It looks like we finally have someone to thank for the way things smell around USC. This year, marketing students took on an ambitious business venture as part of a new hands-on approach, and what their efforts yielded was astounding to say the least.
“Our team spent a lot of time considering what students want to spend their money on,” explains Josie Brooks, a sophomore marketing student. “Turns out it’s candles. Lots and lots of candles.”
But as everyone knows, USC students aren’t satisfied with doing what’s “expected” or “entirely practical,” so this particular group took candles to a whole new level, or should we say, a natural level.
“We wanted to create candle scents that appealed to people’s preference for all things natural” says Freddy Quinn, a junior. “So we thought about what “natural’ means and went a little crazy with it,” he smiles ruefully. “Crazy with inspiration!”
That inspiration Freddy was talking about has led to a whole new line of natural collegiate scents, which includes Dude’s Room, Looks Like Someone Cooked Fish With the Windows Closed, Trash?, Refrigerator Mystery Smell, This Shirt Needs Washing, Ladies’ Public Restroom, and Roommate That Believes in Animals’ Happiness More Than Deodorant, to name a few.
Sure enough, these candles have been flying off the shelves, and the students behind this whole project could not be more pleased.
Just ask Charles Hinkle, the faculty advisor that oversaw the creation of these candles. “I challenged some of the best and brightest students to collaborate and come up with a product that would revolutionize the lives of students. Not just at USC, but at every university. Their answer was a candle that smelled like spilled beer. I feel the same way any professor in my shoes would feel,” he says. “Extremely proud.”
Freddy left us with one sneak preview. “We’re working on another common smell found around USC. It’s called Success.” He smiles widely before adding, “Funny thing is, it smells a lot like our Trash one.”
Couldn’t have said it better.
