How Imaginary Authors uses scent as a vehicle for identity wish-fulfillment.
Welcome to the first installment of Brand Crush, an exploration of the brands with names and messaging that's inspiring me, delighting me, or making me scratch my head— or some combination of the three.
You probably already know Imaginary Authors, one of my favorite brands right now. They're using storytelling and voice in such a creative and effective way. This cult-fave brand create scents that are inspired by completely made-up novels. In their own words, “In these bottles are layered narratives that are sure to generate stirring conversation, fragrances that might be capable of changing the course of your own personal story.”
Scent is a notoriously evocative and yet elusive sense. It can trigger memories and feelings with such immediacy, but it can feel so difficult to describe scent in a way that actually evokes the scent itself. Imaginary Authors does something creative with their messaging to get around this conundrum; they don’t merely rely on notes to convey their fragrances, they tell literal stories. The synopsis of the imaginary novel that inspires each scent is part of the product description and helps to evokes the feelings, the moods, the experience of the scent. For instance, here's the story behind their scent, Cape Heartache:
"Cape Heartache is the lone American contribution to Philip Sava’s wildly popular series of exploration novels. It is based loosely on an expedition he made to the Pacific Northwest as a teenager in 1881 and is generally regarded as the most candid of his works. Revolving around a homestead he built in a coastal grove of old growth trees, the novel documents his romance with a young woman who was a descendent of the Nehalem Tribe. Its themes of leaving the familiar and finding comfort and solace in a new place still resonate today."
Storytelling is a powerful way to draw your audiences into your brand world because stories are invitations— they invite your customers to imagine (and create!) a life where they can be the kind of person they want to be and feel the way they want to feel. Imaginary Authors helps their readers— ehem, I mean, wearers— imagine what kind of person would wear this scent, or the kind of person this scent could help them become, with their "WHEN TO WEAR THIS FRAGRANCE" copy:
"WHEN TO WEAR THIS FRAGRANCE:
For any new adventure including, but not limited to, beach bonfires, first dates, party crashing, or simply barhopping alone on a rainy night. Like a scarf, wear the Cape Heartache scent in the fall and winter and observe how people gravitate to your warmth."
When each scent is a novel, each scent has a story— one that invites customers to (literally) envelop themselves in the mood, aesthetic, and narrative promises of that scent’s world. Not only do their descriptions help someone identity if a scent is for them, it provides them an idea of the kind of person this fragrance could help them become, and the kind of adventures that could befall them.
Even if your brand doesn’t have a literary bent like Imaginary Authors, it still has a story that can speak to who they are and who they want to be. Do you know what story lies at the heart of your brand? If you’ve lost the plot, I can help you find it— and tell it with clarity and intrigue.
