipayan Biswas, University of South Florida

KEYWORDS

Scented advertising; olfaction; proximity

ABSTRACT

This paper investigates how scent on a print advertisement might affect judgments and purchase intentions for the advertised product. Specifically, we find that scented advertising boosts product attractiveness and enhances its purchase intentions since scent acts as a cue for product proximity. Across three studies, we show the hypothesized process, rule out an alternative explanation and identify important boundary conditions.