The ad trying to change the smell of this New York subway station for Christmas

New York City’s bustling subway system typically assaults commuters with a pungent blend of industrial and bodily odours. but not one station this festive season.

Now a section of Grand Central station is offering a distinctly different experience: the air is filled with the scent of vanilla and fresh pine.

All courtesy of a novel advertising campaign by Bath & Body Works, which is actively diffusing the fragrance into the 42nd Street shuttle train platform throughout November. While many commuters remain oblivious, the source of this aroma comes from diffusers discreetly attached to a steel girder above the platform and along the walls of a connecting tunnel.

Those who do glance upwards can observe them emitting visible bursts of vapour. Bath & Body Works anticipates that between 20 and 30 pounds (9 to 14 kilograms) of fragrance will have been dispersed by the campaign’s conclusion at the end of the month.

“It smells better than the normal New York City tunnels that we normally smell here,” commuter Jerome Murray said. “So yes, I appreciate it.”

The area is one of the busiest parts inside the transit hub, with people moving quickly as they transfer to and from the Times Square shuttle every four to five minutes.

Commuter Kelly Rodriguez, 23, described the smell as “a pine scent, very Christmassy” — a note given by many riders. Kathleen Baptiste, 60, added that it reminds her of “fabric softeners.”

The scent is subtle enough that some riders said they missed it as they traveled through the space. If you didn’t see the poster explaining that it is a Bath & Body Works ad campaign, it could be easy to mistake for another rider’s perfume.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s subways and buses, says this is the first ad campaign of its kind inside the transit network, which is seeking to generate new revenue streams. Hoping to avoid any blowback, the agency tested a pilot of aroma-based ads last year in stations in Queens and Brooklyn to review the safety and gather feedback, according to Mary John, the agency’s director of commercial ventures.

John says the agency has not received any complaints so far.

Jamie Sohosky, Bath & Body Works’ chief marketing officer, said the retail chain chose “Fresh Balsam” for the campaign because it is one of the brand’s most iconic holiday scents and a long-running seasonal favorite. Grand Central, she said, was a natural choice, since huge numbers of riders pass through while connecting to other trains.