Stars in their edts
Conveying the USP of something as abstract as a ‘smell’ to passengers in a hurry has never been an easy task. And with increasing numbers of brands and SKUs entering the fragrance market (some 600 new fragrances in 2006 alone according to Fragrances of the World), the choice for the consumer is more extensive than ever.
Most marketers will tell you that a clear brand message is key to successfully reaching the consumer. Suppliers have been using spokesmodels to convey brand messages in a precise manner for years.
Celebrity fragrances, which have grown enormously since their inception in the 1980s, have taken it one step further, creating products that require less active marketing as they are embodied by the style and personality of the celebrity.
Elizabeth Arden came up with one of the first celebrity fragrances in 1987, with a scent from global icon Elizabeth Taylor. Since the launch of Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion, countless other TV, film and music stars have joined with top international beauty suppliers to create their own fragrances, with the most recent including Gwen Stefani (Coty Prestige) and Christina Aguilera (P&G). The 2006 edition of Fragrances of the World’ counts 37 celebrity launches last year alone, up on 26 in the previous year.
For the celebrity in question, it is a shrewd career move, and for the supplier there is no doubt that it can be lucrative; since the launch of Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds in 1991, the fragrance has generated over $1bn in retail sales for the company.
But it is not a business without risks. As sales can be linked closely to the popularity of the celebrity, these brands inevitably carry greater risk for suppliers. Celebrities might have whole teams of people to ensure their image – which is essentially a brand in itself – stays intact, but even so public figures can be quick to fall out of the public’s favour. The controversies surrounding Britney Spears and Naomi Campbell, both of whom have their own fragrance brands, have highlighted the dangers of this trend – though in truth the impact on sales is not yet clear. In the case of British reality TV star Jade Goody, however, the link between popularity and sales was vividly demonstrated when her perfume was pulled from shelves by UK perfumery chain The Perfume Shop following allegations of racism.
Choosing an appropriate celebrity to market a fragrance, then, is crucial. A spokesperson for Elizabeth Arden, which makes Britney Spears’ fragrances, commented: “It is important to consider a celebrity’s fan-base, and the celebrity’s connection with their fans. The celebrity’s image should also be easily translatable to the beauty industry – it should make sense that the celebrity be associated with fragrance.”
But fragrance connoisseur and author of Fragrances of the World, Michael Edwards, thinks celebrity fragrances have a longer shelf life than critics give them credit for: “In England in particular I’m struck by how dismissive people are about celebrity fragrances…. I wonder if this might not have been the
reaction of the traditional perfumers in the 1920s when Coco Chanel came out with its fragrance. The
reality is, the best of the celebrities have become stylists – they’ve become the modern designer. Think about what Sarah Jessica Parker did for shoes in Sex and the City.”
Sean John – who has collaborated with Estée Lauder to create the fragrance Sean John Unforgivable – is also an example of a modern-day style icon, whose clothes business has now exceeded $1bn. “The reality is these celebrities have more impact than Ralph Lauren,” Edwards points out. The designer fragrance boom seems to have subsided in favour of celebrities. For Edwards it is a matter of brand simplicity: “Designers are in danger of confusing consumers with their various brands and also diluting the impact of their names – you have to be very careful about that.”
Today, nearly all major beauty houses – including Estée Lauder, Coty Prestige and P&G – now have a number of celebrity fragrances in their portfolio, with the notable exception of L’Oréal Produits de Luxe International. But the French luxury house is not ruling it out. A spokesperson for the supplier commented: “Currently we are not in the celebrity perfume game, but that doesn’t mean we will never be there. It has to be sustainable in the long-term; it is a question of commitment of the people involved and of course quality.”
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