Everything will be coming up roses this Mother’s Day for an online florist in Michigan that will be packaging its products in scented paper developed by Cascades Fine Papers Group of Ste. Jerome, Que.
The rose scent is infused into the paper and released upon exposure to air. There is no scratching or peeling involved. More than 70 different scents have been created for the paper called Olfaprint invented by Yvan Giradin of Montreal-based VEX Emotions and manufactured by Cascades. The patented technology is jointly held by the two companies.
Olfaprint is being marketed as “the third dimension of paper,” said Cascades managing director Robert Boivin, who hopes the product will help advertisers make an emotional connection with consumers.
That’s the idea behind the Mother’s Day project by online florist deLaFlowers, according to Andy Denbass, director of sales at John Christian Co., a custom packaging manufacturer in Warren, Mi. and distributor of Olfaprint in Michigan.
Different from scented drawer liners, Olfaprint is unwaxed and printer-ready similar to regular paper.
“And unlike UV coating, you don’t have to do anything with the paper to experience the scent,” explained Denbass. “On the florist’s side, a lot of flowers have been cross-bred for longevity, but the scent of the flowers has been reduced. By having a rose smell in the packaging for Mother’s Day, we expect an increase in repeat business.”
Some flowers will be delivered in regular packaging paper to see how effective Olfaprint is. By offering a discount on repeat business using different order codes, deLaFlowers and John Christian will be able to tell if the experiment worked.
“We do a lot business with Detroit automakers and advertising agencies, so there are a lot of different possibilities,” said Denbass. “We’re pitching to have a leather company put out a catalogue that smells of leather. And ad agencies are always looking for ways to differentiate themselves.”
Boivin of Cascades said hotel chains are interested in scented cards included with invoices or promotional material to remind clients of their stay. The scent will last up to a week if the paper is exposed and up to five months in a catalogue.
