New Fragrance Brand

Whether we acknowledge it or not, fragrances have a huge impact on our lives. People like to be aroused by different scents; everyone has their own tastes in fragrances and their own purposes and reasons for why they buy different fragrances. For example, some people buy candles to make their environment more calming and relaxing. More commonly, some people buy candles to deodorize. Fragrances come in all sorts of forms, like candles, incents, body sprays, perfumes, colonges, aftershave, lotions, and many other forms. Whatever the case may be, fragrances are powerful products that are constantly sold year-round.

After doing some research on fragrances and the fragrance market, I realized that both are affected by many different factors; “According to a report by Star Candle, 80 percent of adult Americans purchased some type of air care product in 2007. The global fragrance market, namely personal fragrances, is expected to grow 3 percent in 2011, reaching more than $35 billion in sales, according to GCI magazine” (Tucker-McLaughlin). As stated before, fragrances play a huge part in the lives of the average consumer. I learned that the fragrance market has seen an increase in purchases from younger consumers: “According to GCI magazine, a cosmetics industry trade publication, youth between the ages of 13 and 19 years old reflect a global fragrance marketing segment worth more than $250 billion…These premium fragrance manufacturers have developed products specifically for the youth market, with names and packaging that appeal to young consumers” (Tucker-McLaughlin). These days, young teens are become more conscious about the way they smell. In addition, almost every successful young celebrity, with a huge following, has his or her own fragrance line. For example, Justin Bieber, One Direction, and Taylor Swift have all seen success in their perfume sales because the fans purchase them.

This brings me to celebrity endorsements. Now, more than ever, the power of celebrity has a predominant impact on the success of certain perfumes, colognes, deodorants, and etc. Sometimes, the actual smell of the fragrance does not matter; people will buy an expensive bottle of perfume just because their favorite actress is endorsing the product: ““Companies who have celebrities endorse their fragrances do need to consider which celebrities will really sell their products. Celebrities should be known globally, such as Charlize Theron or Halle Berry. The celebrity must have a high level of credibility in her field whether she is an actress, athlete or musician” (Tucker-McLaughlin).

If you think only women buy fragrances, then you are stuck in the past because research now indicates that men are become more involved in purchasing signature colognes for themselves and for others: “The male consumer has entered the fragrance market as an emerging niche. Men now spend more time on personal care and purchase more personal care products including fragrances, according to GCI magazine” (Shapiro). Fragrance companies have began to notice this shift in the market; thus, they started paying more attention to designing fragrances and fragrance bottles that are curated to men: “’Men care more about packaging in fragrance and grooming products than women,’ said Brian Boye, the fashion and grooming director at Men’s Health magazine. ‘Especially when we’re talking about something that can easily skew feminine in the minds of some guys, presentation is critical’” (Shapiro). One thing that seems to remain a constant trend among male consumers is that men want things quick and easy; a male consumers quoted, “’We want to get in and out as quickly as we can. So what will grab our attention faster? An elegant glass bottle or something that looks like a grenade or flask?’” (Kynaston).

After completing all this research about fragrances, I propose to create a specific fragrance designed for men that is accessible for both male and female consumers. My fragrance will debut during the beginning for summer, with the intention of being light and long lasting. Design is everything; thus, I will pay extra attention to not only the scent of the cologne, but the overall appearance and presentation of the fragrance.

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Works Cited

Kynaston, Lee. "Mhs Buyers Guide Fragrances." MH – Buyer's Guide To Fragrances. Hearst UK Well-being Network, 27 Aug. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.menshealth.co.uk/style/fragrance/MH-buyers-guide-fragrances>.

Shapiro, Bee. "The New Men’s Fragrances, Aggressively Packaged." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Apr. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/03/fashion/mens-style/the-new-mens-fragrances-aggressively-packaged.html?_r=2>.

Tucker-McLaughlin, Mary. "Best Practices for Fragrance Marketing." Small Business. Hearst Newspapers, LLC, 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://smallbusiness.chron.com/practices-fragrance-marketing-18807.html>.