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NY Post
New York Post
10 Apr 2024


NextImg:McDonald’s debuts ‘world’s first’ scented billboards: ‘Smells like a Happy Meal’

The customer nose best.

McDonald’s restaurants in the Netherlands have debuted a revolutionary way to turn consumers on to their iconic burgers and fries — by launching the “world’s first billboard” that smells like their food.

“This is the first time that a billboard has been used to diffuse the McDonald’s scent,” Golden Arches reps described in a statement this week about the aromatic advertising initiative.

“Smell has been proven to be more effective at sparking clear and emotional memories than images,” Stijn Mentrop-Huliselan, chief marketing officer of McDonald’s Netherlands, said while describing the aromatic initiative’s inspiration. McDonald's Nederland

At first glance, the logo-free, red and yellow billboards — which were installed in Utrecht and Leiden — evoke sculptures from some minimalist modern art movement.

However, when pedestrians pass within about 15 feet of these spartan structures, they are greeted by the distinctive scent of McDonald’s fries — think a supersize scratch ‘n sniff minus the scratch.

McDonald’s shared footage that shows fast food fans gathering around these Mondrian-like monoliths as they try to guess the smell.

“Is it McDonald’s?” inquired one passerby, while another surmised, “It smells like a Happy Meal.”

Meanwhile, a third hit the nail on the head, exclaiming: “The french fries from McDonald’s.”

They’re like high-octane hummingbird feeders for the nose. YouTube / , McDonald's Nederland

How does one capture the complex aroma of Golden Arches gastronomy in a giant rectangle?

A McDonald’s employee installs a tray of fries into the billboard, which relies on state-of-the-art ventilators to “suck and diffuse” the scent.

Voila, customers get a feast for the nose.

While this campaign might seem like a Willy Wonka-inspired gimmick, there is good reason for having customers follow their schnoz, the chain’s representatives claim.

Ventilators diffuse the scent of fries throughout the billboard. YouTube / , McDonald's Nederland

“Smell has been proven to be more effective at sparking clear and emotional memories than images,” explained Stijn Mentrop-Huliselan, chief marketing officer of McDonald’s Netherlands. “With the inclusion of this next sense in our advertising, we found a new way to remind people of good times at McDonald’s.”

In accordance, these olfactory salt licks are strategically placed within 600 yards of a McDonald’s so customers can follow the scent trail to the source.