My next project for Fashion Communication and Promotion is focused on fragrance. We haven't been told much yet, but we will eventually be working in teams and creating our own fragrance, packaging and the marketing. As an introduction, we were asked to watch the BBC Perfume Documentary. Each episode focused on different parts of the industry, from specific brands to perfumers and perfume houses. So much goes into the creation of perfumes, I was unaware of the process before watching this documentary.
Episode 1, "Something New, Something Old" explores the perfume houses and investigates how important marketing is for fragrances. It is just as important as the smell. The main focus in this episode was the perfume house Guerlains. This house is based in France and they sell brand perfumes with ancient recipes. The biggest clientele is mothers, they aim to impress mothers so they can bring their children in - this is the best age to grab customers because if you attract them at a young age, you are more likely to keep those clients for life. Every Wednesday, the people of Guerlain meet to discuss recent affairs, there are secret mixes added to each of the fragrances. These recipes are kept in a book that has been around for decades (it even survived when the factory got bombed). Unfortunately, Jean Paul Guerlain made a racist remark on a talk show and his contract was terminated. However, the company remains open and and is run by someone else.
In New York, Mothers day is the most important day for fragrance. The American brand Tommy Hilfiger wanted to create a fragrance that connects with the younger generation. His main aim was to mix music and fragrance together. The brand began brainstorming around the idea of Rock and Roll. The next step was to get two perfumers to compare recent launches of perfume to see what is selling. Tommy Hilfiger commissioned the Ting Tings for the advert of the new fragrance 'Loud' (see above). The brand ambassadors were Daisy Lowe and Josh Beech, they both love music and are idols for the younger generation. During the fragrance launch, the project manager said that you can never predict full success in the business so it is very risky.
Re-visit tomorrow for my thoughts on episode 2!
Photo Credit - Google Images
