FiFi Winners Should Shout It Out

Rochelle Bloom, president of The Fragrance Foundation, reflects upon this year’s FiFi Awards.

By Rochelle Bloom, president of The Fragrance Foundation

This year, not even a thunderous downpour could dampen the upbeat feeling at the 2010 FiFi Awards as guests arrived and literally ran for the entrance of The Downtown Armory in Manhattan. Despite the humidity, the ladies looked glamorous, the gentlemen looked elegant, the celebrities were on their best behavior and the paparazzi went into a frenzy as industry VIPs and famous faces mingled and walked the red carpet.

It’s hard to imagine that the very first FiFi Awards gala was attended by only 250 industry members, and that there were only seven awards presented! This year, we welcomed over 800 guests and awarded 26 FiFis. Every year the small but mighty team at The Fragrance Foundation begins the FiFi process right after the Christmas/New Year period, and we’re always reviewing what went before and how to make it better and more meaningful each time. This year, for example, The Foundation inaugurated its first-ever online charity auction. Thanks to the amazing generosity of Foundation members, a veritable treasure-trove of outstanding one-of-a-kind packages were donated, directly benefiting two incredible non-profit organizations: Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) championed by FiFi Hall of Fame recipient Michael Kors and the New Look Foundation, founded by Usher, the FiFi Male Fragrance Celebrity of The Year. We hope to make this ‘give-back’ component an annual feature of the FiFi celebrations.

The FiFi system is tried and true after so many years. First is the announcement inviting submissions. Then comes the avalanche of products that must all be checked in, paperwork correct and notarized, catalogued, and referenced. Out goes the very first round of judging ballots and set-up of a series of direct judgings for packaging, advertising and more. A further round of ballots follows. From this we announce the top 10 in each category and, at the FIFI breakfast, it is narrowed down to the top five. Another round of voting takes place, only this time we include the consumer via media and social networking online voting. A month later it’s “the envelope please” awards night! Every ballot is tabulated by our accountants, Sperduto, Spector and Company, and held by them until FiFi night. Nothing is seen by The Fragrance Foundation until the envelope is opened on-stage at the awards ceremony.

Here is my heartfelt and sincerely held belief: Every fragrance that is submitted, even though it might not make it through to the final rounds, is a respected winner because the company, perfumer, artisan or creator believed enough in their creation to go “head to head” with their friendly rivals.

And that’s the point of the whole FiFi history. It’s all about honoring and highlighting fragrance creation with all its many facets. Showing off, if you will, the most marvelous creativity, the abundance of talent, the most beautiful fragrances in the world. Some are classics, some are new and modern, some fanciful and youthful, others sophisticated and rare. We recognize those that have made a huge impact on the industry by awarding them with a Hall of Fame Award, or a classic fragrance that holds a place of honor in the fragrance pantheon with its longevity and legions of fans. We celebrate the different categories and the newest technology. We admire the brilliantly inspired visual images that capture the ephemeral nature of fragrance and gasp at the fabulously imaginative bottles and packaging designs.

This year, FiFi winners included powerhouse prestige players like Estée Lauder, Coty, Bath and Body Works and exciting, innovative thinkers like La Prairie and Bond No.9.

On FiFi night we court the press, the paparazzi and the celebs shamelessly, because they bring the world’s attention with them and that in turn gets the consumer interested, excited and purchasing fragrance. On FiFi night, the industry comes together to mix and mingle, host a table or a lounge as a thank you to their own hard-working teams or an opportunity to further a new business venture. Or maybe just to relax, have fun and enjoy being part of our wonderful community.

A final note (pun intended): I would encourage all winners to shout it out. You’ve just won a fantastic award that nobody else in your category has. Sales should be through the roof just about now!

We’re gearing up for FiFi 2011. Are you?