Download this press release (PDF, 150K)

Download this press release (Word, 57K)

High-resolution (300 dpi) image files of the insert:

Front of scented card (TIFF, 8 MB)

Back of scented card (TIFF, 8 MB)

To arrange an interview or to secure additional photos for use in your news article or publication, please contact Ali Westcott at 603.225.3328 ext. 456 or send an email to ali@concordlitho.com.

Concord Litho Prints Interactive Scent Cards for 'Laugh 'n Sniff' Episode of 'My Name is Earl'

First-of-its kind interactive promotion ties scented insert (six fragrances, including Oreo cookie) to May 3 script; available exclusively in April 30 issue of TV Guide.

April 26, 2007  – Your ticket to “Must Smell TV” can be found in this week’s issue of TV Guide, which contains an exclusive interactive scent card designed to treat fans of NBC’s hit comedy “My Name is Earl” to a unique sensory experience -- the quirky aromas of karma-obsessed Camden County.

Featuring six fragrances tied directly to the first-ever interactive "Laugh 'n Sniff" episode’s script, the scented cards were printed by Concord Litho, an independent printing company in New Hampshire, for a cross-promotional May sweeps campaign involving TV Guide, NBC, 20th Century Fox Television, and exclusive sponsor Oreo.

During the May 3 "Laugh 'n Sniff" episode, NBC will prompt viewers via on-air graphics to rub one of six corresponding numbered boxes on TV Guide's scent card, which will release aromas connected to the “My Name Is Earl” storyline, including the smell of “a brand-new car,” and the chocolatey-creamy signature scent of Oreo cookies. Sponsored exclusively by Oreo, this scent card is available only in TV Guide's April 30 issue, which arrives on newsstands April 26.

‘Anything That’s Printed Can Be Scented’
Concord Litho, a high-volume web and sheetfed printer with annual sales of $42 million, printed the millions of scented inserts for longtime customer TV Guide on a 10-unit heat-set web press using special clear, nontoxic inks that contain embedded fragrance oils. The scent in these inks, which are produced by New York-based Scentisphere, remains dormant until activated (typically by a reader rubbing the specified area on the paper).

“More than a thousand fragrances are available and pretty much anything that’s printed can be scented,” says Peter Cook, CEO of Concord Litho. “Unlike 1980s-era ‘Scratch-n-Sniff,’ scented varnish doesn’t interfere with graphics and basically remains dormant until it is activated by the consumer, allowing it to pass more postal and publication regulations. And it can be reactivated over and over again, greatly increasing the pass-along readership value of advertisements.”

Concord Litho started testing the new inks almost four years ago (before they were commercially available), and was the first official site for sheetfed and web printing with these inks. The independent printing company worked with Scentisphere to create a signature Oreo fragrance oil for this project. And Scentisphere’s president and founder, Bob Bernstein, personally attended the “Scent OK” on press with Jerry Westcott, Concord Litho’s vice president of Direct Marketing Services, who managed this project.

Other recent high-profile projects involving scented inks at Concord Litho include a promotional game piece for Domino’s Pizza for its brownie bites product launch, a chocolate-scented DVD insert for Warner Home Video for the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” movie, and high fragrance sampling cards for perfumers.

“It used to be just the perfumers and cosmetics companies that were looking to leverage scent in their printed products, but most of the current interest we see is from top brand managers
looking to get into the scent marketing space, or for high-impact product launches or sampling programs featuring new flavors or scents,” Cook says, adding that the 10-year shelf life of the inks makes them particularly attractive to game board makers and those in charge of consumer packaging. “It’s proving to be a cost-effective way for our customers to make their advertisements and packaging instantly engaging, break through the clutter, and boost response rates and reader recall.” 

Other Links of Interest

• Concord Litho was the first official testing site for these cool new scented varnishes. Check out some more examples of scent projects here.

• Concord Litho offers a free Printing With Scented Varnish Idea Kit to qualified print buyers (and of course to all journalists). Get it by clicking here.

We put a few photos of the

"scent OK" on our Ning network.

Get Your Copy of TV Guide today!

• Visit the My Name is Earl page on NBC. The special "scentsational" episode airs May 3 at 8/7c -- get yourself a copy of TV Guide today, and experience a little bit of TV history-in-the-making!

• TV Guide Magazine has a great story on this project, too, calling it a "Smelluva Show." Check it out.

• Read the joint TV Guide and Kraft press release on this project at the American Association of Advertising Agency's AAAA SmartBrief page (they have a cool free newsletter you might like, too).