HOBOKEN: Inspired by the garlicky flavor \u2014 and scent \u2014 of its vampire-repelling Garlic Aioli, Hellmann’s has conjured up an exclusive edition of Jennifer L. Armentrout\u2019s newest novel,\u00a0The Primal of Blood and Bone,\u00a0printed with garlic-infused ink.<\/p>\n
The Unilever condiment brand has partnered with the romantasy author and book publisher Blue Box Press to launch a \u201cCraven-proof\u201d edition of the book,available for purchase October 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The book is designed to ward off Armentrout\u2019s fictional undead creatures, the Craven, created when a vampry, or Ascended, drains a human of all their blood \u2013 akin to a vampire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw this tremendous opportunity to engage this passionate\u00a0#BookTok<\/a>\u00a0community, but in a way that only Hellmann\u2019s could \u2014 with bold flavor,\u201d Jessica Grigoriou, Unilever North America SVP of marketing for condiments, said, referencing the TikTok community of book readers and fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hellmann\u2019s, known for its unique activations and\u00a0out-of-the-box campaigns<\/a>, knew it wanted to tap into the online audience in a way that paired themed foods with readers’ favorite stories, which typically occurs during book clubs or BookTok gatherings.\u00a0<\/p>\n The brand worked with Edelman, its PR agency partner, to bring the unlikely collaboration to life in a matter of months. Edelman global executive creative director Andrew Simon said it came together \u201cwith a lot of blood, sweat, tears and garlic.\u201d<\/p>\n In researching how to incorporate Hellmann\u2019s into the \u201cpassion and vibrancy\u201d of BookTok, Simon said his team came across the romantasy subgenre and was introduced to Armentrout\u2019s\u00a0From Blood and Ash\u00a0world which was set to release its latest series edition,\u00a0The Primal of Blood and Bone, in late September.\u00a0<\/p>\n He reached out to Armentrout\u2019s independent publisher Blue Box Press in June and immediately knew cofounders Jillian Stein and Liz Berry were the right partners to work with on the unique collaboration.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re always trying to do something new and fun, but we’re limited because we are small and primarily just in publishing,\u201d Stein said, explaining that, when she received Simon\u2019s email, she and Berry knew they couldn\u2019t turn down the opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n Blue Box Press has partnered with brands such as Barnes & Noble, Walmart and Target for special editions of their authors\u2019 books, but Hellmann\u2019s marked its first novel outside of the traditional publishing space, according to Stein.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Armentrout\u2019s vamprys are not known to readers as being garlic-averse like the vampires of traditional spooky-lore, Simon explained that it\u2019s generally understood that garlic keeps vampires away, \u201cspecifically the ugly, creepy ones.\u201d<\/p>\n Hellmann\u2019s and Edelman partnered with Armentrout to make the product \u201cauthentic and true to the series,\u201d Grigoriou said, noting details like the \u201cCraven-proof\u201d language featured on the book\u2019s updated cover art.<\/p>\n To create the first-of-its-kind scented book, Simon reached out to Edelman\u2019s production partner to see if it was possible to print a book with garlic ink \u2014 and the team made it happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBecause of the passion around the idea, it came together very quickly,\u201d Simon said, explaining that there were multiple rounds of garlic tests. \u201cThrough much experimentation, we realized that it doesn’t take a lot of garlic to have a very big impact.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The book itself is 800 pages, but the teams decided it would be \u201ctoo much\u201d to print every single page with garlic. The garlic ink is featured instead in the ex-libris, or bookplate, in the beginning of the book, which Simon said is the \u201cperfect amount\u201d of garlic smell, ranking in at a four out of 10 on the \u201cgarlic meter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The scent will likely dissipate over time, he noted, so readers won\u2019t have to worry about their house or book collection reeking of garlic.<\/p>\n Unlike the standard edition, which was released September 23, the Craven-proof version of\u00a0The Primal of Blood and Bone\u00a0features garlic bulb cover art by artist Hang Le, who has worked on all of the covers for the series. She created the special garlic-clove book jacket to make the edition more unique and special, Stein said, in theme with its garlicky scent.\u00a0<\/p>\n For a limited time,\u00a0From Blood and Ash\u00a0fans can purchase one of the about 1,000 smelly special edition books at\u00a0HellmannsCravenProof.com<\/a>. Book club gatherers can also access three original recipes inspired by\u00a0The Primal of Blood and Bone,\u00a0including The Casteel-erole, Poppy\u2019s Plater and Garlic Sliders of the Ascended, crafted by Hellmann\u2019s in partnership with Edelman.<\/p>\n The recipes were created with book club hosting in mind, according to Grigoriou, including easily shareable platters that readers can bring to their next book club meeting and eat while discussing.<\/p>\n The teams are leading social-first in the marketing around the launch, she explained, including engaging BookTokers and creators who have been teasing the coffin mailer ahead of the limited-edition book\u2019s release on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n @bailees_bookshelf<\/a> Wonder what @Hellmann\u2019s Mayonnaise could have sent me\u2026 Reveal coming soon, come back on 10\/1 to see what\u2019s inside! #HellmannsPartner<\/a> #BookTok<\/a> #booktokfyp<\/a> #bookish<\/a> \u266c original sound – Bailee<\/a><\/p>\n Hellmann\u2019s will also release a making-of-the-book video, showcasing the experimentation that went into crafting the first-ever scented collectible.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Blue Box Press has similarly reached out to creators within the BookTok and TikTok community who have engaged with previous releases throughout the series to share advanced copies and build excitement around the collaboration.<\/p>\n @heaths.bookclub<\/a> @Hellmann\u2019s Mayonnaise citing special edition collab! Keep an eye out for this one BookTok\u2026 10\/1 #HellmannsPartner<\/a> \u266c original sound – heather<\/a><\/p>\n The publisher is additionally working with a book club to promote and make the featured recipes and share the experience across social media \u2013 in theme with the role food plays throughout the series, Stein said.<\/p>\n Armentrout herself teased the garlicky collaboration in an Instagram post Monday, signing books,\u00a0Hellmann\u2019s mayo bottles<\/a>\u00a0and garlic cloves and hinting at a \u201cspecial (smelling) edition\u201d of her new book.<\/p>\n \u201cI never expected to be collaborating with Hellmann\u2019s, and I\u2019m still kind of shocked that I am, but it has been such a fun and unique experience that pairs perfectly with my tongue-in-cheek humor,\u201d Armentrout said of the partnership, via email.\u00a0<\/p>\n