I have never eaten at Auntie Anne but love the smell of the store when walking by. It can make me feel hungry even when I am full. Maybe because of that strong triggering effect, I prefer to stay away - it makes me feel out of control.
“There are few scents more recognizable than the aroma of Auntie Anne’s,” the company’s chief brand officer declared in a press release announcing this signature scent would be bottled and sold as a perfume called “Knead.” Described as “a wearable scent infused with notes of buttery dough, salt and a hint of sweetness,” the fragrance sold out online within 10 minutes of its launch.
Interesting reading about what goal each type of smell is meant to do and how some outcomes are chosen over others
"..McDonald’s found that a melon fragrance increased consumer spending more than the scent of their food on its own (though the chain has yet to adopt artificial melon scent as a strategy)."
Thinking of food, markets and smells reminded me of my childhood experience of going grocery shopping with my father. We would get vegetables first followed by fish and meat and finally fruit. That was always the order of operations. As the smells changed, I knew how close we were to being done.
But there was something special about the last stop for fruit - it was the best part of the trip, specially when mangoes or oranges were in season. The promoted a feeling of happiness and abundance immediately. In my memory the fruit vendors were the friendliest and their stands were set up most perfectly. This may or may not be true but that is the effect the smell had on my imagination.
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