Why lifestyle brands should choose words wiseley. My take as a freelance copywriter

My favourite candle brand has a new strapline. And it’s awful. Let me explain why…

This candle brand isn’t your usual flowery wax in a jar. They really go to town on creating an atmosphere with their visual and verbal identity. And their library of scents is so beautiful - from Amalfi Lemon and Mayan Vanilla to Black Oak and Nordic Cedar, everything I have bought from them smells incredible. The brand feels premium, sophisticated and alluring.

This brand has never just sold candles to me, they’ve sold a lifestyle. A lifestyle that promises a calm, harmonious space, filled with positive thoughts and grounding vibes. They feel special and personal to me, and I can pinpoint chapters of my life to those candles flickering through quiet, dark autumn afternoons or lifting my mood with fresh morning energy.

So why on earth is their new strapline ‘The Science of Smell’?

Especially when the obvious choice should be ‘The Science of Scent’. This is where a freelance copywriter will point you in the right direction, choosing words wiseley, with decades of experience.

The word ‘smell’ sounds cheap, simple and quite negative. When I think of the word ‘smell’, I instantly think of smells I don’t like, from bins to meat cooking (I’m a lifelong vegetarian). But when I think of the word ‘scent’, I instantly think of gourmand perfumes, the sweet natural notes of flowers or the earth, warm scent of rain after a long, hot summer.

‘Smell’ is a functional word. ‘Scent’ is a sensorial word. An established freelance copywriter will know the difference, and instantly choose the word that fits your brand and the feeling you’re trying to evoke. That’s the magic of language in marketing. Same product, same proposition, one word different.

That one word doesn’t just change what you say about your product, it changes the way people FEEL about it.