Branding is a practice with an ever-widening definition. It used to be that branding just meant thinking up a name for your business and making sure people knew that name was connected to your product. The best way to do this was to put your brand name on said product. If not the full name, then an artsy logo works just as well. Nowadays, branding is part of everything that a company does from the font you use in your published literature to the music that plays in your advertisements. Branding is the way you walk and talk. It is in the air that you breathe, or in the case of Lincoln Motor Company, the air that you smell.
A few weeks ago, Lincoln announced plans to create an emotional connection with its customers: Essence of Lincoln. This original scent is being tested in select dealerships to create an “upscale, relaxing showroom experience.”
If you don’t know the name Rene Morgenthaler, perhaps you might be more familiar with his work. The master perfumer is the genius behind Polo Extreme by Ralph Lauren, Sheer Obsession by Calvin Klein, Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion for Men, and now Essence of Lincoln. The aroma is being produced by industry leader SensoryMax.
Those with expertly-tuned olfactory receptors will be able to detect the notes of green tea, jasmine, and tonka that make up Lincoln’s essence. Morgenthaler chose these components to devise a fragrance characterized by luxury and warmth. “Perfumers are memory makers,” says Morgenthaler. “The sense of smell is very closely connected with a person’s overall perceptions of an experience.”
What you must be wondering by now is if we have used Essence of Lincoln in our showroom at Leith Lincoln here in Raleigh, North Carolina. In truth, we have had it available to us ever since our showroom was renovated, but we are waiting for the opportune moment to utilize the fragrance on a daily basis. We hope that moment comes soon. Until then, we’ll have to make do with the usual new car smell.