Beauté Prestige International (BPI) last week unveiled the new male and female fragrances from Zadig & Voltaire at a rock-chic themed party in Paris.
Over 600 guests, including The Moodie Davitt Report, attended the launch event which was held at a Bourgeois-style building in the centre of Paris. French electro and house DJ The Avener, who created the soundtrack for the fragrances’ ad campaign, entertained guests with a 30-minute set.
The scents, This is Her and This is Him, are said to draw from Zadig & Voltaire’s values to create something “unexpected with a unique DNA”.
Created by Sidonie Lancesseur and Michel Almairac, This is Her is a woody, floral scent. Notes include silk, cashmere, Arabian jasmine, pink peppercorn, chestnut, vanilla and sandalwood.
This is Him, created by Nathalie Lorson and Aurélien Guichard, is a woody oriental fragrance. Top notes comprise grapefruit and black pepper, while vanilla and incense make up the heart. The dry down features sandalwood.
This is Him is housed in a black bottle with jagged edge and This is Her in a white bottle, also featuring a jagged edge. When the juices are stood next to each other, the bottle edges join to become one.
“The bottle design is elegant and simple, inspired from contemporary art. We wanted to focus on a minimalist design, black and white, with this symbol of opposition and attraction between men and women,” explained Zadig & Voltaire Artistic Director Cecilia Bönström.
Full details of the TV commercial are embargoed until a later date.
Speaking in Paris, BPI Travel Retail Director Europe and Middle East Olivier Decazes said the fragrances would be progressively launched, starting in September. “We have high ambitions of very strong growth in the mid to long term and will be focusing on travel retail Europe in year one, and Middle East, the Americas and Asia in year two. Both fragrances will be available in 600 points-of-sale in travel retail EMEA.”
BPI is open minded about This is Her and This is Him’s target audience, said Decazes. “We have to consider that the brand does not benefit from the same level of notoriety in all nationalities compared with our other brands. Zadig & Voltaire is obviously more well known in France and Europe. It’s not a question of age but a question of spirit and attitude. We will target consumers who are ready to discover new scenes and who want to have fun at the point of sale.
“Our ultimate goal is to position Zadig & Voltaire in the top 15 global fragrance brands for men and women. With the addition of the new Zadig & Voltaire fragrances, we are aiming for double-digit growth this year for the BPI portfolio.”
“We think the launches will compensate for the loss of the Jean Paul Gaultier licence in the mid to long term,” Decazes continued. “We are targeting younger people, aged 20 to 35. It’s a new attitude where we have a clear message about rock and Paris, love and music. It’s a new approach in terms of brand recognition.”
The launch of This is Her and This is Him will be supported by promotions that strongly play on the DNA of the brand. “Zadig & Voltaire is a breakthrough brand for us that can really speak to a different audience. It’s a brand that speaks loudly and our challenge is to convey that message properly at the point-of-sale,” explained Decazes.
He added that a big investment in media will be made from September to December, and Zadig & Voltaire will have “exceptional” visibility in Paris airports. “In travel retail we will mainly use the rock aspect of the brand because it speaks to all types of consumers. We will execute strong animations and customer experiences. Social and digital media will help target different customer groups to the likes of Issey Miyake and Narciso Rodriguez.”
Decazes highlighted the challenges brands face when it comes to promoting themselves in travel retail. “Brands must be creative with retailtainment in order to gain visibility and recognition in airports. The difficulty we face is that visibility is becoming more and more costly. This business model in travel retail is a big pressure market and the global fragrance category last year saw a -10% decline in sales.”
Commenting on BPI’s overall travel retail business, Decazes said that single-digit growth in Europe, the Middle East and Africa region was mainly driven by Burberry and Narciso Rodriguez. The recently launched Elie Saab Rose Couture has so far seen strong success in the Middle East and the UK, revealed Decazes.
