The use of perfum takes us back in time and it has always been used differently and for different purposes throughout the centuries.
For example, the perfume for the Egyptians, was as impalpable as the spirit and was consumed especially in the process of embalming the rich dead or trying to secure the credit for eternal life.
The art of koh-doh (“The way of perfume”) in Japan was the technique for “listening” to fragrances. It was very used in particular in the imperial court, and is considered as an ancient ritual like the tea ceremony, archery and Ikebana and the art of arranging flowers.
Maybe the very first experience of scent marketing and olfactory branding was the one of Coco Chanel. It was a completely unaware choice that did not yet have a name.
In May 1920 Coco Chanel chose the fifth fragrance proposal of the perfumer Beaux – Chanel Nº 5. When Mademoiselle, who at the time had two residences, left the Ritz suite to go to the Rue Cambon, the hotel’s doorman immediately called the Maison to make the boutique, the living rooms and the grand staircase, that led to her private apartment , SCENTED with the fragrance Nº 5.
Nowadays, why is it necessary to brand yourself with a scent?
If you work in the communication, branding, marketing and interiors fields, if you deal with art and advertising, you might be noticed that “senses’ experience” are the NEW words. We are going to be engaged not only emotionally and on the level of actions but also stimulating all our senses.
And Scenting has become an increasingly effective branding tool with the power to reach the hearts of clients.
When clients shop in their favourite stores or stay in hotel or relax in the SPA, look for extraordinary experiences to forget about the everyday life and try out something new. Scents make such moments special and offer guests or clients something unforgettable beacuse reach us in ways that elude sight and sound but conjure imagination in all its sensuality, unsealing hidden worlds. A whiff of a once-familiar odor and memories surge into consciousness on a sea of emotion.
The sense of SMELL has the power to transport out of you, to another place (the journey) and to another time (the memory). Perfum is a vehicle for a inner journeying, a powerful means of stimulation and evocation, an important component as light or sound in the layout of a branded space. Your clients’ eyes might be closed, but the signature scent diffused in the business space let them see the INVISIBLE!
Which is the process for the design of the Signature Scent tailored to the Brand?
We establish a deep relationship with our clients and we engage in sessions of analytical reading with those who need to create their own olfactory logo. The world of fragrances is fascinating and, as in the gourmet field, expert guidance is fundamental for finding the perfect blend that can transmit unique and deep sensations. For example, in the field of luxury hotels, we often sleep at the hotel for which we have to design a tailored fragrance or if we work for a SPA we spend a full day in the SPA resort. This is to fully understand the atmosphere and the personality of the place.
Signature Scents are created by our experts inside our laboratories in Grasse, France and in Florence, Italy; they create compositions with more than 2000 essences. If you think that music is the result of a combination of only 7 notes, the creations we can make for our clients are truly endless.
Of course, we take into consideration the origins, the history and the culture of our client’s country. We could not do otherwise to create a fragrance that truly represents the identity of the brand, in “the olfactory way”.
We work with the whole world and all the continents and we have analyzed and studied all the most beautiful cultures and made experience of the most beautiful realities in the world. As in the case of the Chinese SKP Departments Stores, The Ritz-Carlton in Japan, The Emirates Flyght Academy in Dubai and Les Galeries LaFayette in Doha, The Four Seasons Hotel in Tunis, The chain of At Six hotels in Sweden, some chain of stores and of residential buildings in Miami, to sail the distant seas with the Costa Crociere (Italian cruise company).
The Signature Scent is unique and made-to-measure for the Brand. Does usually the company ask for a set of different fragrances?
We usually design n. 1 Signature Scent representing the Brand or the Hotel or the specific place. The Signature Scent can be formulated with different facets so as to have different fragrances to be diffused in different areas of the structure.
For example, for the SKP department stores in Beijing and Xi’an (the largest and most important luxury department stores in China but also in the whole Asia) we have created n. 1 Signature Scent that unequivocally represents the SKP Brand. This fragrance is diffused at the entrance of the two department stores, in private areas, in lifts, in public areas. But each floor and each category product area is scented with an ambient fragrance that is reminiscent of the Signature Scent but has different characteristics based mainly on the product category that is sold in that floor.
The Olfactory Branding project designed for SKP is an Olfactory Journey of 14 fragrances, all different but coherent and in tune with each other, that starts with the Signature Scent and branches off into 13 different facets and different olfactory emotions inside the 10 floors building.
Also Les Galeries LaFayette in Doha have chosen for an olfactory journey with the diffusion of a coherent range of fragrances in the structure.
We can also mention the case of The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo that has chosen to accompany its guests in the Hotel with a Signature Scent identifying the structure (Green Citrus) but also to scent some areas of the hotel with different fragrances. Crystal Bamboo for the SPA and Rose Petals (which recalls femininity and the beauty of the bride and one of her most important days.) for the Chapel, where weddings are celebrated.
Does the Signature Scent or Olfactory Journey change frequently?
The Signature Scent is not changed very frequently. It is a very thoughtful choice and is shared with the customer. For example, with Gucci, it was decided to change the diffused fragrance when the artistic direction changed with Alessandro Michele. He personally chose a totally different fragrance to be diffused in stores, much more in line with the brand’s new artistic strategy. As for the fragrance spread in the Armani Casa stores and in Armani Hotel Milano and Dubai, Giorgio Armani himself chose the fragrance to be diffused and has not been modified since that day.
