Dunkin’ and Febreze have apparently decided that simply selling donuts wasn’t enough. Now they want to weaponize the smell of donuts against us.
The two companies have teamed up for a new collection of air fresheners that will make your home or car smell like a Dunkin’ without actually providing you with anything edible. The collection comes in three flavors: Cinnamon Roll, Strawberry Frosted Donut, and Vanilla Latte.
At first glance, this sounds fantastic. Who wouldn’t want their house to smell like freshly baked cinnamon rolls? But let’s think about this for a second:
You plug one into the wall.
Five minutes later: “Mmm, it smells like cinnamon rolls.”
Twenty minutes later: “Why do I suddenly want a cinnamon roll?”
Forty minutes later: “There are no cinnamon rolls.”
One hour later: “WHO IS HIDING THE CINNAMON ROLLS?”
This is not an air freshener. This is psychological warfare.
Imagine trying to stick to a healthy diet while your living room constantly smells like a strawberry frosted donut. Your brain doesn’t understand that you’re not actually holding a donut. It just knows that something delicious appears to be happening nearby.
And the car version might be even worse. You could be stuck in traffic at 8:30 in the morning, surrounded by the smell of a vanilla latte, wondering why you’re not currently holding a coffee and a pastry. Suddenly you’re taking the scenic route because your subconscious has decided breakfast is now an emergency.
And somewhere, a marketing executive is sitting in an office thinking, “Excellent. Now let’s see how long it takes before people start eating donuts against their will.”
[Via Nerdist]