I was getting ready to go out with a group of my closest friends the other weekend. Amongst the fluster of clothes, make-up sprawled over every available surface of the room, fake tan smothered skin and heating straighteners, the air suddenly filled with the amazing smell of CK One. I was instantly transported back to 2002, to a family holiday on the Greek island of Kos. I could picture where I was, what I was wearing, I could feel the golden sunshine on my skin, hear the waves lapping along the shore and the laughter that filled the air. I felt once again the overwhelming feeling of happiness I had felt on that holiday, all those years ago.I came back to reality just as quickly as I had left. In such a small fraction of time I had been transported to what I thought had been a distant memory, all because of a smell that I had unconsciously associated with that holiday. I was astonished at how this perfume had been so powerful at playing with and affecting my mind.
It emphasised for me how influenced we are by our surroundings; how our senses are able to interact with out conscious and unconscious minds on levels we cannot always anticipate. I could not help but link this to today's media industry, specifically the control that advertising can have on its audience. Whether by using a song, a picture, a celebrity or a colour (but to name a few examples) in a similar way to the perfume I smelt that day, these factors can deliberately become powerful tools of emotional stimulation, and when used really well, can make an advert one that can never be forgotten.
It's called nostalga and I love it.
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