To promote BMW Financial Services, Cundari, its Canadian agency of record, has produced an autoshow handout card similar to the perfume ads common in many magazines. Featuring a close-up glamour shot of a woman, copy for the ad reads, “Joy is an exciting new fragrance from BMW.” …Consumers can open a fold-over tab on the right side of the ad that releases the smell of leather thanks to a scent product from New York-based scent marketing company Scentisphere.
— From BMW FINANCIAL HAS SCENTS APPEAL at Marketing magazine.
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I guess Patou wasn’t at the front of their minds when this was created, eh?
That really had me confused for a moment, because I DID immediately assume it was a tie-in with Patou. LOL. Also interesting — and confusing — that the car company has expanded from auto financing into other financial services.
I’m just waiting for Patou to sue them.
Yep, that was my first thought also.
And, Joe, I was confused at first to because I thought they were talking about Patou’s Joy being the “scent” for BMW.
Interesting, that didn’t even occur to me, but now that you mention it I don’t know why it didn’t.
My first thought, upon reading the title of the article, was that they’ve figured out yet another way to infuse cars with perfume, and that a car scented with Joy would be grand. But then I thought,”Well just spray a card with some Joy and leave it in the car for a week in the boiling summer heat and there ya go. Money saved.”
I rather like new car smell, though, so often refrain from any scented car products for a while until that smell wears off. if BMW put out that scent strip in a perfume, or “car fragrance”, I’d definitely buy it. Cuir de BMW would be just fine, especially if they partnered up with CDG, who’d probably do a fantastic job of it.
Agree!
If I recall, those el-cheap-o car air fresheners they sell at the car wash come in a scent called “new car”, but it just smells NAS-TAY!
Cuir de BMW is hilarious, but probably decant-worthy for sure.
Cuir de BMW — that would sell, I’m sure.
When I read it, I thought they were giving out a bottle of Joy with every new BMW …
They ought to!
That was EXACTLY my thought as well! I was looking for the following ‘tie in’ line that said something like ‘Two Classics that complement on another’…or some such phrase.
Hey, at least I can *afford* a bottle of Joy. Barely.
A BMW? Not so much.
Of course we thought of the perfume. To use it this was is infringing on years of trademark advertising practiced by JOY perfume. I can naturally assume this is an open and shut case against BMW and rightfully so. Bad car, bad, bad car. Go to your room without your oil change.
I’m not a trademark lawyer so couldn’t say, but from my perspective, hard to see any harm since they have not launched any consumer product.
I got excited at the thought of a BMW perfume it was a slow week for me.LOL
LOL — sorry!