Best moments
Designing a perfume is, you may have realized, fun on one hand, a never ending story on the other hand. Being my own little company with no master of finance, no CEO, no managing director, and no marketing weasel, everything that follows this perfume building is equally fun. At least for me. Thus, I may waste my time thinking for hours about Texas Memories versus Lonestar Leather (Texas Memories is still ranking high, Lonestar Leather will be checked with Juvena for objection). I like to fool around with ideas in terms of packaging of samples, leaflets, brochures, recognizing of course that for niche in the niche of the niche players like us the scent is the key. I dream of large posters, hanging around in Zurich and on Champs Elysée, I have beautiful visions of TV commercials featuring my products. And, after flying high in this dream land, I come down, softly landing on planet earth again, where gravity is still reliably preventing us from jumping too high, making sure that we do not all fly off into a cold, dark, empty space. Thus, I sit here, fixed neatly on my train seat cruising over planet earth, and look at a picture that I found after hours, hours, and more hours to go with. It felt perfectly, immediately, and I think I could go with it. In search of a visual mirror of what the leather is all about, with two, three things to say here:
First: I wanted a human being, a man, to go as image with the scent. The L’air du désert marocain image with its 70-ies style drawing, very reduced to the max, almost with a touch of art deco went very well with this scent. I designed it myself and it took me days until I came up with the right thing (Thank you Marlen for your compliment, I appreciate). But this time, I want a man to go with it, at least for two print products: A brochure and the sample packaging.
Second: I have realized on Marlen’s blog that using a human being picture might be delicate and I just hope Marlen will show mercy…..
Third: Not too much exposed skin here….
Forth: I am, I guess, little evolved in terms of marketing. Here, I use basically no higher brain functions but rather stick pretty much to my instincts…..
12 Comments:
If that guy was on your scent, I'd buy it if it contained water....
Great entry. This naming business is tricky - I can see the problem with the connotations of Texas, but also the spanish might take you away from the essential leatheriness (sans spice, I imagine) of the scent. Texas hill country is supposed to be very different to the rest of the state, isn't it. As is San Antonio I guess. I wonder if there's a place name to play around with from there?
Ok, well, the problem with using an image of a person to market a scent is that the image can easily become associated with the fragrance...some will like the looks of the individual, some will not. Moreover, naming a scent after a location also delves into the world of associations. I think for many, Maroc and Morocain evoke images of exotic lands and spices, while Texas evokes images of country-line dancing, Dallas (the t.v. show), rodeos, chili and cowboys. As WAYYYYY off as I might be about the beauty and life of the many faces of Texas, I wonder about naming a fragrance after Texas. That being said, your creations thus far have been so remarkable that I bet YOU, Andy, could create a new scented image of Texas! I imagine leather, smoke, shubs, pepper...I'm curious, and yes, that cowboy is pretty damned cute...
Dear Leopoldo
I guess, I might have a first "unsniffed" buyer then ;-)
Dear Marlen
Yes, I think so too, he is very cute! So much about my instincts.....
1) Meow. That guy: good choice.
2) Texas Memories: the word "memories" gives me pause because it has this sort of supermarket paperback romance feeling to it. My editor/poet instincts want to tell you to trim it to merely "Texas". Also, invoking memory with Texas makes me want to shout, "Remember the Alamo!" And Marlen's right in that Texas brings to mind really corny cultural associations, even though the land is some of the most beautiful we have. It's a tough one. I'm tempted to tell you to go with a retro cowboy invocation: nicking the title of a Larry McMurtry novel or something. I'm suddenly hearing in my head the old Portishead song, "Western Eyes," which begins with this great sample of a slowed recording of a man singing, "I feel so cold...on hookers and gin..."
Are we meant to want to wear him or your scent?
Is he wearing your scent?
will my man look like him if he wears your scent?
Bunnies are cute Andy! - this ones grown up and jumpable!!
I think Marlboro country and a smokey campfire is however a better image than Marlboro man per se.
Also - would my husband buy your fragrance with him on the front - actually I don't think he would
Heather
Oh Heather... I was so happy to get a 100% GO for Mr. cute so far... but your questions are very true, I guess.
So, here some answers ;-)
Are we meant to want to wear him or your scent? -> could be combined....
Is he wearing your scent?-> I hope so...if not, I will force him!
will my man look like him if he wears your scent? -> Absolutely, it will transform him immediately! (don't know whether this is good news for you)
Also - would my husband buy your fragrance with him on the front - actually I don't think he would -> maybe he would if he knew you will adore him afterwards...
I am just kidding andy will consider you posted comment thoroughly.
Andy, as a native Texan and new follower of your blog and scents (I just received my samples from you this week - truly amazing!) I was excited to read about the associations between your leather scent and your memories of my state. So pleased you were happy here during your stay! It is an unusual and varied state...
Tagging onto leopoldo's idea - the hill country is lovely - there are so many quaint towns - one near San Antonio is called Bandera. Ever been there? Lots of ranches, and horses - that name has a little swagger (strong, but rolls easily off of the tongue, might be easily pronounced in other languages than English...) and links in my mind to cowboys and leather - just a thought!
I too always wanted to come up with names for products (esp colors of lipsticks) but, marketing meetings are pure misery! Be glad you are your own executive! Lots of best wishes to you! (And damn, that cowoy is a cutie!)
Very cute he is too, Andy. Ever thought of dressing up as a cowboy yourself????????...LOL!
I'm glad that Lonestar leather is still in the running.
Dear Barry, Dear Tania
Lonestar Leather is still ranking very high, indeed. Especially after Tania's supermarket paperback romance... which is somewhat true. (thank you Tania!)
Now, I do not want cheap romance literature associations. Though, a "Dr. Perfect Perfume" might also be a good idea for later. ;-)
Dear Cbbliss
I was very happy indeed!
And I fully agree: Marketing meetins are hell. Worst: Discussing logos! It is endless and painful. So, happy CEO-free Andy!
OK, I like Bandera! I know you want to go for the literal, and I think that is probably better, and more amusing for Europe, but here we live in the Land of the Literal, so a bit of obscurity is welcome! And while I agree that the cowboy in the picture is terribly winning, I don't respond, personally, to another person being connected to something I might be interested in. There are so many bodies and "personalities" and Celebrities on pieces of paper everywhere I look in Hollywood (and Hilary Swank for Guerlain I just read on Columbina's blog!), you can understand. I used to live in an apt that looked straight over to a 40' Marlboro man cutout on Sunset Blvd, which was fab, but we thought smoking was cool then too!
Dear Wendy
hehehe... I will try to add a touch obscurity there... which remembers me in a saying of a lovely indian man, working with me and travelling with me on a sales mission to India. We did a lot of seminars in many towns accross India, with an instrument that we wanted to sell, as a matter of fact an instrument which was not quite finished yet, and he always said to me: "Andy, if you can't inform them....confuse them!"
Okay, so I feel compelled to chime in that if you have to pick say a single image, that is an awfully good one. He IS cute.
Smelly cowboys have enjoyed a steady denotation in the States with Stetson cologne thus far. It would be nice to see something that is not so ignoble come along and present that idea in a whole new and wonderful light.
Also, you have excellent taste - did I mention already that he's very cute? Heh ;)
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