Marketers Launch Candle That Smells Like a Brainstorm and Costs Same as Therapy
AUCKLAND — In an ambitious pivot from digital to olfactory, the National Association of Brand Engagement (NABE) has unveiled its latest innovation: ‘Eau de Ideation’, a candle designed to replicate the exhilarating scent of a creative brainstorm. Made from actual Sharpie extract, a whisper of stale hummus and whatever that smell is on novelty office beanbags, the candle promises to “ignite ideation zones, even in windowless meeting pods”.
Priced at $129.95 for the standard 200ml jar — or $289.95 for the 'Agency Deluxe' version that includes a whiff of fear before a Friday pitch — Eau de Ideation has already sold out in Ponsonby, Grey Lynn and one rogue pop-up in Taupō run by a former SENIOR BRAND STRATEGIST who now lives exclusively in leather sandals. NABE says its main clientele are middle managers who “can’t manifest ROI but want the room to smell like they could”.
The scent profile, developed in partnership with a semi-retired barista-cum-fragrance consultant, includes base notes of overworked eucalyptus, mid notes of creative tension, and top notes of a fresh pack of Post-Its. Beta testers reported flashbacks to 2012 planning sessions involving wooden whiteboard trees and an inexplicable mood board with a photo of a goat.
In a prepared statement, NABE's Chief Experience Officer (formerly a Junior Media Buyer for fish fingers) said, “This isn’t just candle commerce. It’s about crafting aromatic alignment across the sensory touchpoints of ambition.” A second candle, ‘Performance Metrics Musk’, is rumoured to be in development. Smells slightly of burnt KPIs and flat cola.
Priced at $129.95 for the standard 200ml jar — or $289.95 for the 'Agency Deluxe' version that includes a whiff of fear before a Friday pitch — Eau de Ideation has already sold out in Ponsonby, Grey Lynn and one rogue pop-up in Taupō run by a former SENIOR BRAND STRATEGIST who now lives exclusively in leather sandals. NABE says its main clientele are middle managers who “can’t manifest ROI but want the room to smell like they could”.
The scent profile, developed in partnership with a semi-retired barista-cum-fragrance consultant, includes base notes of overworked eucalyptus, mid notes of creative tension, and top notes of a fresh pack of Post-Its. Beta testers reported flashbacks to 2012 planning sessions involving wooden whiteboard trees and an inexplicable mood board with a photo of a goat.
In a prepared statement, NABE's Chief Experience Officer (formerly a Junior Media Buyer for fish fingers) said, “This isn’t just candle commerce. It’s about crafting aromatic alignment across the sensory touchpoints of ambition.” A second candle, ‘Performance Metrics Musk’, is rumoured to be in development. Smells slightly of burnt KPIs and flat cola.