Katy Perry’s got “Killer Queen”
Jay Z’s got “Gold Jay Z Cologne”
Apparently Madonna has had 34 of them over the years.
What does it actually mean to say that a certain perfume is “by Katy Perry”? Obviously I’m not fool enough to think she’s down there in the lab with the pipette working out how to make the new smells but … do these celebrities have any actual input into the product, even to the extent of “nup….nup….ooh, I quite like that one”, or is it purely a branding thing? If you buy Katy Perry Perfume, will you actually smell like Katy Perry? Does she have to promise not to wear, off-brand perfume while the promo is on?
(I’d also like to know whyTF this actually works as an advertising strategy, but that might be heading outside GQ territory by a couple of light years or so…)
Some may pick and choose from a variety presented to them others may just sign a piece of paper that says they can use there name. It’s all about marketing because even though most people do not buy the crap they get to use the celebrities likeness on store displays. And quite a few times one or two of them might actually take off and become popular. Hell Elizabreath Taylor might have been an old bag when she came out with her White Diamonds brand but it did sell to the older crowd, although I suspect many of the sales were from kids as presents because they knew mom knew who she was.
Old Spice made it explicit in their commercials with that manly dude: “Your man isn’t me, but he can smell like me with Old Spice”. Which may or may not be true for celebrity fragrances, but that’s what they’re going for.
To answer the OP, there is probably a spectrum of involvement by the celebrity from simply signing a piece of paper that lets the perfume company use their name, to helping design the fragrance and, presumably wearing it, but I doubt they would be obligated to only wear their own fragrance… and how exactly would you enforce that anyway?
Celebrities do it because they make money and it keeps their face out there… perfume companies do it because it adds some glamour to their line and attracts attention away from other perfumes. It apparently works since they keep doing it.
Large perfume companies - the guys who actually manufacture fragrance - typically trade under a number of brands, some of which are owned in-house and others which are licensed from fashion labels and, to a lesser extent, celebrities.
Coty is one multinational known for its branding deals with fashion labels and celebrities. Its brands include Calvin Klein, Philosophy and Rimmel and it has licensing deals with Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Katy Perry, J-Lo, Halle Berry, David Beckham and other celebs. Other examples: Puig (Jean Paul Gaultier, Paco Racobane, Prada and Valentino) and Interparfums (Lanvin, Montblanc and Jimmy Choo).
To address the OP, why does this work as a marketing strategy? Well it starts with selling a recognisable brand. The name “Coty” has no relevance to ordinary consumers, but people can identify with celebrity names and fashion labels. Coty can piggyback on the fame of their celebrity brands without doing the legwork of directly promoting the celebrity. Coty’s competence is in manufacturing and distributing its wares; it is cheaper for the company to buy/license a well-known name than to develop their own in-house brand from scratch.
The celebrity benefits from a big fat cheque each year for the duration of the deal, cross-promotion from the perfume ads (e.g. Coty or its distributors will pay for those glossy Beyonce perfume ads), and extension of their personal brand beyond music or film.
Everyone’s a winner… except you, who has to smell like Katy Perry, which I imagine is something like sweat and sugary cocktails.
Would you have the same reaction to buying say Prada perfume? It looks like Prada product, your wife may think it is classy, and it is sold in reassuringly expensive packaging. In reality, this product is produced by a third party manufacturer under a comprehensive licensing deal and as much to do with the core Prada range (where the entry point is say £1,300 for a leather handbag versus £40 for a bottle of perfume) as Queen Latifah has to do with the laboratory producing her particular brand of funk. My view is that all fashion brands are constructions and celebrity ones are no more contemptible those that are seemingly more solid.
As some have pointed out, “celebrity” fragrances are just the newer version of “designer” fragrances. It’s the marketing–identifying a fragrance with a popular entertainer or a high-tone couturier. Of course, the best way to pick one is to dab it on & see if it suits…
I think the thing that surprises me about celebrity perfumes as distinct from any other consumer product with a famous face whacked over the top of it is the insistence that these products are “by” <prominent name of note>. I mean - George Clooney’s pretty much branded as the face of Nescafe at the moment, but they don’t say “Nespresso - by George Clooney”. He just advertises the stuff (quite effectively, as it happens)
The only other product I can think of with such a close tie-in between the brand and the branding celebrity is clothing, but somehow that doesn’t strike me as so ridiculous (Elle McPherson underwear range … well, she’s a model, of course she’s interested in clothes, I imagine she might well have some actual say in how the range turned out)
I agree that the main confusion is over the verbiage. It’s always “Scent by Celebrity X” as if they were the ones who created the formula, or perhaps are slaving away churning out each and every bottle. It’s a silly way to phrase it and it needs to be done away with. Just call it “Celebrity X’s Scent” and be done with it.
This reminds me of the publicity binge that Sophia Vergara has been on lately. KMart showed a series of commercials where Sophia marches into the studios where her clothing collection is designed and redesigns some of the clothing and approves of other clothing. And then there was the advertising barrage on ABC for the short-lived series “Killer Women” where the most prominent part of each ad was “from executive producer Sophia Vergara” (with “Sophia Vergara” in huge letters). You were left with the impression that Vergara wrote, directed, and starred in the show, none of which was actually true, I think. (I realize a TV show is not a consumer product.)
I’m guessing the celebrity (or the celebrity’s manager) has input on the branding. The perfume company can use Katy Perry’s name, but the packaging should be pink or red, definitely no earth tones. The scent should be floral or some other feminine or romantic scent, not musky. The perfume has to be on-brand and fit in with her image.
I’m guessing she has no obligation regarding wearing the perfume, since the vast majority of people wouldn’t be able to tell if she was wearing it or not. Sometimes brand ambassadors for clothing companies are obligated to wear the clothes they are in ads with, since that’s something that everyone can see if the celebrity is wearing or if they are wearing the competition. But not so with perfume.
