How to Avoid Concept Lock-In When Creating a Fragrance Line
How specific or broad should a fragrance brand's concept be?
In the fragrance industry, brand positioning is closely tied to the creative concept, i.e., the inspiration behind the product line/collection. Some fragrance houses build their brands around a central theme, while others isolate different creative concepts into separate collections under a more eclectic, more fuzzy, less explicit brand identity.
Compare these brands with different degrees of creative concept specificity and independence from the core brand:
Blood Concept: here, the brand is inseparable from the concept of different blood types. This seems quite limiting in terms of what can be added to the line as there are only so many blood types (or other thematically related things). The brand owners approached this challenge gracefully though, and managed to extend the concept into several collections
Hormone Paris: this brand may face a similar challenge of being locked into the concept
The Harmonist: the brand name here is less strictly associated with the concept, but the concept inspired by the five elements of Feng Shui dictates the creative direction of future releases in a way
Maison Martin Margiela’s brand is almost solely associated with its Replica line capturing “scents and moments of various locations and periods”. Although the concept puts some constraints on what can be added to the line, it is not overly limiting in itself as there are millions of things that can be presented as memorable moments
Liquides Imaginaires’ brand name guides the direction for future releases but also isn’t too restrictive as the liquids are “imaginary”. The brand managed to launch nearly a dozen different lines revolving around the concept of liquids
Imaginary Authors’ brand has a quite specific concept in its core, supported by the brand name, but again, the essence of this concept allows for a lot of creative twists
Pierre Guillaume has a few lines with very diverse olfactive profiles and thematically scattered concepts. The brand was named after its founder and perfumer, which is lacking any conceptual meaning and allows the perfumer to explore a lot of different territories
Amouage has a strong brand that (at least in the Western hemisphere and up until 2019 when the house took a different course in its branding strategy) had grown through a series of eclectic releases, where fragrances were presented as pairs of man/woman versions. Each pair, while technically just two fragrances, functioned as a mini-line with its own detailed creative concept. These concepts, though seemingly random, convey an ephemeral “something” that customers recognize as the brand’s DNA. To be honest, even if these fragrances weren’t supported by a specific narrative, name and bottle design, the juice in each release has a very strong character and speaks for itself
Byredo takes a similar approach, with each release in its main collection presenting a standalone concept and a distinct, powerful imagery. There are no thematic or conceptual constraints as far as what can be added to the line, which makes it both very challenging and rewarding to stay coherent with the brand’s identity in each new release
These examples are arranged from brands built around very specific concepts, with a high degree of thematic unity across the releases, to brands with more elusive, scattered sets of ideas and imagery. Usually (not always), the latter are stronger brands that are more resistant to unsuccessful releases and are easier to scale, but harder, longer and more expensive to build initially. It is easier to create a catchy press release about a new brand that is based on a specific concept and generate a lot of buzz and quick surge of interest. It takes time, patience, and resources to promote a brand that only gives cues about what it is – in a subtle way, not in a blunt, direct way like "we are a brand inspired by the four planets closest to the Sun".
When fragrance houses make creative decisions about their overall concept and the concept of each release, they should take into account their resources, growth ambitions, and risk tolerance. In any case, brands are less prone to a concept lock-in when the overall fragrance house brand is made more generic and not tied to a specific creative concept, while the concepts are isolated into thematic collections under the main brand. This needs to be planned ahead, before launching the brand, as it impacts the go-to-market approach, naming, and many other decisions.
Speaking of brand names specifically, naming a brand after its founder or using a vague, abstract name presents more opportunities for the brand’s evolution than a catchy name tied to a specific concept. Interestingly, in perfumery, a house brand’s name is also… not that important. Or better said – not as important as the names of individual perfumes.
