In what may be a first for political branding, a Spanish political party has begun marketing its own perfume.
The Catalan Socialist Party unveiled the scent at a press conference Monday, with a spokesman saying that the perfume conveys the party’s “confidence, equality, progress and efficiency,” according to the British newspaper The Guardian.
The Guardian quoted the fragrance’s creator, Albert Majos, as saying the product was “neither perfume nor air-freshener,” but a representation of socialism’s values.
One journalist attending the press conference said the smell was so powerful he left the room feeling faint, the Guardian reported.
The press conference was held the same day that Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero dissolved Parliament and officially announced that general elections would be held on March 9.
Observers say it will be a very tight race between the ruling Socialists and the conservative People’s Party.
–Will Crain/Newsdesk.org
Source:
“Aaah! The sweet smell of socialism”
The Guardian, January 14, 2008