The thing about most food advertisements is that they have to make the food look appetizing in order to sell it, yet the main trigger of the drive to eat is the smell of cooking food.  Billboards can do all the photography tricks known to man to make the food look tasty, but the best way to sell the steak isn’t the sizzle, it’s the scent.  That’s why Bloom has made a scent-bellowing flavored billboard that smells like black pepper and charcoal.

Bloom, a grocery store chain owned by Food Lion, is debuting a new line of beef at their stores, and what better way to sell the beef than by tormenting drivers with the delicious taste and smell of meat?  So they rigged their billboard along NC 150 in central Mooresville, North Carolina, with a powerful fan and scent cartridges.  Every morning and afternoon during rush hour (7-10AM and 4-7PM) between now and June 18, the meat will hit the fans.  It’s sure to be a hit, but unlike the BMW sign with the kid on top, won’t cause a glut of 911 calls.

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.  Or maybe I’m just getting hungry because it’s breakfast time.  Either way, I want some steak.

Tags: Bloom, Food Lion, Mooresville, North Carolina, NC150, billboard smells like charcoal and black pepper, scented billboard, billboard pumps out cooking smells, scented advertisements, scented ads, unusual ads, unusual advertisements, black pepper and charcoal

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