Using Celebrities to Sell Designer Fragrances

Think celebrity fragrances have run their course? Think again. The brands behind many designer fragrances are churning out celebrity-name scents for men and women. The latest was Beyonce's Heat, and more fragrances from current A-list celebrities are coming up in 2010. Although celebrity scents hit a stride back in 2004 and never looked back, a study done in 2009 indicated that these designer fragrances may be detrimental to the perfume market overall. Those in the study, for example, who liked the scent wouldn't buy the perfume if they didn't like the celebrity associated. But, with many B- and C-list celebrity scents on the market, it appears that fragrance brands are fine-tuning their approach to marketing.Could going for an A-list only approach change slumping sales for designer fragrances? One recent example indicates that this may be a possibility. Beyonce's fragrance, Heat, released earlier this year has sold $3 million in stores in its first month and, on the day Beyonce appeared in a New York store to promote the perfume, 72,000 bottles in an hour. On average, however, a typical celebrity fragrance makes about $2.5 million per year, although this figure often diminishes the second year or when the celebrity loses his or her star power.As Beyonce, as a singer on the A-list for several years, had a successful fragrance, other same tier actors and singers have scents lined up through brands of designer fragrances, like the Falic Group. Upcoming in later in 2010 are perfumes by Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria, and Rihanna. In many cases, a scent ends up being a one-time deal for an actor or singer, although some have turned into successful lines. But, as fragrance scents slump overall and the One Mighty Drop campaign attempts to revive the industry, any approach to get the public interested in perfume and cologne again is worth a try.The marketing approach of using A-list celebrities to represent designer fragrances appears to work in the short term. Although not everyone's star power lasts forever, those signed on to have a perfume or cologne appear have been in the limelight for a few years and this should translate into fragrance sales.