Donald Trump - the fragrance

Annys Shin wrote about The Donald's latest venture in Friday's Washington Post.

For only $60, you too can exude the sweet smell of bankruptcy - oops, I meant success.

Here's the story.
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For the Sweet Smell of Success, Lauder Offers an Eau de Trump

If real estate mogul and television star Donald Trump were distilled into a fragrance, what would it smell like?

Champagne? Newly minted bills?

Try a hint of mint and cucumber mixed with the scent of pepper and wood.

Donald Trump, the fragrance, will be making its debut at a Macy's or a Bloomingdale's near you, just in time for the Christmas shopping season.

The cologne for men, developed by Estee Lauder, will come in a skyscraper-shaped 3.4-ounce bottle - large by industry standards - capped by the golden Trump logo.

It will retail for $60.

"People want to become him, have a piece of him. The volume of books he sells is an indication. He's selling water," said Fabrice Weber, president of Aramis and Designer Fragrances, a division of Estee Lauder.

He was referring to "Trump Ice," Trump's line of bottled water.

And what is fragrance after all, but scented water?

Since "The Apprentice" has become a reality television hit, Trump has wasted little time churning out his own version of product tie-ins: books, a board game, a clothing line.

And there is more to come.

The 58-year-old billionaire has applied to trademark "You're Fired!" to use on clothing, games and casino services, and "Trump University" for a planned online business and real-estate-related educational services.

Trump could use the cash.

His casino business, Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, is in debt $1.8 billion and has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Talks on a proposed bailout deal were reported to have dissolved yesterday.

A need for green could explain Trump's zeal to license his name to products that have little to do with his core real estate and casino expertise - a strategy that could later backfire, experts say.

Until now, Trump products "all deal with the world of business... A fragrance is such a leap from what he is known for," said John Allen of Lippincott Mercer, a brand consulting firm.

"You can go from being an iconic brand to - not a joke, but you dilute it so much you're just a huckster."