Actually, the product (not actually called “Smell-o-Vision”, I’m sorry to say) isn’t available in the States yet. But here’s the deal, according to BusinessWeek

Cinescent, based in the German city of Hanover, has designed a machine that pumps a barely detectable aroma through a movie house’s air conditioning system to accompany on-screen ads. In early tests, a German theater ran two ads for the Nivea Sun lotion line, one accompanied by the faint smell of the product and a phrase—“the Scent of Summer”—splashed across the screen. The aromatic ad, produced for an extra $15,000, boosted consumer recall by 37% and raised ad impact (gauged over a few weeks) by more than 500%, says Cinescent.:

The company’s operating in Germany and The Netherlands now, and expects to be in Great Britain by fall. How long before they waft across our shores? So far, no plans have been announced.

Will American audiences put up with this? I’m going with “yes, eventually”. I’m old enough to remember when movie-goers would boo and hiss (yes, really hiss!) at on-screen commercials — now we have “The 20” and it’s considered part of the experience.

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