An interesting portfolio for highly dynamic brands

18/09/2011 - interview with Brigitte Wormser, V.P. Creation and Development Marketing

Export Magazine: Which brands will be most in the spotlight during the Tax Free Show in Cannes?

Brigitte Wormser: The priority brands for Perfume Holding are Ferrari and Benetton, our two global brands that we will be putting to the fore at the Tax Free Show. Our 2011 and 2012 objective for Ferrari is to work on the point of sales merchandising and new fragrances. Visibility in the store is going to be a priority since Ferrari is a real Luxury Brand (ranked in the top 5 Luxury Brands worldwide) and its success in markets like Middle-East, South East Asia and Brazil (n°1 Men Fragrance in July 2011) allow further investment in those markets. We will therefore be working on all the points of sale, both on local markets and in duty free. On our stand we will reconstruct a Ferrari shop-in-shop, to show all our partners the importance we give to this merchandising, to put forward the products.

We have established two pillars for Ferrari, as far as the offer of the products are concerned: one pillar with the “scudetto” symbol which is the world of Formula One racing; the lines associated with the “scudetto” are Ferrari Red, Ferrari Black, Scuderia, Light Essence and Light Essence Bright. In Cannes, we will be anticipating a new line in the “scudetto Formula One” universe which will come out in spring 2012, with a new bottle, a very specific fragrance and a new advertising that will be very strong, masculine and fully inspired by the Ferrari codes. We have a second pillar, the lifestyle side of Ferrari, which is linked to GT, Grand Tourism, and which is complemented by Ferrari Uomo; the price positioning is slightly higher, the targeted clientele slightly more sophisticated, a little older and we will work on specific products for some markets on this pillar represented by the “cavallino”, the prancing horse. In October, we will be launching a specifically developed product for the Middle-East markets called “Essence Oud”, which is composed of one of the best known and most precious essences on the market. This product will have a higher positioning and will be more prestigious. It’s a pleasure for me to tell you that Mr. Abdullahl Al Fahim, the owner of the perfumery chain Paris Gallery and our partner in the Middle-East, was willing to test himself some different olfactory submissions on the Oud theme in Dubai. We enjoyed this very much and after this first launch, we will have specific editions for the Middle-East every six months. Our objective with Ferrari is to be the first Luxury Car Brand that is a real success in perfumery. Ferrari has its own universe and such a global awareness that can make it a successful in different Luxury products category. The retail development made by Ferrari in the last years is a clear example of the brand power worldwide, especially in the fast developing countries where the myth of the brand has been recently discovered.
It is a legendary brand that makes whole generations o f young people dream. There is a lot of work to be done on this brand; at the level of the fragrances, we would like to go back to the past, rediscovering the heritage of the brand, speaking about Enzo Ferrari. “L’Ingegnere”, as icon of the Italian entrepreneurship, represents the soul of Ferrari and his vision which has driven the brand in all its elements, from racing to design to positioning.

As far as Benetton is concerned, a legendary brand that is known all over the world for its creativity both in products and image, we plan to continue with actions started in 2010 like the restyling of the most successful lines (Hot&Cold) and the roll-out of Colori, the new line launched last year. The restyling of our core first success line Hot & Cold, which is still performing very well, involves the re-design of the decoration of the bottles, packaging, and the launch of a new visual that will update the line in terms of communication. We have also launched two flankers, Hot Gold and Cold Silver, with two new different fragrances. For next year, we are currently working on a new concept based on attitude, movement and emotions. We are going to begin with a fragrance for men inspired by the sport universe that will be launched during spring 2012; in autumn 2012 we will be launching a woman fragrance evoking romance and seduction, and during spring 2013, we will be exploring the adventure spirit with another fragrance for men. For those two global brands, we have planned to work on a strong and innovative digital strategy (social media marketing, mobile, internet…).

Export Magazine: What are the other launches planned for the coming years?

Brigitte Wormser: Ducati: the new project “Fight for Me” will be launched in Italy and some other markets in October. It is a vibrant and sensual fragrance, with a bottle that echoes the spirit of the Ducati motorcycle. Owning a Ducati motorcycle is just like belonging to a club conveying a world mixing elegance, sophistication, technical expertise and taste for sport. Fans of Ducati have a passion for style. We will promote this project by optimizing the web communication and sharing information on Internet with clubs and fans; press campaigns will support this project in which we greatly believe. Iceberg: the “Eau de Iceberg” collection, launched in 2010, has been enriched with two new “Eaux” for her and for him at end of spring 2011 and will be supported during autumn with an impacting advertising campaign. Then a new male fragrance will roll out in spring 2012. Its bottle has a very distinctive design different from all the existing ones and the intriguing fragrance has been developed in coordination with the team of Paolo Gerani, the owner and art director of the Fashion division, who is greatly involved in the creation of the fragrances, especially this one.
Concerning La Perla brand, we are currently working on the restyling of La Perla Classique line, and we have planned to launch a new fragrance in this range which will be targeting young, modern and playful girls.

For Galliano brand, we have three launches scheduled: this year, Parlez-moi d’Amour – Eau de Parfum, sexier and sensual. In 2012, we will be launching Parlez-moi d’Amour –Eau Fraîche in spring and the first Galliano fragrance for men in autumn. Then for Fiorucci, whose main target is nowadays teenagers, we will be presenting a new project in 2012 inspired by the 80’s Pop Art spirit, with the objective of seducing young and trendy women from 18 to 30 years old.