NTT to debut digital signage with aromas
Japanese telecommunications company NTT Communications will next month launch a digital-signage system equipped with an aroma-emitting device, following feasibility studies conducted late last year.
Akira Sakaino, sales promotion department manager in NTT’s Net Business Division, told SCREENS.tv that the Kaoru Digital Signage product will combine two existing online services: the Spot Media service for sending content from a remote server to digital signage, and the Fragrance Communication (Kaori Tsushin) service for managing the emission of aromas via Web-connected devices.
The flat-panel signage is fitted with a fragrance emitter that holds three base oils in a cartridge.
To test the product, the Tokyo-based company operated a digital sign in front of the Kirin City Beer Hall in Tokyo’s Yaesu Shopping Mall for about two months at the end of last year. Aromas associated with beer, such as lemon and orange, were emitted by the sign to enhance the impact of its messages.
In addition to the Kirin City Beer feasibility study, NTT also conducted feasibility studies with the cosmetics company Shiseido (advertising signage with a rose fragrance in Shinjuku Station), and the Metropolitan Express Company (fragrance emissions to relax drivers at a highway rest area).
“In the Shiseido study, the number of passers-by noticing the name of Shiseido in the sign doubled when a rose fragrance was emitted, compared to when no aroma was emitted,” said Sakaino.
“In the Kirin trial, 70 percent of the passers-by reacted positively to the
aroma-emitting advisement. Awareness of the digital signage was 5.28 times greater than for standard non-aroma signage,” he added.
“Research of this kind did not exist to our knowledge, so NTT Com had to develop its own methodology for the study,” recalled Sakaino. “For example, it was not easy to switch from one test aroma to another while the prior aroma was still detectable, so the examiner had to wait some time for the prior aroma to dissipate. Also, few people could simply name the specific aroma they had noticed, so when the examiner talked with them later on, he had to ask them to pick out the aroma from among various samples.”
Partnerships
NTT is likely to tie up with other firms on marketing the aroma system, to make up for its lack of experience in the advertising field, said Sakaino.
“Efforts will be required to establish a presence and attract clients. The aim is to create a one-stop operation in which NTT Com would install signage, provide consultation as required, and deliver replacement cartridges. This will require, however, partnering with one or more third parties,” said Sakaino.
According to NTT, its Fragrance Communication service is already deployed in venues such as retail stores, cafes and office lobbies, reflecting the growing trend toward using aromas as an active marketing tool.
And its Spot Media Web-connected digital signs are being used for marketing communications and customer services by financial institutions, medical facilities, public offices, retail stores and others.
www.ntt.com
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Research of this kind did not exist to our knowledge
Posted 13/06/08 06:06 by Carlos
I thought it was a company called Presensia (France) which has been first launching such a system, three years ago.