Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘fragrance’

A Match Made in Heaven…

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Scented Products, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on February 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

During a recent smelling session for a product line I am involved in developing, I became hyper-aware about how critically important it is to “marry” the right scent to its matching product statement.

fragrance product development

While meeting with the Project Coordinator and Fragrance Sales Executive, we began to chat about the characteristics of the various scents we were smelling, which spanned a wide range of fragrance characteristics – from classic white florals, to bright juicy fruits, to fresh natural greens, and richly deep woody-spicy scents.  We were faced with the challenge of finding scents for various lines within a broad product category, but which individually had vastly different positioning statements, consumer targets and product benefits.

Much like a croupier at a casino dealing out cards, it surprised me how quickly I was able to sort the numerous scents into like-minded groupings which responded to the differing product criteria.  This could only be explained by my many years of experience in fragrance marketing and development, and the well-honed intuition which has resulted from my experiences in this field.

The correct fragrance-to-product pairing can spell success artistically, as well as commercially. A fragrance that doesn’t support or complement a product’s image, purpose, benefit or consumer target, won’t get that product very far.

I suddenly wondered whether the average consumer ever pauses to think about the amount of effort and thought that goes into selecting the scents in the products that they buy and enjoy?

Well…. do you???

Read Full Post »

Scent: It’s Music to My….Nose?

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Scented Products, tagged , , , , , , on December 29, 2009| Leave a Comment »

It’s no coincidence that much of the vocabulary that is used to describe olfactive qualities stems from the musical world.

We describe fruity fragrances as having “notes” of apple, berries or melon; while a “medley” of bergamot, Meyer lemon and Valencia oranges that work in “unison” might be called a citrus “accord”.  Fragrances are described as scented “compositions” made up of ingredients that work in “harmony”.

During the creative and development process, “dissonant” notes or accords are refined until an ideal balance is achieved.   Perfumers aim to avoid creating fragrances that are either too “flat” or too “sharp”, striving instead for “interpretations” that are vibrant, that have “movement”, with a scent “signature”, and that make a long-lasting impression.

Only when all elements of a fragrance are deemed to be in perfect balance of “tempo” and “tone”, does it make its way into the market for everyone’s enjoyment!

Read Full Post »

Fragrance delivers a “scents” of place…

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Fragrance Trends, Product Trends, tagged , , , , , on November 17, 2009| 2 Comments »

Just returned from a weekend jaunt to “The Sweetest Place on Earth”, a/k/a Hershey Park.  But was my favorite part of the visit the sanity-defying rides?  The cardiac-arrest inducing roller-coasters?  The wallet-emptying shopping?  Or was it the brief tour of the mock chocolate factory in Hershey’s Chocolate World?  Bingo!

So, what was it about a 5-minute Disneyesque ride through a simulated chocolate factory that I found so appealing?  For starters, within seconds of entering the darkened ride, cacao’s appealing scent gently tickled my nose and I instantly found myself on the alert!  By minute two, I was immersed in full-blown chocolate-scented heaven.  By the end of the ride, I couldn’t wait to hit the shop and stock up on an assortment of every product that had been featured in the ride!

Afterwards, I couldn’t help but wonder if my nearly primitive reaction had been exacerbated by the scent of chocolate which further enhanced the stimulating visual experience of the “brown gold” pouring all around me.   Had the scent not been a prominent part of the ride, would my reaction have been the same?  I don’t think so.  As interesting as the chocolate manufacturing process is, it was the scent’s “promise” of what I would soon be tasting that prompted my guttural response.  Oh, and the singing cows were kind of cute too!

Read Full Post »

The Nose Knows: Product Scent = Aesthetics + Functionality

Posted in Fragrance Marketing, Marketing Consulting, Scented Products, tagged , , , , on April 4, 2009| Leave a Comment »

 

Although perhaps taken for granted by the average person, connoisseurs in the fragrance industry never overlook the importance of a product’s fragrance to its overall commercial success.

The team of perfumers, scent evaluators and marketers behind the fragrance development process for personal care, fine fragrances, fabric care and air care products understand that scent needs to be fully integrated into a product’s positioning, functionality and image.

Fragrance’s driving purpose is to effectively communicate the whole product concept:  its positioning, its target market, the featured product attributes and/or benefits.

The scent for a premium priced body cream claiming emollient and anti-aging properties will be much different than that of an anti-oxidant body lotion containing botanical ingredients.  The former product calls for a luxurious floral scent with oriental, woody or creamy touches for added depth, warmth and softness, hence delivering the richly “nourishing & caring” aspects of the product.

In contrast, the lighter body lotion product with a “well-being” positioning calls for a scent that communicates its own distinctive message.  The fragrance story should be built around a fresher & lighter “green” aspect that communicates the botanical positioning, with exotic fruity accents (anti-oxidant benefits) and sheer woods in the background to add texture and help deliver a “natural“  feeling.

Similarly, fragrance selections for a men’s shampoo will be vastly different than those used in a kid’s shampoo; prestige differs from mass, etc.  Get the picture?

So you see, a product’s scent isn’t just a pretty accessory that is added as an afterthought once a product’s basic chemical formulation has been developed.  Quite opposite… Fragrance designers recognize the integral role that scent plays in establishing a product on the path towards commercial success as a key driver of sales.   Hence the importance of aligning yourself with a fragrance marketing professional that knows how to let your fragrance tell its story…

Read Full Post »