The annual cocktail party hosted by INCC at the Hotel Majestic during the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes is legendary. Always fizzing with energy and drama, Champagne and pumping music, the event builds up to the entrance of charismatic CEO Rémy Deslandes greeting his guests, fists pumping the air — here is a man with a genuine love for his product.
This infectious enthusiasm has seen the Mercedes-Benz fragrance franchise thrive under the care of INCC. As the jewel in the INCC crown, the Mercedes-Benz Parfums collection drives enviable sales figures: €100 million by the year end (2017). To find out more The Moodie Davitt Report caught up with INCC Parfums Vice President Sales Thibaud de Vaulchier ahead of the TFWA World Exhibition to discuss the next leg of the Mercedes-Benz journey.
Established in 1990, INCC is a French fragrance company that creates, distributes and markets fragrances under licence. The company acquired the licence for Mercedes-Benz Parfums in 2011 to develop the fragrance worldwide. Last year, INCC Parfums celebrated selling over three million bottles of Mercedes-Benz Parfums in the previous four years.
Thibaud Vaulchier is committed to steering the brand in the right direction: “With our fragrance offering (80% for men, 20% for women) Mercedes-Benz Parfums are already in 95 countries with 10,000 domestic doors and 100 travel retail doors worldwide. We are adding local market presence around the world but our main objective is developing the Mercedes-Benz Parfums through travel retail.
“Our main scent driver, Mercedes-Benz Man, is really helping us to increase market share where we are already present. However, what we [have found] is that there is really no area which is reluctant to the brand. Mercedes-Benz is as good in Asia as in Europe, as well-received in the Middle East as the US and we are currently building up our business in Africa.
“In China, Mercedes-Benz is a sign, and recognition, of success. The perception of the brand is higher in China than it is in Europe but as we know [the former] is not traditionally a fragrance market. However, the aspirational nature of the Mercedes-Benz name is definitely helping us to drive sales in China.
“There is really no area which is reluctant to the brand”
INCC’s biggest markets are Germany, US, Korea, Australia and the Middle East. Its development strategy is to focus on growing presence in the US, Germany, UK, Russia and Mexico, the Gulf area (which is dependent on the geopolitical situation) and China.
“We really are a global brand unrestricted in terms of geographical location.
“Currently we are listed on 25 airlines and we hope to increase that number to 30 this year. In Russia, on Aeroflot, we are number one despite not having a presence in [the country’s domestic market] so we are confident our good inflight rankings will help our development into the countries themselves.”
The Mercedes-Benz Parfums collection already comprises 17 fragrances and counting. These include the best-selling Man range, along with Club, VIP Club, Cologne and Intense lines for men and Woman and Rose for women. New for 2018 will be the premium Mercedes-Benz Man Private eau de parfum slated for launch next April; and a new eau de toilette, Mercedes-Benz Man Grey, due for release next August. Another new launch which is still under wraps will be unveiled at the INCC cocktail party next week in Cannes.
“The Mercedes-Benz name itself and the three-point star logo are strong and aspirational [icons]. Mercedes-Benz is the ninth biggest brand in the world. The two new fragrances for men, which we will be showcasing at the TFWA World Exhibition, will take us into the highest price-point category with an offering designed to appeal to the luxury end of the market.”
Previous creators of Mercedes-Benz fragrances have included luminaries such as Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp and de Vaulchier wonders how much consumers are aware of the pedigree of perfumers behind best-selling fragrances.
“The involvement of a Master Perfumer is not really a consideration for our consumers although you can argue that we see it in the final results. The fact that our fragrances are created by Master Perfumers speaks volumes in terms of quality [which is ultimately what people buy into]. The fact that it is created by a Master Perfumer would be more interesting to the buyer of a niche fragrance but for a huge, global brand such as Mercedes-Benz, our consumer is more concerned with the brand name and the overall quality. They are not so concerned with how it’s made, just interested in the final result.”
Having built up the Mercedes-Benz brand successfully over the past few years, the company is now at a point where it needs to accelerate to the next level.
“The main challenge we now face is in setting up partnerships with duty free operators. We are finding it difficult to enter as a single brand in an environment where most operators seem to favour dealing with groups who can offer a range of brands.
“Our pop-up at Stuttgart Airport earlier this year was a great success for us and we have a further event there planned for December. We have also worked with Dubai Duty Free on airport promotions and our recent presence in Changi Airport Terminal 2 is proving a good step into the Asian market. We also have a presence in Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s new T3.
“However, we are yet [to form] partnerships with operators on a global level.
“Generally, we find the focus is on large groups and existing vendors when it comes to the operators, whereas, perhaps there needs to be a shift towards developing new brands. As a single brand we can be agile and responsive in the assortment we deliver, much more so than a large group. But we are finding it frustrating that not being part of an existing group is hindering our progress.
“As a single brand we can be agile and responsive in the assortment we deliver”
“According to independent results, Mercedes-Benz is in the top-15 global brands in airports so we know our brand makes sense. [And] it makes sense for operators to support Mercedes-Benz Parfums through their business development.
“As a top-15 men’s brand in Germany, our natural partner is Heinemann and that is where we would love to take the brand next. We believe that with Heinemann as our key partner, [we could make] a perfect match.”
Mercedes-Benz has already secured a loyal following globally. Harnessing the horse power necessary to take the brand to the next level will be INCC’s next step; and one that we will watch carefully.
The Moodie Davitt Report will bring more news on the latest Mercedes-Benz fragrance launch following the exclusive unveiling at next week’s TFWA World Exhibition.
INCC will be at T8, 1st Floor, Bay Terrace at the TFWA World Exhibition in Cannes.
