Serena Williams' New Fragrance Is Lovely—Too Bad Only SUVs Will Get to Wear It

Serena Williams is a longtime habitué of Art Basel in Miami, so it’s no surprise the paparazzi found her there last week. It’s also no surprise that Williams was in town to introduce a new signature fragrance—Coastal Morning, it’s called—because, well, celebrities launch fragrances all the time. And since Williams has been a brand ambassador for Lincoln since 2018, it was also only logical that she popped up alongside Lincoln’s Star Concept vehicle. But one thing was a surprise. Williams’ new fragrance isn’t meant for the pulse points of women driving a Lincoln—it’s meant for the Lincoln. A luxury SUV deserves a good scent When Lincoln took the wraps off its Star Concept in Los Angeles back in April, it announced Rejuvenation Moods, a feature it hopes to install in the Navigator in the years ahead. The technology will allow drivers to create multisensory interior atmospheres that combine varicolored lighting, audio effects and fragrances. Not until last week, however, did Lincoln reveal that at one of those fragrances had been curated by Serena Williams. Williams’ Coastal Morning (a sea-mist fragrance meant to be paired with ocean sounds and sunrise colors) is one of three “moods” envisioned for future Lincolns. There’s also Mindful Vitality (soft lighting combined with floral scents) and Evening Chill, which blends a “night soundtrack” with the scent of evergreen trees. So while it's usually centered on exhibiting paintings and sculpture, this time Art Basel offered a peek at some futuristic automotive marketing, too. As any gearhead knows, most of the bells and whistles that appear on concept cars rarely make it into production models. (In 2021, for example, Mercedes’ Vision AVTR concept car did away with that pesky steering wheel—perhaps not such a great idea in the world of daily driving) But Lincoln, a nameplate that’s been a division of Ford for a century now, seems pretty serious about in-cabin atmospherics being a differentiator for the nameplate. Fragrance branding “is more than just kicking the can around,” Lincoln’s marketing communications manager Eric Peterson told Adweek. “We think there’s something here.” The Star Concept vehicle was meant to turn heads, even if it doesn't make it as-is to the assembly line. Replacing the roaring engine Part of Lincoln’s interest in customizing light, sound and scent in its cabins obviously stems from basic market forces. SUVs now make up over half of all automobile sales in the U.S., according to Verified Market Research, and competition is keen. But another factor that encouraged Lincoln to consider sensory perks is the engine—or, rather, the disappearance of it. Last year, Ford executive chair Bill Ford pledged to “lead America’s transition to electric vehicles.” Lincoln, for its part, has said it will be fully electric by 2030. Among other things, that means that a perennial selling point for any performance vehicle—the purr of a well-tuned engine—will disappear. Other sensory experiences will need to replace it, and Peterson believes that aromatics could well be among them. “It’s important to think about all the sensory things that go into experiencing a vehicle,” he said. “It's not just as simple as putting your foot on the pedal.” A signature element of the classic Lincoln Continental in the 1960s, clamshell doors reappeared on the Star Concept. A whiff of Abercrombie The technology Lincoln is tinkering with isn’t exactly new. Luxury hotels (Mandarin Oriental, The Four Seasons) and apparel retailers (Brooks Brothers, Bloomingdale's) have used HVAC-based diffusers to disburse nanoparticles of scented oils into their public areas for years, literally branding the air that customers breathe. Former adolescents of the 1990s will remember how Abercrombie pumped clouds of a fragrance called Fierce into its retail stores—which not coincidentally also sold a cologne with the same aroma and the same name. According to company ScentAir, founded in 1994 and now an industry leader in providing signature scents to commercial establishments, the right aroma can “strengthen brand identity,” improve customer satisfaction by 20% and even boost sales by 9%. Speaking at Lincoln's Art Basel event, Williams described Rejuvenation Moods (and her own fragrance as part of it) as a respite that’s missing from the driving experience. “We spend more and more time in the car," she said. "And when we were thinking about this concept, we really wanted it to be a sanctuary,” she said. Lincoln isn’t the first upmarket automaker to experiment with onboard fragrance as a cue to refinement. When Daimler introduced the Mercedes-Maybach GLS in late 2019, for example, the luxury SUV came complete with a signature scent the company described as a “white osmanthus blossom, floral and light, rounded off by a gentle leather note and spicy tea … on a bed of natural greenery.” BMW already installs an “ambient air system” in its cars. “It unites warm woody notes, amber and the aroma of coffee with the elegance of a stylish hint of leather,” according to the web site. “The fragrance cartridge is inserted easily into the dispersal unit in the glove compartment.” Gardenia—or just a gimmick? It’s unclear whether these aromas are intended as just another luxury option or if they can truly succeed as differentiators for their brands. Paul Eisenstein, editor and publisher of The Detroit Bureau, isn’t entirely convinced. “It's quite gimmicky,” he said. “On the other hand, for folks who spent tremendous amounts of money, they're looking for little things that differentiate their vehicle from more plebian models. And this may just click with some buyers.” “Certainly,” he added, “having a designer scent flow through the cabin is going to remind you that you've bought something special.” Swedish Electric Car Brand Polestar to Build In-House Creative Agency The essence of customization Which might just end up making the difference for Lincoln. Coastal Morning isn’t just a nice fragrance—it’s Serena’s nice fragrance. What’s more, Peterson said, Rejuvenation Moods is different than a pleasant scent atomized around the cabin in that it’s customizable to the driver’s moods. “It's brilliant,” said Petur Workman, a veteran branding and marketing strategist. “Lincoln is known in the African American community, so I feel like a Lincoln-Serena interior environment experience is really hitting it out of the park.” Time will tell. Meanwhile, Serena Williams already sells an extensive line of body mists at Walmart under the name Whatever It Takes. And until Lincoln brings its Rejuvenation Moods to market, motorists can spritz a bit of Serena onto themselves for only $13.50, even if they only drive a Kia.