Stinking election campaign

Scent marketing has been gaining popularity over the years. Typically, scents that awaken the senses are used. Captivating and pleasing to the nose. As it turns out, not always. An American politician ran a campaign that... stinks. When Marketing Stinks Carl Paladino, Republican candidate for governor of New York, sent foul-smelling mail to potential voters. The letters "smelled" like garbage. The messages were headlined, "Something stinks in Albany." The envelopes contained photos of seven New York state officials. Six of them were under investigation. Two Democrats had already resigned. The idea for the election campaign was controversial and risky. First, there was the obvious danger of placing something smelly in voters' mailboxes. Second, and perhaps even more risky, voters might associate the foul-smelling leaflets with the smell of the politician himself. And that's not a very positive association. Whichever way you look at it, the innovative approach to the campaign cannot be questioned. Especially since the smell effectively highlighted the corruption of politicians. Ultimately, Paladino lost his head-to-head race against Democrat Andrew Cuomo. It's hard to say whether the stinking mailing lists had anything to do with it.