Fragrance and self image

Date of publication: November 14, 2007

Catalogue: Fragrance 2007

Author: Marc Gilles

Abstract:

This paper presents one of the major results brought out by recent quali-quantitative surveys conducted in Europe on the woman fragrance market in selective outlets. It highlights the importance of the self-image that women wish to project through their fragrance. This subject has often been discussed by qualitative people, but here we have been able not only to qualify it, but also to evaluate it quantitatively through our quali-quantitative instrument. The first part of our paper is an analytical presentation of the issue, while the second part of the paper aims at supporting the analysis with facts and figures from recent research. The main operational results of these surveys are: 1. 4 major types of self-image projected by women through their fragrances, 2. these projected self-images being precisely associated to:-a sensory profile of the scents supporting each self-image,-behaviour and body patterns, depending on the image women wish to project different modes and levels of implication in fragrance, -specific connexions with certain brands of fragrance. The paper comes to the conclusion that: -evaluating a scent for itself in abstracto does not make much sense anymore and could lead to disillusion, -we should also and maybe primarily evaluate the performance of a scent against the self-image that the targeted woman wishes to project through the fragrance supporting it.

Marc Gilles

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