Social Media Marketing Strategies

This assignment delves into the world of social media marketing, examining effective strategies, relevant trends, and the influence of consumer behavior. It explores topics such as experience marketing, data analysis, innovation in communication, and the psychology behind online communities. Students will analyze various case studies and academic sources to understand how businesses leverage social media for growth and customer engagement.

Running head: ONLINE SCENT MARKETING
Ethical issues of Scent marketing

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 1
Letter of Transmittal
Date ___________
Address____________
Dear Recipient
I am submitting this research programme as a proposal to the XYZ Company to pursue the
designed research with an aim to identify that to what extent does marketing tactics through
online scent marketing influence the emotional behaviour of the users. The objectives
included in this research report are aiming to suggest ways for XYZ site to make possible
changes in their way of working. This will prove beneficial for them to ethically induce any
kind of emotional influence created by online marketing.
Your acceptance of the research proposal is respected.
Sincerely
Name________

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary...............................................................................................................................3
Chapter -1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................4
Chapter -2 Literature Review................................................................................................................5
Chapter- 3 Research Question and Objectives.......................................................................................6
Chapter-4 Research Methodology and Methods....................................................................................7
4.1 Research design.....................................................................................................................7
4.2 Research Approach................................................................................................................7
4.3 Ethical consideration..............................................................................................................7
4.4 Action plan............................................................................................................................9
4.5 Gantt chart...........................................................................................................................10
Chapter- 5 Sampling Methodology and discussion of the data............................................................10
Chapter- 6 Validity and Reliability......................................................................................................10
6.1 Limitations.................................................................................................................................11
Chapter – 7 Recommendations............................................................................................................11
References...........................................................................................................................................12

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 3
Executive Summary
This particular research has laid emphasis upon the technique and concept used by the
businesses to create an unforgettable experience in this highly competitive business
environment. This unforgettable experience comes from creating an urge on the mind of
consumers to build an emotional connection and trigger various forms of senses for e.g.
listening, vision, smelling, and tasting to form a deeper level of attachment with the particular
brand product or a service offered. This results into increase in satisfaction level on both
consumer and the business end. The customers create memories and experience a situation
which is not easy to forget and the business prospers with increase in brand image
appreciation. This leads to increase the sales of the company. It has been identified through
secondary research, already been published in the form of articles, webpages and theories that
altering the emotions with the help of communication through social networking has created
an impact on the consumers or users in both negative and positive ways. Ethical conduct and
issues have been addressed so that awareness increases regarding the method through which
consumers get influenced to purchase and get impulsive in creating a brand image in their
minds a particular product or a service. This research begins with an introduction followed
by summary of understandings of various authors in the Literature review supported by
methods and approaches to address various ethical concerns. Also, in the end
recommendations have been given to suggest the techniques to address ethical issues related
to scent marketing through the social networking site XYZ.

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 4
Chapter -1 Introduction
The research is developed with an aim to answer the key question regarding ‘Is the emotional
behaviour of the consumer affected by scent marketing strategy of branded products through
a social networking site XYZ’? This research focuses upon how various products like grocery
products, luxurious perfumes, home accessories, bakery products stores encourages and
creates an impulse on the consumers to increase its sales for the above stated products. Scent
marketing is a concept in which the adequate atmosphere filled a unique smell triggering the
senses like listening good music will create an impulse in the consumer to experience a music
store (Henshaw, 2013). A distinct smell of caffeine in the Starbucks combined with fresh
smell of baked food and soft music will attract the customers to taste different flavours of
coffee. A cosmetic shop in the retail chain store with a flavoured and fruity smell of various
crèmes, body lotions and makeup wears may catch the consumer’s senses affecting the brain
in such a way that it deeply impacts the thoughts processed both emotionally and through
intelligence. It creates a delightful memory which creates an urge and the consumer wants to
indulge into experiencing that product to get satisfaction.
In this research, suggestions have been given on ethical ways the positive and negative
comments should be posted by the XYZ networking site for various brands of products
available. If the comments on XYZ site are posted and promoted in such a manner that it
persuades the user to feel exactly how it is to experience the product, then the response of the
user will be positive. This can be supported with an example like if XYZ posts a strong
comment for promoting a cosmetic brand of the retail store which forces the consumer’s
emotions to feel the real experience just by reading that punch line, then the consumer would
comment and react positively (Miles, 2013). However, if the advertised punch line is
triggering negative emotions for e.g. “The only drama is about spending money on the face”
then it can hurt the user’s emotions negatively. This research strongly covers ethical grounds
the XYZ should comply with in order to influence the user or consumers while promoting a
particular product of a specific brand. Usually instances are such that communication through
videos, photos, tag lines, comments and stickers showing emotions is done to promote any
specific brand. For e.g. ‘Lakme fashion week event invites Pretty moms for its fashion
contest in ABC city’. In this ‘Pretty moms’ is creating a push on the ladies mind to be
appealing and participate. Description of a particular brand to promote it should be in a way

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 5
that it alters the emotions and memories severely rooted in a positive way. It gives them an
everlasting virtual experience and helps them make a perception about the quality of the
product.
Chapter -2 Literature Review
This research is a collective summary of the existing theories and published interpretation of
a particular topic. The aim is to find ways for XYZ social networking to influence the users
emotionally with the help of scent marketing. This would further identify the ways in which
users update their news feed pages and get emotionally involved with a particular brand. This
involvement could be both in negative and positive ways (Alderson, 2017). Secondary
research is synthesising and interpreting the existing researches already been carried out so
that better comparison between various understandings given by writers can be done and
results can be revealed. The XYZ networking needs to be responsible towards the perceived
reactions of the individuals of any activity or comment posted by them for promotion.
According to Berkhout (2015), the various combinations of smells when described in the
form of images like baby powder images showing that it has a soothing distinct smell with
depicting it with flower images will influence the mother users to create an impression about
how it is to use baby products. The site XYZ, in order to create an impulse on the users
should use pictures which compliment the products and give a real experience in forming a
perception to the user about the product. In this way, it will alter the emotions in the right
direction both for the user and company by increasing its sales and brand image. On the
other side, XYZ networking would also gain a competitive edge over other networking sites
and it will gain popularity by not being criticized for any disrespectful tampering of user’s
emotions. In addition the users will comment and give positive reviews (Berkhout, 2015).
In support of this, Alderson (2017), states that scent technology is used as a tactic for
marketing company’s product. The consumer is persuaded and induced with an impulse
visually too just similar to smelling a particular aroma. For e.g. a graphic of Cadbury melted
chocolate accompanied with a perfume product would give the user a sensation in which it
can imagine the real experience just by seeing the graphic. XYZ as a networking site may
alter the user’s emotions by commenting upon the company’s graphic using words which
arouse the seductive emotions of the users. This will give the users an idea about the aroma
just by reading the description of the comments used for promoting a product. In relation to

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 6
this, there are other readers also getting influenced who are friends of the users. This engages
many readers unfamiliar with the product to get acquainted with the help of reading just the
replies of the users. This too can be explained with the help of an example of promoting a
new car by XYZ networking through an image and description which defines that the car is
new. The image could be of a car perfume from Scent Air with a description “Fresh odour
eliminator” which helps the user and reader friends to form a picture of the smell in its mind
and further visualise that the car is brand new. The impact of this would be users getting
positively influenced which will further strengthen XYZ network and Car’s sales (Alderson,
2017).
Chapter- 3 Research Question and Objectives
This research program aims and intends to identify the ways XYZ networking company can
practice to create an impact on the behavioural sensibilities in a psychological manner. This
impact is created to influence the user’s emotions keeping in mind the ethical standards to
avoid any negative consequences in terms of integrity, privacy and confidentiality
(Tourtoulou, and Badoc, 2013). The question which will be answered with the help of this
research programme will be ‘Is the emotional behaviour of the consumer affected by scent
marketing strategy of branded products through a social networking site XYZ’? This relates
to the objectives outlined for finding the purpose of the research program. The objectives of a
research identify answers to the main problem of the report. When these are achieved, it is
definite to get an answer to get the main outcome.
These objectives are
1. To acquaint and familiarize the moral concerns of the scent marketing business
through XYZ networking.
2. To reveal the emotional influence created on the consumers in order to persuade them
to give positive or negative reactions in terms of likes, negative comments, sharing
negative feelings of happiness and anger to give a negative feedback (Pelosi, 2016).
3. To find the reactions of consumers after they are being influenced psychologically
and when they are aware that their emotions have been tampered.

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 7
Chapter-4 Research Methodology and Methods
Research methodology focuses on identifying techniques to address the research problem.
Various methods are applied to explore the current questions and issues which are needed to
answered to reach to the solution of the main problem of the research programme (Bradford
and Cullen, 2013).
4.1 Research design
In this section the method used is applied research in which already practiced and tested
theories and knowledge is used to support a particular purpose. There are various other
designs of research like exploratory, explanatory and descriptive research. The design used in
this report is applied research (Ritzer, and Dean, 2014).
4.2 Research Approach
The approach of the research carried out in this report would be qualitative approach which
signifies the different unique perceptions and reasons for these perceptions. This approach is
used because our research question deals with emotional problems and alteration of feelings
which are completely based on perceptions. It is not possible to estimate the extent to which
emotions are hurt or delighted. The research would be supported by various ideas and
literatures which best address the issues of concern in the report (Bryman and Bell, 2015).
Since the research is secondary, it will not include interpretation of the findings in a new
form carried out for the first time. It will be based on the proven findings and literatures
already been carried out so that they serve as a good evidence of our research program.
4.3 Ethical consideration
In order to overcome any sort of unacceptable activities, which might take place by the
networking site and identify the answers to the three research objectives so that our main aim
and main research question is answered the following suggestions are made. There is no use
of sampling methods and techniques as this proposal is entirely based upon the Secondary
research. Taking help of methods like surveys, interviews and observations etc. are a part of
retrieving the first hand information through primary research. However, the research
objectives are addressed taking help of theories, beliefs and literature already published by
renowned authors. The issues which will be taken care of in order to answer the main
research question and research objectives are as follows:
1. The privacy of the participants should be maintained to ensure ethical conduct of the
XYZ networking company.

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 8
2. Role confidentiality plays, taking into consideration the participants who are getting
affected by scent marketing.
3. Importance of honesty while revealing any kind of comment or information on a
particular product (Rajagopal and Castano, 2015).
4. Implications deception could have on the emotions of the participants.
5. Importance of Non-discrimination when promoting a service through XYZ
networking and the impact of psychological influence it creates if discrimination
happens.
In support of the first point Stieler (2017), states that it is very common that the user’s
complete information is accessed by the networking company to get onto a new page for
processing an app. There are fun game apps through which results are retrieved with the help
of brand image for e.g. how much pretty Lakme girl are you? Now, since XYZ site has
commented upon an individual’s looks through a well renowned established brand then it will
access complete sensitive information like age, gender, sex, name, and profile picture. This
information is used by the XYZ to create an influence emotionally on the participant by
commenting on looks in the result. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the XYZ site to keep
the sensitive details of the user protected. There may be instances when user might get a
wrong image about XYZ misusing the personal details to get results of the applications
(Stieler, 2017).
Similarly Ryan (2015), supports that confidentiality concerns has a vital role in the impact it
creates on the users. There are certain games which are too revealing. They need to be played
in such a manner that the user might get hurt internally. There are comments which say
“forgotten the date when your friend was born? Mark the date on birthday calendar”. Now,
this statement may hurt the user whose birthday it is in a way when his friends do not wish
him due to any reason. He may feel offended by the word ‘forgotten’. Therefore, it is
important for XYZ Company to carefully design its reminders which have a positive impact
on the users. Also, it maintains the confidentiality and emotions of the users using the
networking site (Ryan, 2015).
In addition Reamer (2013), states that honesty is essential to gain the user’s trust. It also
includes deception, which means any act displaying wrong information to the user may
mislead the participant. XYZ networking will play a significant role as an influencer to create

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 9
more followers or less number of followers for any event. This means that audience usually
creates an impression quickly to what the site is posting and hence it is important that any
action posted is fully accurate and the opinion on any event is completely honest. As it is this
action which creates a push in consumer’s mind to give a reaction and make changes in
updating its page on the social networking site. For e.g. if an emotion sticker depicting an
emotion of ‘luxurious’ or ‘exclusive’ is posted by XYZ for any Jewellery item from a
recognised brand, then it will create an image of artistic and authentic experience. The user
will trust that brand and follow the page of that particular brand. Therefore, before
communicating any message XYZ should ensure that the particular emotion is honest and
does not intend to mislead the user (Reamer, 2013).
Adding to the final point, Ryan (2015), supports that Bias and antidiscrimination is very
essential conduct for XYZ in order to avoid any conflict on the social media. If there is any
wrong tweet posted, which is partial with respect to a particular religious or political thought
then the result will bring conflict amongst various users. Supporting a particular law endorsed
by the government or sending any opinion against it may cause controversies among the
followers. XYZ needs to be extra cautious and verify the message before sending it out in the
public (Ryan, 2015).
4.4 Action plan
S. no. Tasks accomplished Time spent Explanations
A Determining the subject on
which research is to be carried
1 week In this step, the idea was generated for
the topic to be researched.
B Searching the source of
information &gathering the
information
2 weeks Next, various published articles,
literatures, readings from books and
excerpts were searched.
C Comparing the information
finding recommendations
1 week In the end, analysis was done by
properly comparing the authors in
support and against the research topic.
Also, conclusion was derived from
recommending the ways XYZ site
should work.

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 10
4.5 Gantt chart
This is the representation of the plan of action in a graphical manner
S no. Tasks Accomplished Time Spent No. of weeks
1 2 3 4
1
Determining the subject on which
research is to be carried 1 week
2
Searching the source of information &
gathering the information 2 weeks
3
Comparing the information, finding
recommendations 1 week
Chapter- 5 Sampling Methodology and discussion of the data
Out of the vast availability of literatures and readings already published by recognized
authors, this research focuses upon the youth users who usually are internet savvy. The
selection of the sources has been done through random sampling. In this sampling method,
out of many articles and books published, a sample is selected in random way being unbiased
for a particular opinion given by the author. The targeted youth participants using networking
sites have been inspired to a huge extent. They easily get into the trap of the tactics even if
they are not given an opportunity to recognize the intent of the site. The intent could be both
to create a push on the user’s mind negatively and positively. It has been interpreted from the
available data that social media is practicing this technique to experiment and bring in
innovation in their way of working (Cross, 2013). However, this has impacted in creating
nostalgic memories on the youth users and their emotions are being tampered. Also, social
media is trying new techniques so that they can observe the extent to which they can pursue
their attempts to create an impulse on the user’s mind (Georges, Tourtoulou, and Badoc,
2013).
Chapter- 6 Validity and Reliability
The particular research programme is appropriate and valid in all respects and the teachings
supported by the literature are taken from already published articles and books written by

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 11
well-educated academicians (Pfeffermann, Minshall, and Mortara, 2014). This information is
supported by authentic sources and is entirely based upon secondary method of research. The
findings from the teachings are free of plagiarism and are reliable. Different ideas from
published and checked sources are incorporated with the research objectives in order to
address the research question. There are questions which are answered enhancing XYZ site’s
ethical conduct in practicing its techniques on the users to influence their emotions positively
and avoiding any negative impact. The answers and research is based upon the teachings of
the authors and ideas genuinely related to the particular topic of research (Song, 2016).
6.1 Limitations
There are certain shortcomings XYZ networking site must take into consideration in order to
ensure the security and sensitivity of the participants which are: there is no control over the
timing of the updates. In case any update is made publically to spread awareness for a
particular new technique XYZ has started then it might get out dated within seconds. There is
less control in providing the correct timing to the update so that it is well spread. Therefore,
whatever posted must be easy, simple and effective so that it is easily understandable and
quick to practice (Petersen, Person, and Nash, 2014). Ethical practices must be the highest
priority to gain trust of the users on XYZ site even if it is influencing and creating an
emotional push on consumer’s mind about a service, idea or a product. The privacy and
confidentiality must be up to the mark. Any statement made must take into account the
negative consequences it can create on the user’s emotions. Lines or automated reminders for
events, anniversaries and special occasions must not create an impression of insecurity,
discrimination and bias amongst the users (Babin, and Harris, 2015).
Chapter – 7 Recommendations
Through this research proposal XYZ will get a detailed knowledge about various ways to
indulge into activities which are for the user betterment in the perception of participants.
Once the aim to convince the user is achieved then sustaining in the market becomes easy.
There are a few suggestions which will give XYZ an opportunity to recognize the needs of
the user to influence them which are: the behaviour of a participant should not be offensively
affected. For this the user must be given a chance to get familiarized about the attempt XYZ
is going to make in the near future (Lindstrom, 2005). In addition, the users must not feel that
they are introduced with methods which are manipulating for e.g. if there are applications
designed by XYZ company which allow the users to get into the trap of a financial risk

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 12
promising lucrative prizes then results may always not be in user’s favour. This will make
them feel deceived and manipulated. If the site needs to gain a competitive edge, then the
tactics used by XYZ to influence them emotionally should be in correct direction not causing
a feeling of dissatisfaction.

ONLINE SCENT MARKETING 13
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