Chatham man gets whiff of fame through national ad

Simon Saltzman has 50 years of memories scattered throughout his historic home in Chatham.

Widowed in the spring, he's now planning to sell, move and downsize to an apartment in the Maplewood area where he can be closer to his daughter, Alice, and grandson, Ben. He won't have enough room there for all his possessions, but thanks to his participation in a national advertising campaign, he can rely on familiar aromas to help him revisit half a century on Second Street.

Saltzman, 76, nailed an audition for a Air Wick's "Give the Gift of Home" ad campaign, anchored by a 3 1/2-minute video directed by Oscar-nominated Zachary Heinzerling. The video and the campaign are designed to bring families all over the world closer together by capturing the meaningful connection between scent and home.

Saltzman shares the spotlight with two older couples who also are in the process of moving from their longtime homes.

"Alice's partner saw something on social media advertising, evidently, that Air Wick was looking for an old codger like me who was making a transition to different quarters," he said. "It dealt with memories and aromas, and they were auditioning people. One thing led to another, and we had a Skype interview that included Ben coming to the house. I was really surprised when they selected me."

A longtime theater professional who has produced off-Broadway plays (casting a young Michael Douglas and Raul Julia in his first New York stage role), Saltzman's resume included a term as the theater critic for the Daily Record. He still files reviews for US1 Newspaper in Princeton and Curtainup.com while serving as president of the New York Outer Critics Circle.

His wife, Lucy Ann, who died on April 17, also devoted a career to the theater arts, teaching public speaking and other subjects at Drew University and directing public relations at Playwrights Theatre in Madison. Alice, a teacher at the Stella Adler School of Acting, also is a talented actress, having performed at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Ben, 13, is a budding thespian and accomplished dancer.

"It's a family tradition getting into the limelight," Saltzaman said. "We're a very close family."

Spending most of his theatrical life behind the scenes, Air Wick has finally given Saltzman the opportunity to play a starring role. The video went live on YouTube on Tuesday — receiving nearly 3 million hits by Saturday morning — and will be shared on several social media platforms.

Time will tell if it can out-hit the 2014 video featuring deployed soldiers receiving custom scents. The 2014 soldier video has received more than 3.5 million hits on YouTube since its debut, and a representative for Air Wick says it has generated more than 10 million hits overall.

"I don't really know who watches these things," Saltzman said. "It's a little baffling. I guess we'll have to see."

He still was a bit baffled by the entire idea of the project until he saw the soldier video.

The new video opens and closes with the Saltzman clan. A film crew spent a few days on Second Street at Saltzman's seven-bedroom, 19th century home to interview him and film him with Alice and Ben, playing games and gathering around the family piano. They also spent a day at Alice's house in Maplewood."It was very emotional," he said. "Although my experience is not the same, it struck a chord. It was hard to watch without getting teary. Once I saw it, I was more inclined to go along. I wasn't sure how professional this would be, but they were amazing. This was not amateur time."

​"It's a commercial with a narrative line," he said. "Although it wasn't scripted. We spoke spontaneously about the memories in the house. And it was all tied to aromas."

As part of the deal, Air Wick representatives interviewed him about his life with Lucy Ann to identify what kind of aromas might help spark happy memories. They turned those suggestions over to the company perfumers, who meticulously crafted scents tailored to Saltzman and the other subjects featured in the video.

"It was a very interesting process because we were dealing with the kind of cooking Lucy Ann did, what her specialties were, what I remembered in the way of aromas," he said. "And the garden. Lilacs, honeysuckle, that sort of thing."

"Moving from a place you have lived for a long time can be emotionally trying," said an Air Wick perfumer identified in the video as Brian. "Scents are one of the most powerful memory triggers. It's very challenging to capture someone's home and experiences in a single fragrance. We'd like to help them take a piece of home with them wherever we go."

In the end, they chose to recreate the scent of the ginger tea Simon and Lucy Ann Saltzman enjoyed in their living room, "Our version of high tea," Saltzman called it. It was delivered to him last week in a box with a letter promising him the aroma of "fresh ginger and a hint of cinnamon."

It's wonderful," Saltzman said. "I've been sniffing it, and others who come by are sniffing it. Alice and Ben haven't got their turn at sniffing it, but they will soon."

In keeping with the theme of home, Air Wick has partnered with Habitat for Humanity International for the holiday season by donating $250,000 through a portion of its profits to benefit families in need.

See the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zZo2K5A8I

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-917-9242; wwesthoven@GannettNJ.com.