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Tires that smell like roses

Posted by Robin on 16 November 2009 26 Comments

Only recently have companies begun assigning smells to everyday products: frangipani-scented sewing threads, tires that smell like roses. A paper soon to be published in the Journal of Consumer Research confirms the wisdom of this tactic, finding that scented products linger in the memory.

— From It’s the Scent That Tickles the Memory at the New York Times.

Filed Under: perfume in the news
Tagged With: things that aren't usually scented

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26 Comments

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  1. Andrea D says:
    16 November 2009 at 11:06 am

    This would prevent me from resenting my winter tires, perhaps.

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    • Robin says:
      16 November 2009 at 12:00 pm

      Yep.

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  2. Robin R. says:
    16 November 2009 at 11:37 am

    I wonder if husbands would vacuum more if the Hoover smelled like bacon? 😉

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    • Andrea D says:
      16 November 2009 at 11:52 am

      Hell, I would vacuum more if it smelled like bacon. My dogs might actualy cower a little less, too.

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    • Robin says:
      16 November 2009 at 12:00 pm

      There you go!

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  3. Sunnyfunny says:
    16 November 2009 at 11:54 am

    That would be wierd, tires already have a distinctive smell! Can you imagine walking into a Les Schwab and being hit with roses instead of rubber? And might scented sewing threads compete with my sotd? 🙂

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    • Robin says:
      16 November 2009 at 12:01 pm

      The only tires I knew about were these:

      https://nstperfume.com/2007/1/08/scented-tires-no-really-and-other-perfume-news/

      But there might be others. And I had never heard of the scented thread!

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  4. ggperfume says:
    16 November 2009 at 12:08 pm

    Of course, it’s all the scented functional products that make people sick of fragrance. I actively dislike scented make-up, detergents, shampoo, etc. I want to smell my fabulous perfume, not a cacophony of scents that some marketing group thought were attractive.
    The scent of roses combined with tire rubber must be nauseating.

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    • Joe says:
      16 November 2009 at 12:43 pm

      You summed up my reaction almost perfectly. I actually LIKE the smell of rubber tires (not that I actively seek it out) or the distinctive smell an auto-parts store has, or whatever.

      I mean, I enjoy scented shower gels as long as the scent doesn’t linger long, but this kind of thing is why Robin points out we sometimes can’t tell the difference between “fancy perfume” and Glade.

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    • Dolly says:
      16 November 2009 at 1:02 pm

      gg- I agree. I don’t like my perfume having to compete with my deodorant, lotion, hairspray, etc. I do like scented products, but I choose those which have a subtle scent.

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    • Robin says:
      16 November 2009 at 2:06 pm

      Ggperfume, agree!

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    • perfumegeek says:
      16 November 2009 at 3:11 pm

      Ditto, wholeheartedly!!! I usually wash my clothes with fragrance-free detergent, and fabric softener. I abhor the combination of that sharp synthetic detergent scent with my perfumes. I can’t imagine having scented tires, that would drive me bananas.

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  5. yesterdaysperfume says:
    16 November 2009 at 12:26 pm

    I once bought a skirt at Max Studio, and for the longest time I couldn’t figure out why I kept smelling violets. Turns out, they had scented the fabric, and it lasted through many washes. It was one of the strangest ideas ever, for a brand that is not exactly avant garde.

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    • Robin says:
      16 November 2009 at 2:07 pm

      A few brands have experimented with scent clothing, it’s an interesting idea.

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  6. parfumliefhebber says:
    16 November 2009 at 12:32 pm

    So true. I like the scent of roses, but please not on wires… That must be awful……..

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    • parfumliefhebber says:
      16 November 2009 at 12:33 pm

      Too quick. I mean of course tires……….

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    • Robin says:
      16 November 2009 at 2:07 pm

      I haven’t smelled any of the scent tires so couldn’t say…

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  7. Dolly says:
    16 November 2009 at 1:05 pm

    Companies assigning smells to their products brings to my mind that cloying,plastic type “fragrance” that they use for scratch and sniff stickers.

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    • Robin says:
      16 November 2009 at 3:25 pm

      I think the scent marketing world is much more sophisticated than that now.

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      • Dolly says:
        16 November 2009 at 7:12 pm

        I suppose, although the early experiences with this type of marketing scent seemed to have left an imprint on my subconscious.

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  8. Absolute Scentualist says:
    16 November 2009 at 1:38 pm

    I had to smile at this and think I’d much prefer roses that smell like tires a la Bvlgari Black. That would be far more interesting.

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    • Robin says:
      16 November 2009 at 3:26 pm

      LOL…yes, I’d plant those!

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  9. lilydale aka Natalie says:
    16 November 2009 at 5:27 pm

    I understand the scented thread — don’t want it, but I get the concept — but scented tires? What is the point of scenting something that a) spends its entire life outside and b) you’d have to crouch down on all fours to smell?

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    • Robin says:
      16 November 2009 at 5:49 pm

      I don’t know, but I don’t get anything about cars: why wash them, for instance? So I’m obviously not the one to talk to about scented tires.

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  10. asuperlongusername says:
    17 November 2009 at 1:55 am

    I like my tires….

    I hate functional fragrance though. Shampoo and conditioner, I don’t mind as much; Biolage tends to smell heavenly! But I HATE scented deodorant. And scented laundry soaps. Ugh.

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    • Robin says:
      17 November 2009 at 10:46 am

      I don’t care about my tires either way…if they were scented, I doubt I’d notice.

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