SPAIN. Rebecca Mann spoke with Raymond Matts, Vice President of Corporate Fragrance Development Worldwide for Aramis and Designer Fragrances about Tommy Hilfiger’s True Star Men fragrance. Back to the main story.
“I wanted to re-invent casual elegance. After all, think about what we get away with today that we couldn’t ten years ago, in terms of how we dress for work. Shouldn’t fragrance today reflect that?… I really felt that Enrique, who is such a down-to-earth guy, despite being a superstar, gave us the opportunity to start changing the perception of what a men’s fragrance could be.” |
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Raymond Matts, Vice President of Corporate Fragrance Development Worldwide for Aramis and Designer Fragrances, felt that a key element of the True Star juice needed to be seductive and addictive. The inspiration, says Matts, came from listening to Enrique’s music while sitting at home on the sofa with his wife |
Raymond Matts, Vice President of Corporate Fragrance Development Worldwide for Aramis and Designer Fragrances, is not your average nose, despite his 20 years in the fragrance business.
He has degrees in economics and criminal justice; seriously considered the FBI before dabbling in law school – and loathes with a passion all talk of top/middle/bottom notes and the near-ubiquitous olfactory pyramid.
“I think of fragrance as liquid emotion,” he explains. “And when I start designing fragrances I usually begin working around three accords, based upon sensation, emotion, feeling or an experience. So each accord has a purpose within a fragrance, to help create emotional value.”
He felt the first element of the True Star juice needed to be seductive and addictive. The inspiration, says Matts, came from listening to Enrique’s music while sitting at home on the sofa with his wife. “Watching her, it was almost like he was seducing my wife through the music,” comments Matts good-naturedly.
But Matts chose to eschew the obvious route and aim for a softness instead. “So I started with two notes, based around a colour, looking at saffron and the softness of sandalwood, which would be the signature and this new type of background which I wanted to use to bring a more modern approach to men’s fragrance,” he explains.
“I really felt that Enrique, who is such a down-to-earth guy, despite being a superstar, gave us the opportunity to start changing the perception of what a men’s fragrance could be.
“There’s saffron, sandalwood, and a touch of vanilla to wrap it, plus a few other notes to deliver a velvety texture, and a lot of expensive naturals.”
For the next element, Ray went back to the past. “When I first came into the industry 20 years ago, floralcy was a pretty big part of things, and I began thinking how I could create a modern feeling of sophistication. I wanted to re-invent casual elegance. After all, think about what we get away with today that we couldn’t ten years ago, in terms of how we dress for work. Shouldn’t fragrance today reflect that?”.
Enter orris, a classic ingredient with “understated elegance”, with the added bonus of being generally liked by women. “When a woman smells a fragrance, I want her to want to get closer to it, not think, “˜go wash that smell off’ or “˜what are you trying to hide?’,” comments Matts.
The orris is complemented by a touch of rice for texture, and black liquorice for sweetness and depth.
“True Star Men is long-lasting, but it’s not in your face,” asserts Matts. ” Some people mix the two up. It’s also the type of fragrance you spray [liberally] on you. You really wear it.”
Lastly, says Matts, he wanted contrast, a point of distinction, an element of surprise to keep people coming back.
“Because we have such a unique juice we want to get it out there, so you’re going to see millions of samples,” comments Vice President Global Marketing Robin Mason. “And we’ll be thinking about how to target women, given Enrique’s appeal. Basically there are a lot of opportunities to really think “˜out of the box’ with the True Star Men marketing.” |
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The international unveiling of True Star Men at the Nuevo Teatro Alcala, Madrid |
“So we have an accord to draw you in. It works with two colours, pink and blue: that’s pink grapefruit and some watery notes that create a crisp wave that to me is the introduction and will hopefully entice the customer to want to go further.”
He concludes: “True Star Men is not your typical men’s scent, but it has a very masculine feel. It’s new and it’s comfortable all at the same time.”
And Aramis and Designer Fragrances will be pulling out all the stops to make sure people try it.
“Because we have such a unique juice we want to get it out there, so you’re going to see millions of samples,” commented Vice President Global Marketing Robin Mason.
“We’re launching globally in October, and the launch will be supported with sampling, scent strips and blow-ins.”
She adds: “Because we have someone like Enrique, it’s important that we do something a little bit more targeted in terms of marketing efforts. So there will be some internet activity – that’s very important – and his fan club database is golden, so you’ll also see activity there.
“Obviously there will be the traditional TV and print campaign, but we will also be partnering with Enrique’s record label, Geffen.”
Mason concludes: “Enrique is launching his album at around the same time as True Star Men, so we’ll be harnessing those synergies. The track featured on the TV commercial will be a release off the new album.
“Lastly, we’ll be thinking about how to target women, given his appeal. Basically there are a lot of opportunities to really think “˜out of the box’ with the True Star Men marketing.”
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