Going where the scent leads

There you are. Alone. It’s Friday night; you pop in a rental DVD and settle back to watch an action flick. Suddenly, you start craving a hot, fresh pizza. Better yet. It’s Friday night and you are not alone. Nor are you out with the boys. You are at home racking up brownie points with the love of your life by popping in a rental DVD and settling back to watch a romance movie. You’ve even thought ahead and placed the tissue box within easy reach. Then, it happens. Not tears or smile-producing snuggling. Instead, both of you are caving to a craving for pizza—fresh, hot, pizza.

This may sound imaginary, but it’s closer to reality than you may realize. According to a recent report on Yahoo! Health, Domino’s Pizza has teamed with DVD rental stores in Brazil to make discs that release the scent of a fresh pizza pie as the movie rolls on. Clever, no? Clever, yes!

How is this done? The discs are printed with ink that emits smells of cheese, sauce and dough when the discs reach a certain temperature inside the DVD player. The thermal ink even changes color. By the time you eject the flick, an image of a pizza pie is front and center on the screen. Man, that’s beyond subliminal.

No doubt, Domino’s hopes that making scents on DVDs will also result in making cents, in other words, a lot of dough, both the kind covered by mushrooms, pepperoni, cheese and other ingredients and the kind you take to the bank. It makes sense to think that, right?

Could we smell a worldwide trend here? The possibilities may be limitless.

You want to convince your wife that your soul is not totally void of romance, so you get a DVD that will emit the smell of a freshly grilled steak. You won’t have to make it all the way through the movie to the mushy part where they make up after their nasty quarrel. When that craving hits and the steak with its grill marks pops on the screen, she’ll be ripe for your suggestion of hitting the stop button and heading to the steak house for a romantic dinner for two. Like you, she won’t care how the movie ends. The movie starts, the smell begins to tickle your nose, the craving gets going. Wow, are the two of you hungry.

On the screen an image appears, but not an eight-ounce sirloin with grill marks. It’s round and ground. A Big Mac. Hey, a Big Mac and fries at Mickey D’s is a dinner for two, isn’t it?

Let’s not stop with one effort. If the smell of a freshly grilled steak fails, how about the smell of barbecued ribs or chopped pork? With a hot barbecue sauce, that would make a great dinner for two. A manly meal like that is bound to be romantic to you, and just the idea of taking her out should be romantic for her. It’s a win-win situation. You pop the DVD in and wait for the smell—uh, make that the aroma. It starts faintly noticeable and then becomes stronger. Barbecue. In almost no time, the craving is there. Up pops the image.

But not barbecued ribs or chopped pork. It’s a pigskin, a football. Now, it’s dinner for one, and it ain’t barbecue. Ah, well, you really wanted to watch the ballgame anyway.

I think I’m missing something here. It might be best to wait and see where sending scent sends Domino’s. Will sales increase? Or will the idea just stink?

Wouldn’t work with me anyway. I’m not into renting DVDs. Am happier just spending the rental money on a dinner out in the first place.

Not sure, but I think I smell something, and it seems to be emanating from my computer. Yes, it is. I recognize it. It’s the aroma of a hot, pizza supreme. And my stomach is growling; I crave pizza. I have to stop writing.

Something’s starting to appear on my screen. It can’t be. It is. Words, not a pizza.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place pizza in oven for 30 minutes.