I went to smell the ‘sickly’ advert inside King’s Cross – this is what it’s actually like

Commuters in London have been left feeling ‘nauseous’ while getting the Tube – and not because of that viral video.

A new Magnum ice cream advert has popped up in a tunnel linking St Pancras International and King’s Cross Underground station, and it’s got a very unique feature, one that people are finding a bit much.

As part of the campaign for the brand’s new Milk Chocolate and Cherry Bon Bons, a pungent chocolate scent is being pumped into the air, and apparently, the smell is wafting so far it’s reaching the platforms and escalators too.

When Metro went to check out the controversial ad today, some people seemed unfazed by the waves the smell that can best be described as unappetising and sickly.

One excited commuter yelled ‘it’s Magnum,’ while another one was heard saying ‘it makes me want a Ben & Jerry’s’ to their friend when they walked past the massive billboards.

But staff at the Tube station ticket barriers were not amused.

One of them told Metro: ‘Yesterday it was everywhere, you could smell it all the way down the escalator.

‘But today it has come in waves, like right now I can’t smell it.

‘I don’t like it.’

Another TfL staff member said he was aware there was a ‘strong’ smell lingering around but ‘thankfully I have a really bad sense of smell so I’ve been saved by that.’

Maddie, from London, 21, said she didn’t mind the smell while waiting near the ticket barriers. ‘It’s really sweet, but as long as it’s meant to be here I don’t mind it, but if it’s like from a person or something,’ she said.

When we asked if it smelled familiar she said: ‘It is like chocolate!’

Londoners have taken to social media to complain, with a Reddit user known as u/LucyLottie saying: ‘The scent is far too strong and makes me feel a bit nauseous rather than making me fancy a Magnum.’

While @kt.undercover on TikTok shared: ‘Omg I have to walk through this every day on my way to and from work, and it’s killing me off. It makes me want to scream. Who thought this was a good idea?’

Similarly,  u/deafened_commuter wasn’t keen, writing: ‘I already find the Tube overwhelming on a sensory level, I really don’t want more of my senses being attacked.’

Others have compared the smell to ‘chocolate-scented bubble bath’, said it was ‘out of control’, and ‘not really appetising at all’.

A spokesperson for The Magnum Ice Cream Company said the campaign is intended to be ‘engaging and enjoyable’.

‘The Magnum activation at King’s Cross St Pancras recreates the multi-sensory pleasure of enjoying a Magnum through sight, sound, and scent, and is designed to bring a moment of enjoyment for commuters,’ they explained.

‘Since the campaign began on March 9, we have received mostly positive feedback from commuters onsite and will continue to optimise the campaign, which is scheduled to run until 22 March based on consumer feedback.’

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