Jimenez 1

Basille Jimenez
Prof Jackie
English 115 M/W 11:00
14 October 2014
Febreze Nose Blind
When watching YouTube videos and television, every person experiences advertisements
popping up; it is inevitable. A common advertisement seen on those forms of media is the series
of Febreze Nose Blind commercials. The main goal of this series is to make viewers aware of the
smelly lingering odors in their homes and cars and how Febreze products will eliminate the
odors leaving a person to breathe happy. The ads use a variety of everyday situations where
strong odors are a problem then over exaggerates the conditions of the smell. Febreze
advertisements use relatable context so that the viewers will be more likely to buy their products.
In order to appeal to a wide range audience, the Febreze Nose Blind commercials use
different scenarios that can relate to some aspect of a persons life. For example in The
Smelliest Catch commercial, an avid cook loves to prepare a type of dish, fish flamb, which
leaves his kitchen smelling foul, but he can no longer acknowledge the odor therefore leaving
him nose blind. In order to help him regain his sense of smell, his wife sets up a Febreze
intervention where workers transform their kitchen into a fish market so that he could understand
what the wife constantly smells. This certain ad targets all those who enjoy cooking and to those
who are sick of the lingering smell the dishes leave behind. In addition to avid cooks, Febreze
also targets mothers who acknowledge that their teenagers room has a sweaty aroma. The
Locker Room advertisement not only appeals to mothers, but to teenagers as well. This
commercial targets two different age groups by using a relatable scenario, such as the teens
Jimenez 2

messy and odor filled room as an example. The wide range of targeted audience members that
these Febreze commercials appeal to allows the consumers to have a sense of affiliation by
letting the people understand that they are not the only ones who have a smelly household. They
affiliate with each other through the stench of their homes and the use of Febreze products to
eliminate the odors.
The look of each advertisement must be thought out and planned so that it will
aesthetically appeal to the viewers as well as to intrigue them into paying attention to the
product. The visual layout and artwork the Febreze Nose Blind series use are all similar in terms
of the color scheme, the cinematography/ editing, the introduction and the ending. The color
scheme of all Febreze commercials are light blue and white, which are also the colors the
company uses for their logo and products. This design gives a form of consistency throughout all
the series of advertisements. Additionally, the combination of the light blue and white color
scheme, the artwork, and cinematography captivates the attention of the audience members. For
instance, in The Smelliest Catch and the Cat Couch Odors commercials, there is a freeze
frame where large capitalized letters spell, nose blind while alternating in light blue and white,
giving off a neon sign approach. This type of design emphasizes the tag line whilst catching the
eyes of all those who watch the commercials. Moreover, the editing style that is used in every
commercial so that the everyday scenario represented is over exaggerated after a certain dinging
sound gives the viewers an opportunity to see what the people who complain actually smell.
Every single Febreze Nose Blind commercial uses this type of editing style, creating a consistent
series. Case in point, the Sneakers Stink ad illustrates a man removing his stinky shoes in his
mudroom and as he walks away the narrator says, But your guests smell this, then sounds the
ding. Once the commercial watchers hear the ding, the mans shoe is enlarged so that it occupies
Jimenez 3

the entire mudroom; implying, just as the title suggests, his mudroom reeks of his odorous
sneakers. Furthermore, the use of the same basis of narration in all of the commercials again
forms a type of conformity and aids the visual aspect of the advertisement by giving a sense of
direction as to where the commercial is leading to. Each of the infomercials in the Febreze Nose
Blind series states that if a person does not use a Febreze product then his home will continue to
have a certain smell that the he can no longer distinguish, since he is nose blind. This type of
appeal makes the viewer conscious of the way his home smells to others. Lastly in all of the
commercials, the introduction and conclusion are also similar. It starts with the narrator claiming
that the person believes his home smells fine when in actuality it smells terrible and concluding
with showing the advertising product usage and the persons guest remarking about the fantastic
new aroma. The close up on the product helps with visualization while the remark contributes to
the appeal of a persons senses.
A celebrity endorsement attracts more consumers simply because of the appearance of
the celebrity. In one of the commercials for the Febreze Nose Blind, Jane Lynch, an actress
known for her role in Foxs Glee as a menacing cheerleading coach, becomes an endorser of the
products and a Nose Blind Expert. This ad serves as a form of a public service announcement
to a group of women who need a nose blind intervention. The women complain about each
others smelly homes while Jane Lynch is their problem solver. However, Lynch uses her
comedic style to propose the solution of using Febreze products in each of their homes while
wearing clothes that have light blue and white colors. The commercial appeals to all sorts of
women while providing a comedic relief. Also, the use of a celebrity endorsement helps appeal
to the fans of Jane Lynch; thus, encouraging her fans to buy Febreze products since she uses
them as well.
Jimenez 4

A scientific and statistical claim gives a sense of authenticity to the product. This type of
claim convinces the consumers/ audience that this product is legitimate. On the Febreze website,
there is a Nose Blind tab where it states all of the scientific findings done by the company.
The science portion of the Nose Blind tab states, Going noseblind is 100% real, followed by
an example of the process of going nose blind. The process, for example, states that a person
going nose blind goes through three steps; odor adaptation, a persons nose adapting to the smell,
habituation, a persons brain telling his nose that the smell is not stinky, and finally infestation,
the overwhelming stink the guests smell. Even though this scientific statement is mixed with
entertaining and fake claims, a person who has no prior knowledge of air fresheners can easily
believe what the website is saying because there are even symptoms and a treatment section. The
Febreze website appeals to the relatable odor problems of people.
The Febreze Nose Blind commercial series charms all the aspects of people. It targets
men, women, and teenagers; basically anyone and everyone who has a sense of smell. These
advertisements continually use the same color scheme so that people are able to distinguish their
companys colors from their rivals companies and their commercials. In addition, the
cinematography style being used with the same narrator voice adds to the remembrance of the
advertisement itself. Overall, the effectiveness of the Febreze Nose Blind advertisement series is
apparent in their consumer sales and the number of views the videos have.

Jimenez 5

Works Cited
Febreze. Advertisement. Cat Couch Odors|#noseblind|Febreze Fabric Refresher. Cat Couch
Odors|#noseblind|Febreze Fabric Refresher, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Febreze. Advertisement. Driving Dog Odors|#noseblind|Febreze CAR Vent Clips. Driving Dog
Odors|#noseblind|Febreze CAR Vent Clips, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Febreze. Advertisement. Jane Lynch Noseblind PSA| An Odor Elimination Intervention. Jane
Lynch Noseblind PSA| An Odor Elimination Intervention, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Febreze. Advertisement. Locker Room|#noseblind|Febreze NOTICEables Air Freshener. Locker
Room|#noseblind|Febreze NOTICEables Air Freshener, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Febreze. Advertisement. The Smelliest Catch|#noseblind|Febreze Febreze Air Effects. The
Smelliest Catch|#noseblind|Febreze Air Effects, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
Febreze. Advertisement. Sneakers Stink|#noseblind|Febreze Set & Refresh. Sneakers
Stink|#noseblind|Febreze Set & Refresh, n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2014.
"Noseblind 101." Gone Noseblind? Learn More & Get Treatment from Febreze. Procter &
Gamble, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
Fowles, Job. Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals. Interpreting What We See. Web. 14 October
2014.
Schrank, Jeffrey. The Language of Advertising Claims. University of Mississippi. Web. 14
October 2014.

Jimenez 6