Wednesday 7 December 2011

Perfume Adverts: a keen marketing management, or a pretentious scam?

Like them or loath them, perfume adverts are on every channel, everyday, all year round, convincing you, potential buyers, to invest in their scent.
From Chanel, Dior and Paco Rabanne to 'So...', Charlie and celebrities own; perfume comes in all shapes and sizes, for a range of prices- much like clothes.
However, there's something about the way you smell which is far more important than just the way you dress. Because the two go together, your appearance, your scent and your expression all make up a vital part of your personality which creates your ideal first impression.

Obviously the adverts are there to sell and are acquired to the target market of the perfume.

For example;

Kiera Knightly, being the face of Coco Chanel Mademoiselle, is perfect example of female power which will entice the modern working woman or classy late teen (17-25/30) where as the Chanel No.5 is known for being for the older woman in some respects. Does it smell nice? I'm biased but yes. It's elegant and floral, not fruity; and it doesn't scream slut like some perfumes can.
(P.S: This is my favourite)
Where as Britney Spears appeals to a younger market, the bottle shape and colours used (as well as her musical focus) 13/14 year old and younger, buying/asking for their first proper perfume to show off to their friends. But does it really smell nice? Hmm... It's very over-powering,

For women, a perfume is an enticing scent, an attractive, maybe sexy fragrance that will inevitably attract the opposite sex (or same sex, whatever floats your boat). It's the scent your friends and loved ones will remember you by and it's down to you and you alone to decide how you wish to smell.
For men, the objective is just that bit simpler: something that smells nice, that will help you pull a bird. Men want power, and lust and something that when his girlfriend (or boyfriend, you get my drift) borrows a jumper/jacket/scarf it will linger and let that special someone remember you every time they put it on. Also, relating to the animal kingdom, this sharing of over clothes such as jackets and scarfs in your scent is a way of marking your territory. No guy will try his luck with a girl walking home in her boyfriends hoody. Ever.

As an example of some up market and lower market advertisements for men's perfume (spray/scent/aftershave); here's some clips from youtube:


Paco Rebanne One Million. This advert is a perfect example of the kind of things men look for in a fragrance. A good looking male, money, wealth, control, swag, confidence- hey look, a hot blonde! Black and white adds class and a dark mysterious look. Everything about this man screams "player". Women will by this for their partners because they want him to be this man; or they wont if they're concerned about them cheating with someone all because a girl launched herself on him at a club just because he smelt so good (at least that's his side of the story aye?). Pretencions? Yes it is, but does it actually smell nice? Boy oh boy it does, unfortunately this post is not yet able to scratch and sniff.

Lynx 2012, the final edition of Lynx. Thank god some of you might say. Other men who have bought into this and pre-puberty teens might literally think this the end of the world. This advert is asking for a slap in the face really (in my opinion). "Get it on for the end of the world"?! Lynx want men to see this and think "The world is ending in 2012... what if I don't get laid before then?! Result! I'll just spray myself with this and it doesn't matter what I look like, women will come in pairs!"
Yeahh.... no.

So it's really a question of taste/choice. Would you rather search high and low for a perfume that smelt exactly how you would like to smell? Or conform to the upscale/popular market that is considered to be the best? However, surely if you were to choose a fragrence based on it's advertising campaign or how well known the product is, then it isn't actually 'your scent' but more a cover that makes you the same as everyone else who smells like the latest Chanel/CK/Beyonce fragrence. Much similar to clothes, really- you either choose to be different, or choose to be the same inside sub-cultures or your class.

Your choice.
Peace out.

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