Choong Whan Park USC

How our sense of smell influences emotional connections, consumer behavior, and the brands we remember. A familiar scent can awaken powerful memories and emotions, illustrating how sensory experiences contribute to brand recognition, emotional attachment, and lasting consumer relationships. Of all the human senses, smell possesses a particularly intriguing ability to reconnect us with experiences from the past. The aroma of freshly baked bread may evoke childhood memories, while the fragrance of a particular flower can remind someone of a person or place they have not encountered in decades. These recollections can arise unexpectedly, sometimes accompanied by emotions that seem disproportionate to the ordinary scent that triggered them. What makes this phenomenon especially interesting is that the experience often occurs before we have consciously identified the smell itself. For businesses seeking to build meaningful relationships with consumers, this connection between scent, memory,...