A couple of tricks up its cap

By Leah Genuario

Throw away the matches. Get rid of the potpourri. And unplug the scents. Multivet International is offering customers a new way to make homes smell good. The key is in the cap.

The Hush Aroma-Pulse is an automated home fragrance system featuring an electronic cap that is attached to an aerosol can.

“It controls the delivery of the fragrance throughout the day. The user can set three features to adjust the fragrance experience to his or her liking: The intensity of the spray (small, medium or large), the frequency of diffusion (the time between each spray by increments of one minute) and the time of day the user wants his home to be fragranced,” says David Garon, brand manager for the Canadian company.

Invented by Mark Garon, David’s father, the plastic cap contains an electrovanne, an LCD display screen, electronic circuitry and a battery. The cap is decorated with a silver/white color scheme. The bottle keeps to the same look.

“The bottle has been decorated all in white with a grey logo printed on the front. We did this because our consumer studies showed that people wanted something neutral for their home,” says David.

The round logo — which starts with prominent dotsin the center that gradually decrease in size — was created to reflect the subtle dispersion of fragrance. Its modern look was intentional and is in keeping with the sophisticated technology utilized in the packaging.

The project — from concept to finished good — took a year and a half to complete.

Hush Aroma-Pulse currently comes in four scents: Thai Coconut Lime, Mediterranean Fig, Summer Blooms and Laundered Linen.

Something to Bark About

Although home fragrance is a new endeavor for Multivet International, it is not a new company. The company has made its mark in the pet supply industry. It was founded about ten years ago by Richard Garon and specializes in humane training products for animals.

The company has become a leading manufacturer of spray training products for dogs and cats. Two years ago, Multivet called on its expertise in aerosols and began development on a home fragrance system.

As the home fragrance market is a new foray for Multivet, branding and design firm Pearlfisher was tapped to create a brand identity.

Pearlfisher created the brand name Hush and named the technology Aroma-Pulse.Pearlfisher also created the logo and the packaging look.

Hush Aroma-Pulse will be available in April at specialty stores, department stores, high end boutiques, spas and hotels.The Aroma-Pulse kit will retail for $40. Refill cans will cost $12.

More in formation: www.hushfragrances.com.