NEW YORK (AP) — Passing through a crowded New York City subway is usually filled with a pungent mix of industrial and physical scents.
But this holiday season, inside Grand Central Terminal, the scent of vanilla and fresh pine wafts through the air.
The scent is part of Bath & Body Works’ innovative advertising campaign, which is pumping scents onto the 42nd Street shuttle train platform through November.
Many commuters don’t stop to notice the steel girders above the platforms or the diffusers installed along the connecting tunnel walls. Look up and you’ll see a visible explosion of steam being released. Bath & Body Works estimates that 20 to 30 pounds (9 to 14 kilograms) of fragrance will have been applied by the end of the month, when the campaign ends.
“It smells better here than the regular tunnels in New York City that we usually smell,” said commuter Jerome Murray. “Yes, thank you.”
This area is one of the busiest areas of the transportation hub, with people moving quickly every 4 to 5 minutes to connect to the Times Square Shuttle.
Kelly Rodriguez, 23, who was commuting to work, described the smell as “piney, very Christmas-y,” and many riders commented that way. Kathleen Baptiste, 60, added that it reminded her of “fabric softener.”
Its scent is so subtle that some riders say they miss it while traveling through space. If you hadn’t seen the poster explaining that it’s a Bath & Body Works advertising campaign, you might easily mistake it for another Rider perfume.
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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the city’s subways and buses, says this is the first advertising campaign of its kind within the transit network, which aims to create new revenue streams. Wanting to avoid any headwinds, the agency piloted aroma-based advertising at stations in Queens and Brooklyn last year to ensure safety and gather feedback, said Mary John, the agency’s director of commercial ventures.
John said authorities have not received any complaints so far.
Jamie Sohosky, Bath & Body Works’ chief marketing officer, said the retail chain chose “Fresh Balsam” for the campaign because it is one of the brand’s most iconic holiday fragrances and has long been a seasonal staple. grand centralShe said it was a natural choice because of the huge number of passengers passing through it when connecting to other trains.
