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Archive for the ‘Product Trends’ Category

The Nose Knows: What drives YOUR purchase?

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Marketing Consulting, Product Trends, Scented Products, tagged , , , on May 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

While hosting a handful of family members at a Mother’s Day barbecue, the subject of this “fragrance marketing” blog came up, and gave rise to an unexpected debate: What exactly drives the purchase of fragrance products, namely fine fragrance, personal care or household products?

My years of experience in the fragrance industry have conditioned me to always expect – if not assume – that product scent will be the key defining attribute that will drive the purchase…but yesterday’s conversation shed new light on other attributes that are given as much consideration and that also weigh heavily on the purchase decision: mainly price and packaging.

My sister heartily agreed that product scent is what drives her purchase of one product over another competing one, regardless of price. My brother-in-law argued that price and perception of value is what determines which product he buys, while yet another relative stated that the aesthetic appeal of the product packaging is what prompts him to buy a particular product.  

Prior to my entree into the “world of fragrance”, my classical marketing background had taught me the importance of the “4 P’s”: product, pricing, packaging, promotion.  How have I allowed myself to become so seduced by the fragrance appeal of a product that I have discounted the importance and relevance of the other facets of a product’s identity?

The wide-ranging considerations given to the purchase decision by this group of consumers who share similar socio-economic profiles was very revealing to me.   

Are the days of grouping consumers (with shared demographics) into narrowly-defined classifications over?   Have the current economic conditions created a new “template” that will change the dynamics of product purchase and consumption?  And most importantly, how is new product development being modified so  that it acknowledges and satisfies this shift in consumer trends?

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The Nose Knows: Finding “value” in fragrance

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Fragrance Trends, Product Trends, Scented Products, tagged , , , on May 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »

More than ever before, people are focused on getting the most use out of their belongings.  Drivers are opting to repair vs. replace their cars, while fashionistas are now “shopping their closets”; reaching for pieces that they haven’t worn in a long time, or combining them in creative ways to produce a “new outfit” that didn’t cost a dime!   The key is to get extended use and/or incremental value out of what we already have.

So how can we apply this to fragrance?  One way is by putting the scents we already own to new uses.   I like to use  fresh, clean, fruity or citrusy scents as closet and drawer refreshers, while voluptuous florals make a nice fragrance statement when used to scent bedrooms and bathrooms.    Lightly spray on a light bulb, and the scent will be dispersed throughout the room as the bulb warms up.  

For a really special indulgence, I spray my bed linens with those fragrances that I find truly luxurious; those that I would normally reserve for a special night out.  I am particularly fond of sensual florals with woody and spicy back notes, and love their scent on my pillow…heavenly!

Get more value out of your fragrance purchase!

Get more value out of your fragrance purchase!

Being value-conscious doesn’t have to mean foregoing a new purchase, though.  You can get much value out of a new fragrance by selecting one that:  a) you absolutely love,  b) is season-appropriate,  c) is “easy” enough to be worn daily and  d) that also lends itself for some of the additional uses described above.  You’ll feel better about your purchase, as you’ll be getting a lot of value for your money! 

So, start viewing your fragrance collection in a whole new light, and see how many different ways you can make your own scent-sational – yet value-conscious – statement!

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The Nose Knows: Don’t just shampoo…Protect your hair!

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Fragrance Trends, Hair Care, Marketing Consulting, Product Trends, Scented Products, tagged , , , on May 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »

The hair care market has been energized by a flurry of new product launches.   Although product aesthetics continue to be important, hair protection seems to be the featured product attribute shared by the most recent hair care launches.aveeno-nourish2Aveeno Nourish+ hair care

Formulas that claimed hair strengthening, color protection and heat protection benefits represented nearly 64% of the 1,155 hair care products introduced in 2007 and early 2008.   In 2009, the “protection” trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down.   With greater numbers of consumers cutting back on expenses and opting to perform some salon treatments at home, hair protection becomes a real issue of importance.  

Aveda Sun Care

 Protection takes on many different forms.  It might refer to color protection, UV protection, to imparting added moisture or conditioning ingredients to the hair shaft, or it can also refer to environmental responsibility. 

Consumers are ever more vigilant about:  companies’ manufacturing practices and sustainability initiatives, biodegradability of product packaging materials, and product ingredients’ ultimate effect on the environment.   This has given rise to an increasing number of launches of sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners, which are perceived as healthier for the hair as well as the environment.

L'Oreal EverPure sulfate free hair care

Last – but not least – aesthetics, particularly consumers’ desire for their hair care products to deliver an overall “sensory experience”, continues to be a valuable enhancement to product performance attributes.  Texture, product-feel during application and visual impact are also important product features. 

The scent, meanwhile, must convey freshness, purity, naturalness and promote  a feeling of well-being, while also incorporating fragrance notes that communicate the protective, healing and nourishing product characteristics.

shampoo-bottles

 

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The Nose Knows: Nostalgia makes a comeback

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Fragrance Trends, Product Trends, Scented Products, tagged , , , on May 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »

The advertising industry is banking on nostalgia themes to get consumers out of their spending slump. 

Consumer good giants are reaching back into their archives and reintroducing earlier jingles or packaging designs used for their products in earlier decades, in hopes that consumers’ nostalgia about the past will help fuel some  optimism about life today.

Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew ThrowbackPepsi Cola and Mountain Dew have reintroduced “throwback versions” of their popular sodas that are evocative of the ’60s and ’70s, and sweetened with real sugar instead of with high fructose corn syrup.  Meanwhile, Diet Coke has gone back to its 1982 tag line, “Just for the taste of it”.              

Cotton Inc’s. 1981 advertising campaign reassured us that “The touch, the feel of cotton”  was “The fabric of our lives”; a theme that is revisited in 2009, as they pursue a marketing strategy of going back “to the brand’s rich heritage”.   View campaign at: http://www.thefabricofourlives.com.              Source:  Marketing Daily 4/22/09.

General Mills cereals are also being sold in throwback boxes at select Target stores, while I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter launches a new campaign with a 1950’s visual style, but with a very contemporary message about current health & nutrition trends.   

The Buttertons

The Buttertons

Trix: Retro and Current 

Watch The Buttertons’ transformation from 1950’s cheeky to 2009 hip & healthy by clicking on the link to the left.  

 

 Woman enjoying music, listening to old-fashioned record playerIn fragrance, nostalgia themes are interpreted with gourmand notes such as vanilla & chocolate, popular for their intrinsic feel-good qualities.  Soft woods, musk and nutty notes also wrap you in their sweet, warm and creamy comfort. 

Expect to see many of these nostalgic notes incorporated into the green fresh floral and botanical fragrance characters that have been the common denominator in recent scent development as consumers look for an antidote to life’s uncertainties and stresses!

Have a fragrance or product category you’d like to read more about?…Send me a note and you’ll find it in a future post!

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The Nose Knows: Less is…MORE!

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Marketing Consulting, Product Trends, tagged , , , , on April 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Sometimes too much of a good thing just…isn’t! 

Food manufacturers are realizing that long ingredient lists that read like chemical formulas with unpronounceable names do not communicate the “healthy-eating” message that prevails in today’s lifestyle. 

On a previous post, I talked about how fragrance trends are evolving to become more authentic and simplified without losing their scent integrity.   This is being achieved with fewer – but higher quality –  ingredients that are being used in the newer scent interpretations to convey a more authentic, natural feeling where ingredient provenance and sustainability were also key points for the scent’s marketability.

In the food industry, a similar shift is being seen.  Frito Lay redesigned its potato chips and Tostitos packages to connect their products back to their agricultural origins – that is, potatoes and corn – while informing us that they are made with just three ingredients.  Snapple’s reformulated beverage line reminds us that “the best stuff on earth” is made with green and black tea leaves and “real” sugar.  Haagen-Dazs’ new Five ice cream line assures consumers that its ice cream flavors only contain five ingredients:  skim milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks and (flavor).   This is the antithesis of the highly processed foods that have come under greater scrutiny after recent product recalls following the waves of people across the nation who became ill from poorly-processed items.

The message of simplicity works in a two-fold manner.  It is suggestive of something that is simple enough to be homemade, therefore “authentic”.  But its appeal is especially significant  because we are now living through one of the most tumultuous economic times resulting from our past excesses, and we are all poised to go back to basics.   Right now, simple sounds…a lot better!

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The Nose Knows: Beauty from Within…a follow up

Posted in Beauty Products, Fragrance Marketing, Marketing Consulting, Product Trends, tagged , , , , , , , on April 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Confirming that the Beauty from Within category which I first alluded to on my April 8th post is in growth mode, earlier this month two new products were reported to be entering the US marketplace.

Cosmetic Design magazine reported (in its 4/9/09 issue) that a Japanese lychee extract under the  Oliginol trade name will be marketed by New York-based Maypro Industries for use in beverages, confectionery and dietary supplements.    The product will be marketed on its ability to improve skin health due to the higher-than average beneficial polyphenol concentration that is present as a result of the extraction process used for Oliginol, compared to other lychee extracts available in the market.  Oliginol’s polyphenol concentration is said to be “up to three times higher than other lychee forms”.

Meanwhile, Nutraceuticals World highlighted Utah-based Sibu Beauty’s product line in its April 2009 issue.   The line features the seabuckthorn berry – a highly nutrient and energizing ingredient –  in its four-part beauty regimen that claims to improve the health of skin, hair and nails.  The line consists of  Revitalize & Renew liquid dietary supplement, Repair & Protect facial cream, Cleanse & Detox facial soap and Cellular Support soft gel supplements that are rich in antioxidants and omega 7 complex.

So, what implications does the emergence of this new category pose for those responsible for creative fragrance development and product marketing?    For starters, increasingly innovative ingredients with measurable health & beauty benefits will need to be sourced, as consumers will come to expect a greater variety beyond the more recognizable super-fruit ingredients which they have become increasingly familiar with. 

Furthermore, perfumers will be challenged to interpret those ingredients into scents that accurately support the “health & beauty” positioning of the finished products, while also being esthetically pleasing and representative of current fragrance trends.   Meanwhile, marketers are tasked with creating a compelling ingredient story that  not only supports the product positioning, but that will furthermore entice consumers to give the product a try!

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The Nose Knows: What women absolutely won’t live without!

Posted in Beauty Products, Marketing Consulting, Product Trends, tagged , , , on April 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

A new report from Mintel predicts that sales of color cosmetics in the U.S. will rise over the next five years more than was initially predicted (10% growth, vs. 7% predicted through 2013).

Beauty “staples” such as shampoo, deodorant and razors will fare well as they are intrinsic to our daily beauty regimens, but color makeup’s unexpectedly strong performance during this slowing economy provides key insight into the female consumer’s psyche:  when times are tough, it is especially important to look good and feel good about ourselves.   In that respect, color cosmetics’ rewards are great, considering the small investment…so bring on the blush, lipstick & mascara!

Other product categories that are also predicted to not only “ride out the storm”, but rather make some waves of their own are anti-aging and sun care products.   Mintel expects those two product categories to grow 20% and 36% respectively, for the five year period from 2008 through 2013.

The anti-aging and sun care product categories have consistently resembled each other in the past few years, with many of the latest sun care launches adopting skin care and anti-aging positions, while almost all anti-aging products tout some level of sun care & protection benefits.  Therefore, it is no surprise that they have been identified as areas that will continue to benefit from considerable growth while many other product areas are seeing a downturn.

Armed with this knowledge, new product development can focus its resources in the areas that promise the most growth.  But marketers must also begin thinking about new ways to position slower-growing product categories so that they meet the new consumer wants & needs, thus making them relevant to today’s marketplace.

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The Nose Knows: It’s not just laundry…Now it’s Anti-Aging for clothes

Posted in Fabric Care, Product Trends, Scented Products, tagged , on April 16, 2009| Leave a Comment »

In a bow to consumers’ new-found thrifty behavior, fabric care manufacturers are appealing to the value-conscious by positioning some of their brands as substitutes for dry-cleaning, or as ‘fabric protectors’ that extend the life of a garment.

In March 2009, Woolite launched an online manual – “Find the Look, Keep the Look” – with style advice from Stacy London, fashion guru on the popular “What Not to Wear” TV show.  The manual also dispenses tips on how to care for your new clothes for maximum wear-ability.

At a price 60% higher than traditional Tide, P&G’s Tide Total Care uses an anti-aging strategy borrowed from that of its Olay skin care brand, promising to preserve clothing’s integrity and helping to “reveal the 7 signs of beautiful clothes…including softness, shape and finish.”   Wall Street Journal, 3/11/09.

The anti-aging, clothes-preserving message is a way to justify having a premium price point, and is also a way to differentiate a laundry product from similar products, by touting a value-added message: our product doesn’t just “clean your clothes”; it makes them last longer, thus saving you money in the long run. 

This strategy also taps into our emotional connection with clothing, especially pieces we are particularly fond of — and the impact we feel when they’re damaged by improper laundering.

To further strengthen their products’ fashion-conscious ties, “Woolite has teamed with 10 independent apparel boutiques across the U.S, that will feature a print version of its fabric-care manual in their stores”.  Meanwhile, Tide Total Care has formed partnerships with The Limited and Ann Taylor Loft stores, which will feature the product prominently as the product of choice to care for the apparel chains’ fashions.

Is this the beginning of a new era of cross-branding?  How will this new positioning statement influence fragrance trends for the category?  Stay tuned to see how this trend shapes the fabric care market…

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The Nose Knows: Value is “the new Luxury”

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Fragrance Trends, Product Trends, Scented Products, tagged , , , on April 12, 2009| 6 Comments »

In today’s challenging economic climate, consumers have been forced to modify their purchasing habits in order to accommodate changes in their employment and economic status. 

Traditionally considered a recession-proof category, in the past fine fragrances would successfully ride out difficult economic conditions because consumers would buy into the “affordable luxury” that they promised.    The fragrance industry continues to take steps to keep consumers interested in new fragrance product launches by offering new scent themes that promise to deliver on the luxurious and pampering lifestyles consumers have come to expect, while still remaining relevant and true to the economic realities of today’s world, where a premium is placed on a product’s perceived “value”.

Until recently, fragrances interpreted “luxury” via the use of exquisite and rare ingredients, heady floral notes, exotic woods and spices that were combined in complex interpretations that reverberated with movement, texture and intoxicating scent!

Today, luxury is communicated using escapism themes inspired by global destinations and ingredients; a fragrant stay-cation, if you will.   Also via unique ingredients with a perceived benefit – usually health-related – and particularly those associated with superfoods.  Once-unknown fruits such as the acai berry, pomegranate, lychee and noni have now gone mainstream, as consumers increasingly pursue health and wellness to enrich and improve their lives; a well-lived healthy life is a luxury, after all! 

Yet another interpretation of luxury is achieved with fragrances that are increasingly natural and fresh with a focus on authenticity of character and “transparency of the ingredients’ provenance”.   Today’s consumers are savvy and sophisticated, and they understand the premium value of a fragrance that – unlike scents from the past with multi-layered structures that made big, bold statements- prefers to be luxuriously understated in its use of high quality fragrance notes that smell authentic…as nature intended, and its use of unique ingredients that don’t upset nature’s perfect balance. 

Undoubtedly, consumers perceive real value in fragrances that can fulfill their continued desire for aesthetic beauty and fantasy, but in the tempered manner that is more in sync with our times.

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The Nose Knows: Beauty from within

Posted in Beauty Products, Product Trends, tagged , , , , on April 8, 2009| Leave a Comment »

High profile launches of beauty foods continue to make appearances in Europe and the U.S.    A beauty food can consist of a vitamin supplement, or a bona-fide food that helps stimulate dermal renewal activity with demonstrable and measurable effects on the hair or skin.

The emergence of this new category of beauty category opens up a distinct opportunity for personal care manufacturers to capitalize on the trend by “bundling” their products so that they offer an all-over treatment or regimen – including topical and ingestible products – that will maximize the target results.  

This concept isn’t exactly new.  Remember Revlon’s vitamin supplements a decade or so ago?  In the May 5th, 1997 edition of the L.A. Daily News, the following article appeared:

“Cosmetics companies are pitching more than the latest lipstick and eye-shadow shades these days.   Makeup makers are manufacturing vitamin supplements.  Yes, vitamins.  The supplements, sold in sleek, colorful packaging (with high prices to match) boast beauty benefits from younger-looking skin to healthier hair and stronger nails.   Sure, vitamin supplements have been around for decades.  But beginning about a year ago, cosmetics companies – including Revlon, Aveda, Avon and Zirh, the latter a skin-care line for men – launched vitamin supplements aimed at building beauty from within.”

In the early 2000’s, Olay Vitamins were formulated to provide beautiful skin and wellness.  The line has since been discontinued.   Most recently, niche hair & skin care line Origenere now also offers a line of hair & skin revitalizing supplements, in addition to specially-formulated lines of hair care and anti-aging skin care products.

Cosmetics Design magazine quoted Euromonitor’s claim that the “beauty from within trend is going mainstream” in its Feb. 25, 2009 issue.   According to the article, Copalis France already manufactures well-being and oral cosmetic ingredients for the functional food, dietary supplement and nutricosmetic markets in North America. 

In its March 9, 2009 issue, Beverage World magazine featured Collactive – a  marine-based all natural ingredient that is being used in a “beauty beverage”.    Studies showed that 71% of the subjects who ingested the beauty beverage containing Collactive, showed remarkable improvement in the appearance of deep wrinkles.  Collactive’s collagen and elastin components showed a “synergistic” anti-wrinkle action that also provided firmness and added moisture to the skin. 

These initial findings show a promising start for this emerging “beauty from within” market, and a wide area of opportunity for fragrance development in the category.  Don’t you think?

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