Bhuvana Nageshwaran. Ultra International Limited, New Delhi

Transcription

1 PERFUME BRIEF... AN IMPORTANT TOOL FOR PERFUME MARKETTING By Bhuvana Nageshwaran Ultra Internatinal Limited, New Delhi Gne are the days when the prduct manufacturers picked up the telephne t his tw r three favurite perfume suppliers t say that he needed a new perfume fr the shamp range. Tday, the bjective f the internatinal perfume supplier s fragrance develpment prgramme is t develp the best slutins fr its clients, nt just t present a bunch f submissins frm which the least inapprpriate can be selected. This means creating the best slutin fr the prduct, the brand, the target custmer and the market, at the time f prduct launch, which may be up t a year after perfume submissins are made. The fragrance huse must understand hw t create and submit a winning fragrance and als the intimate rle f fragrance in cmmunicating the enjyment f the prduct, the functinal and emtinal benefits f the prduct, and the prduct s brand equity. This requires a deep understanding f the interactins between fragrance and all ther prduct perceptins. Fr the fragrance develpment prcess t wrk successfully, the best pssible cmmunicatin pathways must be established. The Marketing cmpany and fragrance supplier shuld ensure t list all necessary infrmatin befre develping a fragrance. Prduct Descriptin Brand Name, Prduct Claims, Claim Supprt frm Fragrance, Market Psitin i.e. Gegraphical Cverage, Brand Share Data. Brand i.e. Brand Equity, Brand Histry, Functinal (Tangible Benefits), Marketing Strategy and Advertising Cpy, Visuals, Media Clips etc. Cnsumer Prfile i.e. Age & Gender, Demgraphic Prfile, Psych Graphic. Prfile, Behaviur, Prduct Usage & Attitudes. 1 P a g e

2 As much infrmatin as pssible shuld be included n all factrs relating t the prduct categry i.e market shares, market trends and hyptheses t explain the market situatin, tgether with a summary f the brand characteristics (brand equity) f the prduct briefed, including its prduct characteristics and its functinal and emtinal benefits. What Brand claims are being made and which f these can be cued by the fragrance? The target market must be defined in terms f gegraphic and cnsumer prfiles, including, if available, data n cnsumer attitudes and behavir. The marketing strategy fr the prduct launch r re-launch is imprtant infrmatin fr the perfumer, especially if supprted by advertising cpy, visuals and media clips. Perfume Descriptin Prduct Perfrmance Objectives Functinal (Tangible) Benefits Emtinal (Intangible) Benefits & Signal Attributes Perfume Perfrmance bjectives Claim Supprt Natural Ingredients Perfrmance Benchmarks Perfume Strength; Immediate Impact and after time Key Pints f Perfume Perceptin during Prduct Use Substantivity Prfile (Lasting Characteristics) Minimum Actin Standards Althugh fragrance prfiles are smetimes used t help define the area f perfume required, this is nt yet within the cmpetence f mst perfume briefs, ther than matching briefs. Even guidelines such as fresh, Clean r lightly perfumed may nt hld the same meaning fr the perfumer, marketer and cnsumer. The careful use f visual imagery, cncept bards and md bards, illustrating the brand psitining, claim and benefits, is a pwerful means f bridging the cmmunicatin gap 2 P a g e

3 between the brand manager, the advertising creative, the designer, the perfumer and the cnsumer. Cnsumer Test Prtcls Target Screening Prcess (Internal Hurdles) Final Test Prtcls The Cnsumer test methds and criteria t be used fr perfume evaluatin, screening and final selectin need t be well understd by the perfume creatrs: In-huse r external testing? Target Cnsumers? Which Cuntries? Benchmarks? Psitive & Negative Cntrls? Actin Standards? Final Test Design: Mnadic, sequential, paired, rund rbin, r ther design? Central Lcatin sniff test r hme placement? Test Samples: Small samples r full-sized packs? Branded, identified r blind? The definitin f Actin Standards is particularly imprtant: hw will the cmpany select a winning fragrance against the benchmarks? By achieving parity with, r significant imprvement at the 95% level f the statistical cnfidence ver, the benchmark prduct in certain defined key attributes? What if the Actin Standards are nly partially achieved? What is the minimum acceptable result fr decisin-making? Safety and Regulatry requirements Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) Certificatin i.e. IFRA, SYNTHETIC MUSKS (NITRO MUSKS, POLYCYCLIC MUSKS) 3 P a g e

4 Natinal Regulatins Reginal Regulatin i.e. EU Directives (Csmetic Directive, Dangerus Preparatin Directive), ther Reginal Regulatins (USA, Australia ) Glbal cnfrmity All respnsible perfume manufacturers nly supply perfumes that cnfrm t the current IFRA standards. Client cmpanies require that the perfume submissins cnfrm t additinal defined criteria, depending n Natinal r Reginal Regulatins, Eurpean Directives, Cmpany Plicy, in-huse research data, r pressure frm nn-gvernmental rganizatins, cnsumer grups r the media. Technical Requirements Prduct Frmulatin Prttype r final frmulatin? Availability f prduct base (Hw much? When?) Packaging specificatins Availability f packaging cmpnents Methd f fragrance incrpratin Stability test prtcls Actin Standards Critical stability issues Perfume quality is strngly affected by the nature f the prduct base frmula. Water, fat cntent, enzymes, ph, xidizing r reducing agents, preservatives and clurants can all affect perfume stability. As much details as pssible shuld be given n the nature and ingredients f the base. Sufficient samples f the base shuld be made available fr adequate perfume testing as sn as pssible in the develpment prcess. Any special usage cnditins need t be defined especially in the case f a new prduct cncept. Interactins f perfume with the prduct packaging shuld be cnsidered, especially interactin with plastic packs r aersl cmpnents, clratin and light-activated disclratin and lss f perfume by permeatin thrugh the pack. Stability criteria and test prtcls, including pack cmpatibility, must be defined clearly. Again, Actin Standards and the minimum criteria fr acceptability are imprtant. Timing 4 P a g e

5 Prject timetable Deadlines Interim Submissins Final Submissins Test Results Price Structure Perfume Cst Target Per tnne f Finished Prduct Fragrance Dsage Limits Pr Rata Limits Submissin Cst Infrmatin t Whm? Submissins Perfume ils (Hw many? Hw much? T whm?) Illustratins in finished prduct Hw many? T Whm? Labeling requirements Accmpanying data Fragrance Descriptin Cst & Dsage Infrmatin MSDS IFRA Certificates Other Certificates f Cnfrmity Perfume Perfrmance Data 5 P a g e

6 Technical Perfrmance / Stability Data Cnsumer Panel Test Data Prvisinal Analytical Specificatins Presentatin Dcument Pst Submissin Requirements Test Samples Prductin samples f shrt-listed fragrances fr final cnsumer test (Prvided by the Fragrance Supplier) Factry-prductin samples fr apprval by fragrance huse fr final cnsumer test (Prvided by the Client) Factry-prductin samples fr testing in parallel by fragrance supplier and client (Prvided by Client) We must be als be aware, getting all these infrmatin frm all ur custmers may nt be pssible, but ne must ensure t get maximum infrmatin, s that we have a winning fragrance. Ms. Bhuvana Nageshwaran has mre than 17 years f experience in the arma chemical, essential ils, flavur and fragrance industry. Currently, she is the Directr Creatins f Ultra Internatinal Limited, ne f the majr Manufacturers f Fragrance & Flavur. She has a Diplma in Perfumery frm Perfumery Educatin Center, Lndn. She is member f GDP Deutsche Gesellschatt Der Parfumeure in der SEPAWA, Germany, WFFC - Wmen in Flavr and Fragrance Cmmerce, Inc., ASTM - American Sciety fr Testing and Materials, Fragrance Fundatin, American Alliance f Armatherapy, U.S.A. Ms. Bhuvana Nageshwaran can be cntacted at [email protected] 6 P a g e