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Gain Goes For Odor Ardor

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Scent can be a powerful motivator, evoking memories and emotions in people in ways other senses and tools can’t. With that in mind, Gain laundry detergent (owned by Procter & Gamble) is launching a tongue-in-cheek digital campaign to match people with their perfect scent. 

Employing comedian and actress Wanda Sykes as the “official Gain Scent Matchmaker,” the campaign asks consumers (via online pre-recorded video) to answer personality questions, through which Sykes will match them with the perfect scent. 

The video begins with Sykes waking up in her bedroom, saying that when she’s not making “trillions” of people laugh, she likes to play matchmaker. She offers to set the viewer up with their perfect “Scentmate,” asking a series of questions, ranging from interior design preferences to music choice (a choice of “whale songs” leads to Sykes dressed in a whale costume) and finally smelling the user through the screen. After determining the perfect scent (such as Apple Mango Tango, Icy Fresh Fizz and Butterfly Kiss), the user can enter information for a coupon. (Those who don’t like the scent selected can go through the video again with different answers.) Users are also encouraged to share their match on Facebook and Twitter to increase the social aspects.

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"From the clothes we wear to our signature scent, we’re all unique. Gain wants to celebrate that uniqueness by helping consumers find a scent that allows them to express who they are,” My Anh Nghiem, communications manager for Gain, tells Marketing Daily in an e-mail. “We have created a one-of-a-kind, interactive experience to help each person find their own unique scent match based on their personality and an anything but ordinary list of individual characteristics.”

The campaign will also include television ads, digital and social components as well as public relations outreach. P&G has also developed a Spanish-language version of the campaign, though it does not include Sykes, instead using a character known as “Dr. Aroma.”

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