What’s That Smell? You’ll be Surprised by this Marketing Campaign

Hello, awesome marketers and founders.

This is Luv, and here’s your weekly Marketing Shot :)

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When was the last time a scent made you stop? Imagine walking through a busy city and suddenly being surrounded by the aroma of freshly cooked French fries. There’s no sign, no logo, just that familiar smell and yet, you know exactly where it’s coming from.

That’s the genius of McDonald’s marketing campaign.

In a world where brands are competing fiercely for attention, McDonald’s decided to do something different in the Netherlands.

Instead of bombarding with flashy images or catchy slogans, they tapped into one of our most primal senses- smell.

They installed plain red and yellow billboards in the cities of Utrecht and Leiden, strategically placed within 200 meters of their restaurants. But these weren’t just any billboards, they were scented billboards.

Now, you might be thinking, “How can a scent be more powerful than a picture?” Well, McDonald’s found a way to prove it. The billboards didn’t need any text, images or even the iconic golden arches. As people walked by, the smell of warm French fries instantly triggered memories of past visits to McDonald’s. The aroma was so familiar that it did all the talking.

We often focus so much on visual and auditory elements that we forget about the other senses. McDonald’s reminded us that smell is a powerful tool that can evoke strong emotional responses and create lasting impressions.

⚡ 3 Noteworthy News for Marketers

• You can now share 20 slides in one Instagram post

• Instagram is making views the primary metric for content

• X Is Testing The Removal Of Like, Comment, And Repost Buttons From Replies

⬇️ Useful Prompt for Marketers

Scenario: Keyword Research for SEO

Generate a comprehensive list of long-tail keywords relevant to [industry/topic]. The keywords should meet the following criteria:

Search Volume: Include keywords with moderate to high monthly search volume to ensure sufficient traffic potential.

Competition: Focus on keywords with low to medium competition to increase the chances of ranking well on search engines.

Search Intent: Provide insights into the search intent behind each keyword (informational, navigational, transactional or commercial) to help tailor the content strategy.

Content Ideas: Suggest content topics or formats (e.g., blog posts, videos, infographics) that would effectively target these keywords and align with user intent.

Relevance: Ensure all keywords are closely related to [industry/topic] and are likely to attract the target audience for [business].

That's a wrap for today! Stay tuned for more insights in the next MarketingShot. See you next Tuesday :)

Thanks,
Luv
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