Libellula, the first software house with an olfactory brand
Essentially Libellula is the perfume born out of a corporate co-creation process
Libellula s.r.l., a company that provides software and digitisation support to metalworkers and companies that manufacture cutting and bending machines, is the first software house to equip itself with an olfactory brand, realised through an innovative and visionary process based on scientific evidence and frameworks.
What does a software house smell like? And above all, what perfume does a software house that addresses the world of sheet metal working have? This is the question to which Libellula s.r.l. has given a concrete answer with its 'Essentially Libellula' project.
We live in an increasingly inflated communication environment, so much so that we can speak of 'information overload', which particularly affects our predominant sense organ: sight. Suffice it to say that our eyes are subjected to between 3,500 and 5,000 advertising images on a daily basis, of which only a small percentage remain imprinted and are remembered.
In spite of this, the relationship between company and consumer continues to take place through predominantly visual communications and often oriented towards pure rationality, providing data and content with the sole purpose of informing. However, neuroscience has shown that the decision-making process is not generated in the rational part of the human brain, but in the part that processes emotions and instinct, involving the amygdala, the limbic system and the hippocampus, which is responsible for memorisation.
Libellula, aware of these aspects, has decided to innovate its communicative approach by creating an olfactory brand, which goes to stimulate the evocative and memorising power of the sense of smell, with the aim of making tangible what is not: its own software and the unique and characterising perception of all the people who work at Libellula.
Olfactory marketing is a booming discipline with many facets. The difference between choosing a good olfactory brand or a right olfactory brand, where the latter not only stands out for its pleasantness, but also adds communicative precision.
Libellula has chosen to take the most complex route, but certainly the most suitable to represent it, the least fast from an executive point of view, but the most effective, namely that aimed at creating the right olfactory brand.
The creative process was based on a solid foundation of investigation carried out in the company, a process that involved all employees in the construction of Libellula's 'brand personality' and its embodiment in a person defined by gender, age, passions, character, values and communication desires.
The character and, above all, value perceptions of Libellula were then deepened through interviews with representative panels in order to gain a complete picture of the corporate identity and the perceptions of those who work in it.
All these inputs were analysed and transformed into the company's unique and exclusive olfactory pyramid, which was used to create two olfactory proposals. These two fragrances were then submitted again to the entire company structure for selection, but only after olfactory training to bring more awareness to the decision-making phase and direct the choice towards the most suitable essence to represent Libellula and not the most pleasant according to personal taste.
This enabled a close agreement with 80% on the proposition that has now become Essentially Libellula, the olfactory brand already successfully used at stands at trade fairs; as a gift to customers, to give fragrance and substance to products installed in technical offices and workshops and, of course, within Libellula's headquarters and its branches around the world.
The success of this project lies in having overturned the classic assumptions that see the construction of an olfactory brand as a top-down process, in which a few people decide on the scent to be used and most take note of the olfactory choice made. Libellula agreed to take the bottom-up route, which involved everyone involved, regardless of role or seniority, seeing the board joined by young people from Generation Z in a context where everyone had equal decision-making power.
It was a great example of co-creation that made the final product, Essentially Libellula, really correspond to the input gathered through everyone's perception.
"The process of building the olfactory brand was both a surprise and a confirmation for me," says Umberto Cammardella, CEO of Libellula. "It was a surprise to see the enthusiastic participation of very young collaborators who nonetheless had a very precise perception of the company, and a confirmation because the values that guided me over 35 years ago in setting up the software house are still the same ones that the young generation recognises: reliability, professionalism and seriousness.
"In addition to the profound values that are the foundations on which Libellula operates," adds General Manager Alberto Milanesio, "the contribution of the great intergenerational collaboration that characterises us has led to the identification of peculiarities that we did not think were so deeply rooted and felt, such as the desire to present ourselves as young, fresh, transparent, and to convey an innovative and visionary character. I am proud to say that a small bottle with an insignificant weight, like that of a perfume, actually has an enormous specific weight because it contains the ideas, thoughts and emotions of all of us.
How does this translate into olfactory communication?
Essentially Libellula is a dynamic, modern and positive fragrance. These characteristics are represented by the sparkling, bright top notes: bergamot, lemon, petit grain and mandarin.
The heart notes tell of care for people and passion for work. In particular, we note: broom, a flower that recalls unity and solidarity between people, but in particular is the symbol of resilience; jasmine, the most elegant of flowers, symbol of passion for what one does, a meaning reinforced by the presence of the red tulip; lily, the flower of kings, representing elegance and care in the activities one carries out.
Bengal pepper, basil and aloe are the olfactory notes that tell of the innovative and visionary character of Libellula, capable of uniting different ideas, skills and knowledge in one great project.
The base notes reflect the values of reliability and professionalism, as solid as tree moss and as hard and resistant as teak wood, but also as flexible as the sea in adapting to customers' needs.
The fragrance is enveloped by a touch of 'metal sparks' evoked by a very peculiar ingredient: tomato leaves, which refer to the sector towards which Libellula.'s activity is directed
Thanks to its innovative co-creation approach and Essentially Libellula's olfactory branding, the company was able to convey its identity, values and the passion that drives all its employees in a unique and memorable way. Libellula thus confirms itself as a pioneer in the use of olfactory marketing to create an emotional and distinctive bond with its customers.