In London, a vegan perfume formulated to smell like bacon sold out in 20 minutes. The Valentine’s Day publicity stunt, orchestrated by alternative meat company THIS, was based on research that showed UK consumers ranked bacon as one of the sexiest scents.
Enthusiasm outpaced their expectations, however; Eau Du Isn’t Bacon had an extremely limited run of 120 units—well below the 25,000 who attempted to purchase it.
“We’ve had quite a few lewd and inappropriate proposals from customers who’ve tried our Isn’t Bacon; so it makes sense to us that users of our Eau Du Isn’t Bacon could instantly become more attractive,” says Andy Shovel, THIS founder and former lover of meat, in a press statement. “It’s the underdog of aphrodisiacs and one of the best things you can get your hands on this Valentine’s Day.”
In an equally cheeky campaign, THIS issued a manifesto recently saying butterflies should pay an annual tax to the dairy industry for use of the term “butter” and from henceforth be called “spread flies.” The move was in response to a farm lobby in the UK trying to ban vegan meat producers from using terms like burger or chicken. Guinea pigs and catfish should also be forced into name changes, THIS adds.