If these won’t make you wear masks, we have no idea what will.
Just like towards any other apparel, marketers have begun tapping into face masks for the opportunity to promote their brand. First, they went after the mask’s outward style and design, and when they realized people were breathing their own bad breaths beneath it, they started infusing smells into them too.
And we’re not talking about lavender or chamomile — Hormel, the brand behind the popular canned cooked pork, have started producing and giving away masks that smell of… bacon, because they can.
Not only is the mask printed with realistic images of its signature bacon products, but it’s also brewed with the aroma of its smoky “black label” premium bacon.
And the way that Hormel describes the process of creating these masks aren’t any less clever. According to their dedicated website (breathablebacon.com, go check it out), they claim to have employed “the latest in bacon-smell technology for its “irresistibly breathable 2-ply fabric” so that the “bacony-bliss can be with you always,” and we absolutely believe them.
And they’re not alone in this endeavor. Another US-based fast-food chain, Jack in the Box, also recently released their line of chicken-scented face masks. For Jack in the Box, however, it’s all a part of their plan to promote their new “Unchicken Sandwich,” which uses plant-based pea-protein patty.
When you think about it, not only is the idea clever, but it’s also a win-win-win situation for everyone involved — the health ministry wouldn’t need to worry about mask compliance; the company that makes them earns money off of both sales and free advertisement; and we, the bona fide chicken and bacon lovers of the world, get to enjoy being enveloped in the sweet essence of chicken and/or bacon.
This is why it’s very likely to catch on as a viral marketing gimmick, which is a good thing because right now, these fragrant face masks are only available in the US.
So, unless you have a relative in the US to get these for you, the best we can do is hope that local restaurants pick the concept up. You bet we’d cop a langhap-sarap Yumburger-scented face mask if they made one!
