Can’t afford the car? Buy the scent
By David Menzies
A different kind of car fragrance is in the air these days – and it has nothing to do with those little evergreen tree-shaped air fresheners.
Indeed, check out the scents that are for drivers, not rides. Namely, vehicle-branded colognes and perfumes.
Thus, if you can’t afford that little red Corvette made by GM, chances are you can afford Corvette Red cologne by Vapro International. And while only a select few drivers will ever be good enough to crack the NASCAR circuit, anyone can pretend he or she smells like a racer by splashing on a dab of Daytona 500 cologne. (Manufacturer Elizabeth Arden trumpets Daytona 500 as the world’s “first sporting-event branded fragrance” for those keeping track of such matters.)
While auto-themed colognes are diverse, they share at least one commonality: they tend to be based on an iconic automobile. Thus, if you’re pining for Eau de Kia or La Fragrance Ford Focus, you’re out of luck.
James Hicks, publisher of Cosmetics magazine – which covers Canada’s fragrance, toiletry and beauty industries – says he’s not surprised to see car-themed colognes emerge as a growing trend.
“The fragrance industry is all about the brand,” says Hicks. “Celebrity-themed colognes are sort of waning and since fragrance companies are always looking for other venues, it’s easier to break through if the scent is tied to an established brand. I think people that own [high-end] cars might tend to gravitate to colognes based on their cars.”Indeed, when Hummer cologne by EA Fragrances debuted, the scent did “extremely well... Hummer actually cracked the top five [colognes] in terms of sales in Canada shortly after its launch,” notes Hicks.
Some brands have been successful enough to spawn variations. A second Hummer scent was released (H2) and there are no fewer than seven different Ferrari scents (#1, Passion, Red, Yellow, Black, Racing and Extreme.) There are also more than half a dozen different Jaguar-branded colognes and perfumes.
While fancy bottles and iconic brand names are important when it comes to moving the merchandise, in the final analysis, Hicks maintains it’s the quality of the fragrance that will decide the day.
“For me,” says Hicks, “it’s all about the juice.”
Posted by: pheromone advantage | 2010-06-28 8:37:53 PM
I agree to Hicks “The fragrance industry is all about the brand,” Anyway,thank you so much for the information.
cletsey