Ajmal Perfumes recently integrated its signature scents into the narrative of Emirati horror-thriller movie BAAB. For the 75-year-old fragrance house, the collaboration signals a step away from traditional marketing, bringing the partnership to life through personal encounters at the film’s premiere in Dubai.
The activation included prominent presence at the movie’s premiere, supporting the brand’s placement in the film with scented wristbands. Each guest’s admission wristband carried Ajmal Perfumes’ Strings of Oud fragrance. Therefore, Ajmal built the activation around its core philosophy of crafting memories.
“We wanted people to feel the brand in a way that’s personal and lasting, not just visually,” said Anup Kondakundi, Vice President – Marketing Strategy and Brand Transformation, Ajmal Perfumes.
Kondakundi explained that the partnership with BAAB was more than just logo placement on a screen. Instead, the objective was to emotionally connect with audiences to leave a lasting impact through cinematic storytelling.
“Scent doesn’t work like a logo,” said Kondakundi. “It works emotionally. So the experience had to feel natural, not inserted.”
In the film, Ajmal Perfumes’ fragrance Dahn Al Oud Shams is woven directly into the storyline, making the brand part of the narrative rather than an add-on. The scented wristbands aimed to be an emotional anchor in shared lived experiences and therefore shifting the brand from being seen to being felt.
“Together, these touchpoints helped Ajmal move from visibility to engagement,” said Kondakundi. The fragrance house embedded itself in a cultural moment through olfactory storytelling, rather than simply associating with it.
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The insights and strategy behind Ajmal Perfumes’ BAAB activation
Ajmal Perfumes leveraged its vertically integrated model to stay closely connected to how people experience scent across cultures and markets.
Through continuous dialogue with global perfumers, sourcing partners, retail teams, and consumers across multiple markets, the fragance brand outlined four overarching insights that shaped the idea behind this activation:
- Fragrance is chosen emotionally before it is evaluated rationally
- Context significantly amplifies fragrance recall
- Long-form, immersive experiences create deeper brand imprinting
- Integrated brand presence builds trust more effectively than interruption
Ajmal Perfumes found that the medium of cinema binds these four points to offer something brands can’t manufacture on their own: emotion at scale.
“For Ajmal, that matters because fragrance itself operates through emotion and memory, not explanation,” said Kondakundi.
“With a 75-year legacy rooted in the region, Ajmal has always viewed scent as a form of storytelling,” he added. “Cinema provides a space where stories are experienced deeply and collectively, allowing Ajmal to integrate fragrance within narratives audiences choose to engage with, rather than positioning the brand around them.”
By making scent something people carried with them through the evening, the activation reinforced memory through experience rather than visibility.
“Design was intentionally minimal, with fragrance as the central element,” said Kondakundi. “It positioned Ajmal in a unique way, as a brand that crafts memories both on screen and beyond it.”
The collaboration included the personal involvement of the film’s director, Nayla Al Khaja. Together with the BAAB creative team, Ajmal Perfumes integrated itself into the film’s narrative.
A main motif in the film’s plot is scent and how it functions as a marker of memory and character’s psychological states. When Dahn Al Oud Shams was shared with her, she felt it matched the emotional intensity and darkness she often explores in her work, leading her to decide to integrate it into the film.
Results that sparked meaningful conversations
Kondakundi said the activation sparked meaningful conversations, catching the attention of the wider industry and proving to be the exact results the brand hoped for.
“Honestly, the sales uplift was rewarding, but what really made an impression was the buzz it generated,” he said.
“In our 75th year, that felt particularly important,” he added. “It showed us that Ajmal is being noticed not just for its legacy, but for how it’s choosing to show up today, through culture, storytelling, and meaningful associations.”
