McDonald’s debuts ‘world’s first’ scented billboards: ‘Smells like a Happy Meal’
The customer nose best.
McDonald’s restaurants in the Netherlands have debuted a revolutionary way to turn consumers on to their iconic burgers and fries — by launching the “world’s first billboard” that smells like their food.
“This is the first time that a billboard has been used to diffuse the McDonald’s scent,” Golden Arches reps described in a statement this week about the aromatic advertising initiative.
At first glance, the logo-free, red and yellow billboards — which were installed in Utrecht and Leiden — evoke sculptures from some minimalist modern art movement.
However, when pedestrians pass within about 15 feet of these spartan structures, they are greeted by the distinctive scent of McDonald’s fries — think a supersize scratch ‘n sniff minus the scratch.
McDonald’s shared footage that shows fast food fans gathering around these Mondrian-like monoliths as they try to guess the smell.
“Is it McDonald’s?” inquired one passerby, while another surmised, “It smells like a Happy Meal.”
Meanwhile, a third hit the nail on the head, exclaiming: “The french fries from McDonald’s.”
How does one capture the complex aroma of Golden Arches gastronomy in a giant rectangle?
A McDonald’s employee installs a tray of fries into the billboard, which relies on state-of-the-art ventilators to “suck and diffuse” the scent.
Voila, customers get a feast for the nose.
While this campaign might seem like a Willy Wonka-inspired gimmick, there is good reason for having customers follow their schnoz, the chain’s representatives claim.
“Smell has been proven to be more effective at sparking clear and emotional memories than images,” explained Stijn Mentrop-Huliselan, chief marketing officer of McDonald’s Netherlands. “With the inclusion of this next sense in our advertising, we found a new way to remind people of good times at McDonald’s.”
In accordance, these olfactory salt licks are strategically placed within 600 yards of a McDonald’s so customers can follow the scent trail to the source.
