Lincoln Commissions Special Smell for Dealerships

There’s the new-car smell. Now, there’s the new-car dealership smell for Ford’s luxury brand.

Select Lincoln dealerships are pumping an original scent, Essence of Lincoln, through showroom ventilation systems.

The intent is to create a dealership experience that’s upscale, relaxing and emotionally connected.

“We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback about it, both from customers and employees,” says Tony Guerrera, general sales manager of Pompano Beach (FL) Lincoln. “It’s a great scent. They really did an excellent job creating it.”

The scent comes from perfumer Rene Morgenthaler working in association with

SensoryMax, a firm specializing in nice smells for businesses.

Morgenthaler’s resume of scents includes Polo Extreme by Ralph Lauren, Sheer Obsession by Calvin Klein and Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion for Men.

In Essence of Lincoln, the automaker says top notes of green tea to encourage a sense of upscale well-being are infused with undertones of jasmine and tonka to create a relaxing atmosphere.

“Perfumers are memory makers,” Morgenthaler says. “The sense of smell is very closely connected with a person’s overall perceptions of an experience.”

Dennis Carnevale, Lincoln experience training manager, agrees.

“While every sense plays a part in forming a client’s perception of an experience, scent has one of the strongest connections to not only memory but emotion,” he says.

He describes Essence of Lincoln as “a subtle, yet powerful tool for our dealers.”

Lincoln dealers nationwide also make the aroma available on scent cards for showroom visitors.

Ford CEO Mark Fields says the automaker is determined to restore Lincoln to its glory days. One way Ford is trying to do that is through an enhanced dealership experience.

Lincoln once was the No.2 luxury brand in the U.S. Now it is No.8. Mercedes-Benz is No.1

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