No Other Rose Could Smell as Sweet

But maybe a peony could?

By the time you are reading this column, the winnersof this year’s FiFi Awards will have been announced.(See Cosmetic Packaging & Design, April/May.)

But, who are the real winners and losers in today’s fragrance market place? The luxury signature scents of Dior and Chanel, still popular 50 years on? Or, the new (and often short-lived) cele­brity bestsellers?

The cycle of fragrance innovation is speeding up, driven by our fascination with the new, with celebrity and with innovation, but, as this cycle continues to speed up, are we in danger of losing the exclusivity this industry is based on?

The Peony—Here for the Season

As if in recognition of this inevitability, many new fragrances and fragrance line extensions are just dedicated to the season and marketed as “summer scents.” Sheer Stella (Stella McCartney) is guaranteed to “delight the senses on a hot summer day,” Island (Michael Kors) “transports you with one spray,” and “this summer, Cartier is emphasizing the fresh, citrus and sparkling notes of the classic Eau de Cartier – Cartier d’Ete,” calling it, “Fresh, citrus, clean, floral”–adjectives we would probably expect to find describing a summer fragrance. But this year’s “hardy perennial” is undoubtedly the humble peony.
The peony flower is this year’s signature base note and features heavily in new scents such as Salvatore Ferragamo’s Incanto Dream, Carolina Herrera’s 212 on Ice, Ines de la Fressange’s Ines de la Fressange, while Thierry Mugler has introduced Peony, as one in a range of new fragrances based on spring/summer flowers…

Pink Sugar and Gucci Envy Me are also new fragrances featuring…you’ve guessed it…peony…But, can you spot the obvious difference in these two brands? No? Me neither. In terms of packaging and positioning, both are combinations of pink flowers and red and pink fruits, both are in standard bottle structures, both are competitively priced. Pink Sugar has a red ribbon graphic laced around the bottle, suggesting a wrapped present, while Gucci Envy Me has chosen to stamp the bottle with a repetition of the Gucci logo in pink. Line these two up in an identity parade with, say, the wonderfully cerise pink Paris Hilton and what is the motivating factor for choosing one above the other? Celebrity name? Designer logo? Kitsch and retro? Stock structure, standard packaging—what does this say about the exclusivity of brand values?

Know Your Audience

However, unlike my study of the hair care sector in last month’s column, this is not just about choice and cutting through plethora of product. It is about actively targeting the individual consumer rather than providing a mass offering. In this way, we can start to redefine a market place that is, in my opinion, in danger of becoming self-sabotaging, homogeneous and lacking in identity. I believe that in order to be successful and to revive the desire and exclusivity associated with this marketplace, fragrance brands need to forget about jumping on a short-lived bandwagon and look at building trust, loyalty and longevity with the individual consumer.Easier said than done, of course…

There will be those more than ready to fork out $118 for Acqua di Parma’s new Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile, made from the Iris, one of the world’s most expensive and elegant flowers. Some will buy it because it is favored by Sienna Miller, but what makes it exclusive and desirable is its point of difference—the fact that this is the brand’s first fragrance just for women. There has been no concession made to the standard (as in iconic and beautifully understated) Acqua di Parma packaging, which is instantly recognizable. The brand has a sense of luxury and exclusivity maintained and reinforced by its very consistency.

Design Must Reflect Desire

In the world of fragrance, as with all consumer products, design and desire are very closely linked. Understanding consumer motivation is the key to imagining the future of desire. To successfully package a product, be it food, drink or fragrance, the designer needs to know what’s hot and what’s not—what the consumer perceives to be bad and what the consumer perceives to be good. The brand in question will determine the logical point of balance between emotion and function with the designer using simple structure, clever graphics, name generation and clear copy to transfer knowledge and desire. The consumer will trust and remain loyal to only those brands in which the packaging communicates the brand’s message and is consistent with its image.

I believe that another route to both success and longevity is to appeal to the trendsetters who, by the very nature of their buying motivation, want to be able to express some of their individuality in the fragrance experience. Jo Malone is a prime example of a brand concentrating on the individual. It is successful leading, not following, with a simple, uncluttered and elegant design perfectly reflecting the brand’s values. At the other end of the price scale, but on a distinct par with Jo Malone when it comes to meeting consumer need and being one step ahead of the game, is GAP. GAPBody has just introduced its Gap Scent Editions Perfume Oils, customizable fragrances, consisting of 12 single-note aromas that can be mixed and matched to come up with the perfect scent for the individual. The slim, glass, roll-on bottles have achieved the perfect functional vs. emotional balance. They are easily transportable for easy re-applicatios, but are also evocative of school test-tubes, conveying the sense of fun in your own experimentation. The 12 scents span all the top notes and base notes you require from floral to citrus to musk and, yet again, peony! However, each Gap fragrance has a simple name made up of base note and one adjective—Crushed Peony is exactly what it says on the bottle! To truly make names (or graphics, or packaging, or structure) work for the individual, you need to allow the wearer to “fill in the gaps.” GAP is allowing the individual consumer to be part of the brand narrative and creative process in all respects and this is what the art of fine fragrance needs to revisit.

And today, when we revisit consumer needs and desires, we find a consumer who is looking to relate, to connect, to engage and to be involved with both people and with brands. Therefore, fragrance brands need to slow down and be driven by the desire to meet real human need by putting more time, care and attention at the heart of the brand—embracing the hand-made, the custom-made, the discreet, the different over the ubiquitous and mass; the exclusive.

Today’s consumer is buying into experiences, rather than things. L’Occitane is a good example of an experience-based brand. It is evocative of the bygone era of the apothecary, where you as the consumer feel very much a part of the brand and what it represents. This is reflected in-store where everything has been carefully considered and the sales staff take the time to talk to you and explain the process and ingredients from which their scents are composed. Stepping into their shops is as much about taking time out, as it is about buying the product. It’s not just about the product or the packaging but the whole, holistic experience.

Perfumery as an Art Form

The notion of investing in time, care and attention is nothing new for this industry.Perfumery needs to once again be revered as an art form, a craft and a skill that takes time to learn and perfect; a slow, custom-made and holistic process, encompassing product, packaging and positioning that is as much about the individual recipient as ‘The Nose.’

It comes down to the basic understanding that everything is done better and better received, when it is done slowly. Doing things slowly heightens the experience. To embrace and evoke exclusivity, fragrance needs to again become an engaging experience, not a too quickly forgotten commodity.