Lincoln’s
Scent of Sanctuary
To put a spotlight on Lincoln’s obsession with creating sanctuary, Serena Williams helped us launch a new perfume with a twist: It’s not from a cosmetics company, but an automaker. 🤯
✖ PRWeek Shortlist
✖ NY Festivals Bronze
During Art Basel in Miami, I helped Lincoln pull off its own version of performance art.
To draw attention to a revolutionary new feature, a series of electronically-delivered aromas designed to revitalize their drivers, my team at Hudson Rouge helped Lincoln launch a faux fragrance called Coastal Mornings. Pulling off such a feat involved a launch spot, an army of influencers, a make-believe pop-up boutique, an event in Miami during Art Basel, artisan-blown bottles signed by Serena Williams, and of course, Serena herself. Here’s how it all unfolded.
Serena’s posted a real ad…for a fake perfume.
To kick things off, a newly retired Serena Williams posted an ad for our fake fragrance brand – making it seem like her first post-retirement endeavor.
A faux storefront appeared in Miami.
To make our fake fragrance brand feel real, we made it seem like a Coastal Mornings boutique was coming to Miami.
It served as a backdrop for influencer content and included messaging that invited people to visit our ‘launch event’ at the SLS Hotel.
Influencers received our scent…and an invitation.
An army of perfume and fashion influencers helped set the stage, inviting their audiences to come along for the ride. First, they received a mysterious fragrance in the mail, plus an invitation to Miami to learn more about it. Then they showed up for our event during Art Basel and revealed the truth about the unexpected brand behind Coastal Mornings.
Elevated design made our faux brand feel real.
We gave Coastal Mornings a unique look and feel, which included a limited series of high-end bottles hand-crafted by a glass blower.
Once everyone was paying attention, we revealed the unexpected brand behind the scent.
Finally, we revealed that Lincoln was the unexpected brand behind the fragrance and that you could only experience it in a Lincoln…or during our event at Art Basel.
Serena’s Reveal Post explained the truth to her audience and made the connection between scent, sanctuary, and Lincoln.
Our influencers revealed the truth to their audiences, too…including this film-noir inspired tour de force.
After the reveal…
We auctioned off signed bottles.
Anyone could bid on bottles signed by Serena, with proceeds going to her favorite charity, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County.
A panel discussed scent, sanctuary, and Lincoln.
Connecting all the dots, we brought together a scent expert, a Lincoln designer, and Serena Williams to discuss the vital role that scent plays in achieving sanctuary.
And it all came together in social.
It was a complex and choreographed undertaking to convince the world that Serena Williams was the force behind a new fragrance. But we still managed to bring it all together in under a minute.
Press
Results
In a year when Lincoln didn’t have a new model to talk about, the Scent of Sanctuary activation was hugely successful in reaching the 25-44 year old, high HHI target, who may not have had Lincoln on their radar before, but was certainly interested in fragrance, art, and anything Serena-related.
AGENCY: Hudson Rouge
CCO: Jon Pearce
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nathan Archambault
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Luke Partridge
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Brett Minieri
PRODUCER: Mary Ellen Verrusio
DESIGN: Studio Butch
GLASSBLOWER: Vitreluxe
EDITORIAL: Cosmo Street
EDITOR: Joshua Berger
VIDEOGRAPHER: Dylan Rives
INFLUENCER: KRo & UWG
TALENT: Serena Williams
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