"Few things compare to cracking the spine of a brand-new book and inhaling that sharp synthetic whiff of freshly printed ink. Even the earthy smell of an old book wraps me in a familiar comfort. What does not particularly scream "curl up on the couch to dive into a good story" is garlic mayonnaise. No matter! The latest edition of Jennifer L. Armentrout's romantasy novel, The Primal of Blood and Bone, will smell like Hellmann's Garlic Aioli for reasons I can't entirely comprehend."
""Seeking an otherworldly experience? Forged in fire, bound by flavor, this garlic-scented special edition is juicy enough to sink your teeth right in," the Hellmann's x BookTok collab website . Specifically, the ink will be garlic scented and "Craven-Proof." In the Blood and Ash series, garlic keeps the Craven, a vampire-like flesh-eating creature, at bay. I can only imagine, if you're reading in public, the smell will keep regular people at bay, as well."
"The marketing gimmick leans heavily into the notion that this is for BookTok, TikTok's sub-community responsible for recent sales surges in the publishing industry. The Publishers Weekly blurb refers to it as a "promotion designed for BookTok's enjoyment." Will a book that smells like an Applebee's Appetizer Sampler translate to the visual medium? I mean, I guess I waste a lot of time watching food influencers review the same downtown New York City brunch spots over and over. But still, I'd be surprised."
A Hellmann's x BookTok collaboration produced a garlic aioli-scented special edition of The Primal of Blood and Bone, with ink described as garlic-scented and labeled "Craven-Proof." The scent references the series lore in which garlic repels the Craven. The promotion targets BookTok's audience and markets a visceral, flavor-linked reading experience. Observers note discomfort at encountering a strong food scent in public spaces and raise questions about the scented book's longevity and preservation. The edition appears amid high bestseller placement, prompting curiosity about whether the gimmick influences sales performance.
Read at Jezebel
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]