Fragrance, perfume, scents, aromatics, essential oils – call them what you may, but judging by perfume sales, there is no doubt we all love the many different and new perfumes on offer. Consumers have become fragrance connoisseurs, always looking for new perfumes and scents. Some seek new exclusive perfumes to such an extent that designers are actively seeking to satisfy this luxury niche market.
Each of us has favourite fragrances that our olfactory centre recognises. At an instant, our nose can detect, and associate, an elixir long forgotten. Thanks to a perfume, the surging memory of a special moment in our lives can be instantly restored. In a second our spirits can be lifted and soar with joy, or drown with sadness and longing.
Right – A suggestion from Harrods for the woman in your life.
Versace new fragrance £58, 100ml, an idea from 2007 Mother's Day Gifts at Harrods.
Exclusive or Just Good Marketing
Eager to cash in on our love of perfumes, the latest fragrances being launched for 2007 are for the so called niche markets. Several are the libraries of 'exclusive' perfumes.
I have to write that as I looked at the price range of these exclusive niche perfumes, I found that at a starting price of £80 I don't think the prices are that prohibitive. Two of the best offers were from the Tom Ford Private Blend collection at £80+ and the Chanel Exclusif at £120. If I can afford one of these perfumes as a treat then I suspect you can too.
So what does this say to me? The answer is – clever marketing, very clever marketing! Maybe if the most you normally pay for a new scent is around £40, then twice that amount will sound expensive and even rarefied. These niche perfumes are supposed to be exclusive, yet I feel they would have to cost a lot more than £100 to be truly exclusive. Exclusive would be a perfume designed for you by an expert like Roja Dove at Harrods, but of course at much, much greater cost. At Roja Dove you would be involved in the consultation and savour some samplings – that is what having an exclusive perfume really means.
This idea of niche exclusive perfumes is the same marketing technique that has been successfully employed for 'must-have' and 'want it' bag ranges. Do marketers think none of us ever read the fairy story of the Emperor's New Clothes? If you remember, it took the fool to tell the Emperor that what his designers told him were fancy clothes, were in fact, nothing but their imaginations.
Now it's clear to me this all looks like a clever marketing way to hike the price of top brand name perfumes. It is so simple, but this is just marketing genius – exclusive – but not so exclusive that the item is unattainable. Hard to obtain maybe, but priced so that even if you had to save for it, the perfume is attainable, rather than priced out of your dreams. This is simply attainable luxury. Pricier than normal, but nevertheless doable. Available in selected outlets or boutiques, rather than so exclusive you couldn't get a bottle from a major city boutique, or from a top store like Harrods or Bergdorf Goodman. Such perfumes are desirable and are lovely, but always remember that branding and vanity branding is big business.
