Smell is vital ingredient of the Disney experience. It is all part of creating their “immersive environment”.
The sense of smell is closely linked with memories, and Disney is built on memories and nostalgia.
Think about your favorite memories. I betcha many or most have a distinct odor to go along with them:
- Grandma’s house
- Favorite BBQ restaurant
- Dad’s cologne
- New car smell
Why is the sense of smell linked to memories?
According to Discover.com: Scents bypass the thalamus and go straight to the brain’s smell center, known as the olfactory bulb. The olfactory bulb is directly connected to the amygdala and hippocampus, which might explain why the smell of something can so immediately trigger a detailed memory or even intense emotion.
You might never have noticed how smells affect your Disney experience. But the scents of certain attractions or lands generate an instant feeling of familiarity, welcoming visitors back to their happy place.
Disney knows the value of this sensory experience, and also use smells in their storytelling.
- In Monsters, Inc., you smell ginger when you arrive in the sushi restaurant.
- Aboard Soarin’ Around the World, you smell grasses and oceans as you fly overhead.
- And in the Haunted Mansion, you smell musty breezes, reminding you that you’re traveling through a long-abandoned house.
Introducing the “Smellitizer”
Yep, this is a real thing (you can buy one, it ain’t cheap, but you can buy one)
It is a machine that is designed to pump or blow favorite smells into an attraction or merchandise store.
Disney perfected the art of triggering emotions via scent years ago.
Remember, people who go to Disney are not just looking for a vacation, thrill rides or shows. They are looking to create memories.
And smells and scents are a vital part of creating those memories.
How about your business?
What smells are you off-gassing?
- Yesterdays’ lunch in the trash
- Antiseptic
- sweat socks
- A Glade plug-in (these are horrible for your health. Severe respiratory problems)
Do you clients associate the smells in your business with good or bad memories?
What impressions are you leaving?
Remember, every detail in your business is either enhancing or detracting from the experience.
There is no middle ground here.
Creating Immersive Experiences is just one of the Disney strategies I reveal that any business can leverage.
In this months Mouster Class for Inner Circle members I am revealing how to take the strategies and lessons about Disney’s profitability, marketing and guest experiences and leverage them in your business. This includes:
- 6 Reasons to adapt Disney’s strategies in your business
- 3 Disney Principles hat any business can leverage
- 5 Disney Strategies that you can adapt right now to propel your referrals and create raving fans
- Mapping your “Moments of Truth” through both personal and impersonal tactics
- 5 employee guidelines that every cast member at Disney follow and ow to implement them
- 3 management service guidelines to create engaged employees
- 10 real world examples of adapting strategies from other industries
And the only way to get these strategies is by becoming an Inner Circe Cast Member. You can take care of that here: https://www.deliverservicenow.com/invitation-to-become-a-dsni-inner-circle-cast-member/
But don’t dilly dally, this months Mouster Class goes into the DSNi vault at midnight on 1/31/21.
