There was a time when you could learn a little bit about somebody just by looking inside their
car.
Bumper stickers did some of the talking. Maybe there was something hanging from the rearview
mirror, a favorite team somewhere on the dash, or some little accessory that probably came
from an auto parts store, truck stop, gas station, or gift shop. None of it was particularly
important, but that was sort of the point. Cars had personality.
Somewhere along the way, it feels like the humble air freshener disappeared from that equation.
Obviously, air fresheners still exist. Walk into just about any gas station or auto parts store and
you'll find the familiar Little Trees hanging somewhere near the register. I have bought plenty of
them myself. The problem is that they seem to last about a day or two before the scent falls off
a cliff, and then the old ones start piling up on the rearview mirror like some kind of automotive
archaeological record.
You end up with six trees hanging there, and somehow your truck still smells like oil & diesel.
Buying them in bulk doesn’t really solve the problem either. You may save a little money, but you’re still buying more of the same limited designs. If what you’re looking for is something with a little more personality, buying six at once doesn’t really change much.
It works….. Sort of.
But what I really miss isn't necessarily the smell. I miss the personality of it.
There used to be much more of a marketplace for the little things people put in their cars simply
because they liked them. American car culture has always had an element of self-expression to
it. Some people spend thousands of dollars customizing a vehicle. Most of us are doing
something considerably less dramatic. Maybe it's a sticker, a license plate frame, a shift knob,
something hanging from the mirror, or some goofy little thing that makes your vehicle feel a little
more like yours.
Air fresheners fit perfectly into that world.
Today, if you want something beyond the handful of standard options hanging at the local parts
store, you're probably going online. And to be fair, the custom market is pretty impressive. You
can get an air freshener with a picture of your dog, your kids, your family, or probably just about
anything else you can upload as a photograph.
That's great…..
But there seems to be a huge gap between "generic tree" and "upload your own JPEG."
Where did everything in the middle go?
Where are the interesting designs? Where are the hobbies, occupations, communities, jokes,
local culture, car culture and all of the other little things people use to express who they are?
That question stands out to me even more when it comes to the military and first-responder
communities.
I've lived all over the country: California, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma,
Tennessee, North Carolina and plenty of places in between. I've spent a lot of time around
military installations, veterans, law enforcement, firefighters and other first responders.
And for the life of me, I cannot remember seeing much of anything in the air-freshener world
aimed specifically at those communities.
There is certainly no shortage of military merchandise in America. You can buy hats, shirts,
patches, decals, challenge coins, coffee mugs, tumblers, flags and just about anything else
imaginable representing every branch of service.
The same is true for police, fire and EMS.
But air fresheners?
Almost nothing.
It strikes me as a strange hole in the market, particularly because these are communities that
already have strong traditions of symbols, unit identity, occupational pride and a healthy
appreciation for things that don't necessarily have to take themselves too seriously.
A Marine Corps air freshener. An Army Airborne design. A firefighter helmet. A police badge. A
military occupational specialty. An old unit insignia. Something funny that only somebody who
served would understand.
None of this needs to be profound.
That's actually what I miss about this kind of thing.
Not everything we buy has to be some major statement about our identity. Sometimes it can just
be a three-inch piece of cardboard hanging from a rearview mirror that smells good and makes
you smile when you get into your truck.
Maybe the air freshener is overdue for a comeback.
Not the pile of six dead trees hanging from the mirror. We already have plenty of those.
I'm talking about the air freshener as a small piece of automotive personality again.
Something inexpensive. Something fun. Something that lasts long enough to be worth buying.
And maybe something that represents the people, places and communities that don't currently
have much of a presence in that market.
Hopefully somebody out there sees the same empty space.
Because America's cars could stand to have a little personality hanging from the rearview mirror
again.
Tyler E. Randall
Co-Founder, Troop Issue Collective