The fragrance of quirky writing

The beauty of advertisements has always lied in the way storytelling differs from product to product and brand to brand. Every brand has its unique story to narrate, its expression to be felt. One of the major product categories, where we often notice a nice expression is perfumes.

We are so much so fascinated by the narrative in the short and crisp fragrance adverts because the brands do not focus on what attire does the character need to be, what the setting should be. All this comes from the very nature of the product, the sense of memory and identity a perfume creates which is distinct and differs from person to person.

As distinct as the fragrances of different brands are, their respective advertising communications too, are very unique. Some are as bold and seducing as Adriana Lima in Marc Jacobs’ Decadence. Smudged mascara, silky black dress, empty room, mood lights, vintage fragrance bottles; Marc Jacobs did not need anything else to describe its fragrance any better.

Right from manufacturing the scent to branding it in a beautiful case to packaging the whole look and feel of the perfume and tagging it a Victoria’s Secret Angel, Marc Jacob left no page unturned in building the much-required amplitude for its fragrance – Modern, seasoned, cool and edgy advertising.

And it is not just the top-notch, over-the-top, luxury brands doing it. Popular watch brand Titan has also churned out a strong and ephemeral campaign for its fragrance brand Skinn. Tagged as #BornFrench across all the communication channels, this TV spot by Titan for its French fragrances has made people go wow.

Kicking off in mid-July, the campaign sketches the flirtatious conversation between a young man and a charming woman. With no dialogues in real-time, the ad shows how both the man and the woman converse through French scents, in a rather mesmerising way.

Conceptualised by none other than the masters of creativity Ogilvy &Mather, the ad was initially aired with no subtitles, making a room for suspense and curiosity among the viewers. However, the TV spot is now being telecast with English subtitles. More than just the right visualisation, it takes a lot of courage to actually run a TV spot in French for a considerable time. The risk totally paid off.

Although the brand was advertised to masses, by J Walter Thompson, back in 2014, it did not receive a measurable response. Also, the very fact that the urban Indian market is very much ready to consume such products, has aided in the new campaign being successful.

With a strong sign-off line ‘Let your fragrance do the talking’, Titan’s Skinn has successfully placed its French collection– Sheer and Raw–loud and clear in the market. Needless to say, the brand has positioned itself way beyond similar Indian brands that have higher frequencies of perfume advertisements.