The Perfume Industry, Exposed
Are Expensive Perfumes Worth Your Money? Here's What's Up
As a guy who has oft dismissed NASCAR races as two-hour-long left turns, rare have been my days of looking at a race track and musing “That. That is what I want to smell like.”So when I got my hands on a bottle of Sunoco's new fragrance, Burnt Rubbér (“The essence of racing,” according to the gas giant's website), it was understood that my testing it out would be purely business, not pleasure.
While it doesn't quite have Sex Panther's musk of pure gasoline, it does, and I swear this isn't just quoting Anchorman, sting the nostrils (last reference, I promise).
“I like it,” my girlfriend says after a sniff.
This, of course, comes from the same woman who can't wait to shove her nose into my armpits after a workout. Needless to say, the days of trusting her to smell milk and let me know if it's turned are over.
Sunoco may be a peculiar company to jump on the branded fragrance bandwagon, but it's hardly the most ridiculous. Everyone from Justin Bieber to friggin' Snooki has come out with their own personal stench. The reason why is simple: In a business worth almost $40 billion per year globally, anything you can do to increase your market share is probably worth it.
“In general, with a scent, what you're trying to do is ride on their popularity, either as a leading figure in fashion or in movies,” said Alan Middleton, a professor at York University who specializes in branding and who used to work for perfume company Elizabeth Arden.
In recent years, it's not enough to be an actor or a musician. Just like the world economy has gone and taken a dump on average Joes, the famous have to find new ways to afford plane tickets for their hats. Thus, Avril Lavigne gets to design a fashion line and J.Lo and her ex-beau The Artist Formerly Known as Sean Puff Diddy Daddy get fragrances.
Because these people are famous, we figure they must know some secret to being awesome that we just aren't privy to (this is untrue for everybody but Denzel. That dude knows what's up. Everyone else is faking it). And because the profit margin on a bottle of perfume can be as high as 80%, there's plenty of cash for a major manufacturer to throw at a big name.
“There's a view there of expertise,” said Middleton. “Because these women are successful models or films stars, they must know what they're doing in the way the position themselves in terms of clothing and fragrance and makeup.”
Need proof that glamour sells? According to statistics from market research company Euromonitor International, the No. 1 celebrity-endorsed perfume in 2013 with $55 million in sales was White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor, who managed that feat despite being dead for two years at the time. Also in the top 10 were Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Mariah Carey. See a pattern here? Sixty per cent of the time, an A-List endorsement works every time (Oops).
As for the celebs themselves, sure, they get a cut — but are they ever worried about putting their names on a shoddy product that could actually hurt their brand?
“Their agents and their organizations certainly do [their due diligence],” said Middleton. “They may not be totally involved in the development process, but their biases going in will be captured by the company and then they may or may not have absolute final say on the product itself.”
So celebrities hook up with perfume companies because it extends their brand's ubiquity and brings in more cash. Perfume companies sign up celebrities because it gets them access to a demographic. Where does Sunoco fit in with a cologne that smells like a used diaper filled with Indi — NO. NO MORE ANCHORMAN REFERENCES. I PROMISED.
As I was saying, where does Burnt Rubbér come in? According to the Euromonitor data, celebrity fragrances actually saw declining sales in 2014, with some actually finding their way into clearance bins. Colognes and perfumes in general are facing stiff competition. Body sprays (think Axe) are on the rise among the younger generation and are eating up a market share among young men who want to smell like a douchebag, but don't want to shell out major coin to smell like Justin Bieber in particular. It's only logical to go looking for completely untapped markets, and by appealing to a sense of can-do, old-fashioned American machismo, Sunoco just might market its way onto cheeks across the heartland.
That being said, Burnt Rubbér stinks (though GQ apparently disagrees). So while the marketing may be effective for some people, given my experience with Burnt Rubbér, I don't think I'll be buying into any branded cologne anytime soon.
Unless Paul Rudd releases an essence called Bigfoot's Dick (OK, I lied earlier). That, I would proudly wear.