Celebrity Fragrance Biz Is Seductive But Not All Glitz And Glamour, Profs Say

The allure of celebrity fragrances and the advantage they enjoy over competing products is undeniable; however, there is a less glamorous side to the game, fashion professors suggest.

While the concept of branding celebrities in a bottle is not new, celebrity fragrances have become increasingly prevalent in recent years.

"We've seen periods of fascination with celebrity fragrances in the past - in both the 70s and the 80s - but never to the extent that we're seeing in the market currently," Stephan Kanlian, associate chair of cosmetics and fragrance marketing and management at the Fashion Institute of Technology, told "The Rose Sheet" April 11.

In a same-day interview, Terry Burstein, a professor of fashion, arts and communication at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising in New York, noted, "It mirrors society's obsession with celebrity."

"It's that everybody wants to be a star now, and they see that anybody can be with the reality shows," Burstein said. "If you're able to buy a $40 Jennifer Lopez [fragrance] and wear it - you're J.Lo."

Kanlian also suggested that the public's notion of celebrity and the definition of stardom has changed.

"The average person, the New York firefighter, the reality TV show star, the American Idol star - we are creating different classifications of people who are admired and [regarded as] celebrities in our society," Kanlian asserted.

"I think that reflects a change in the media, it reflects a change in values, and it reflects a search at the very core of society for meaning in the modern era," he said.

Coty, in particular, has found success marketing celebrity fragrances, including multiple Jennifer Lopez and Celine Dion scents (¹ (Also see "Coty CEO Advises Firms To Go Virtual, Cash In On Celebrity Mania" - HBW Insight, 9 Apr, 2007.), p. 11).

The attraction of celebrity fragrances resides partly in the opportunity they present a company for connecting with consumers it has failed to impact in the past.

Burstein explained: "A cosmetics company will look at its portfolio and say, 'Okay, what demographic aren't we reaching? Is there anyone in that demographic we can reach by having a celebrity that appeals to that demographic?'"

He cited Estee Lauder's Sean John fragrance line, created by entertainment mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, as a fragrance that has effectively targeted a historically underserved population - a younger, hipper demographic that "maybe Lauder wasn't hitting" before.

Kanlian pointed out another winning aspect of celebrity fragrances.

"The ability to build brand franchises from scratch has become such an expensive proposition in the fragrance space," he said. "A celebrity brand franchise [enjoys] advantages in terms of media and promotion and personal appearances and a level of immediate awareness with consumers that is very attractive when you're dealing with that highly saturated a market."

Ingredients Of Success

The celebrity fragrance category is booming, and "everybody and their brother wants to get in on the action," Burstein observed. "I'm sure there's going to be a [current American Idol finalist] Sanjaya fragrance before we hang up the phone," he quipped.

But making a success of a celebrity fragrance is no simple matter. According to Kanlian, success depends on "the juice and the package and the marketing communications and the launch activities and the alternative media all contribut[ing] to a consistent message that links to the profile or the personality of the celebrity."

"You have the added advantage of awareness when it's involving a celebrity, but you have the added obstacle of needing to be extra careful about making sure that the elements of the fragrance match the celebrity profile," he said.

Even the juice, itself, must evoke the celebrity's persona, Kanlian maintained.

"The notes of the fragrance need to suggest something that is tied to a story that relates to the celebrity's life or personality, or to memories or impulses or stimuli that are meaningful to the celebrity," the professor said.

In short, the celebrity fragrance must do what successful designer fragrances have done in terms of forging an emotional connection with the consumer.

Kanlian provided the example of Thierry Mugler's Angel fragrance, which "tied to a story [of] the designer himself, that related to smells and memories that he had of his childhood growing up in France - of chocolate, of breadbaking."

Picking the "right" celebrity is a challenge in itself. Burstein suggested that celebrities in touch with the fashion world are ideal candidates.

For instance, Sarah Jessica Parker - whose Lovely Sarah Jessica Parker fragrance is marketed by Coty's prestige Lancaster division - "has a connection to fashion; she's sort of a fashion icon," Burstein said.

Before celebrities, "the designers were the ones who were, ad infinitum, [putting] fragrances out one after another. So in [Parker's] case, I think she's able to capitalize on the fact that not only is she a credible celebrity, but she also has a credible fashion sense."

According to Kanlian, "multidimensional" celebrities are most promising - "people who are both entertainers and musicians and film stars, [who are] very pervasive in the pop culture. ... The more that that person taps into the zeitgeist and the pop culture, the more potent core DNA there is around which you can create a fragrance franchise."

Though building a fragrance brand around a professional athlete can be "a much more difficult marketing strategy," according to Kanlian, the professor cited Coty's David Beckham line as an exception - precisely because "David Beckham is more than just an athlete."

Sean "Diddy" Combs is another who - as a rapper, producer, actor, designer and restaurateur - wears a number of "hats."

Naturally, there is a flip side to exploiting a celebrity's image to sell fragrance.

"While celebrities provide an obvious competitive advantage in launching a fragrance because of their PR and their notoriety, if that goes south, if the PR and the buzz on the celebrity become negative, it can have the opposite impact on the fragrance and the business," Kanlian observed.

Burstein offered a similar word of caution: "Celebrity fragrances are risky, absolutely. That certainly happened with Cher. She was riding high on this Oscar win for Moonstruck, and then something happened in her PR machine - she said something off-color or something - and for a while there her public appeal was falling as her fragrance was launching."

He speculated that the Britney Spears fragrance franchise, owned by Elizabeth Arden, may be in similar jeopardy.

An Industry-Killer?

Burstein was critical of the celebrity fragrance surge and its implications for the artistic spirit of the fragrance industry.

"I think it's killing the industry," he said. "The juice is so important, and pushing the olfactory envelope, and the art of the perfumer is taking second stage to these celebrities."

Kanlian's view was not so bleak, but he did acknowledge that the celebrity fragrance craze may be only a temporary solution to a fundamental underlying problem.

"There are a lot of [celebrity] fragrances on the market that are 'me-too' or copycats trying to replicate the success that companies like Coty have had, but without its knowledge base and experience," Kanlian said.

"I don't think the use of celebrity alone is a long-term, positive fix for what ails the fragrance category in terms of building excitement or bringing customers to the fragrance counter. ... We may need to innovate."

Nevertheless, he suggested that there will always be a market for celebrity fragrances, as "over thousands of years of human history there has always been a fascination with celebrity - it just takes different forms."

- Ryan Nelson ([email protected])