Paris Gallery unwraps the art of marketing niche perfumes

Sunday 31 January 2016

Dubai - MENA Herald: As part of the Perfume-themed events of Dubai Shopping Festival, Mohamed Jaber, Group Marketing and Communications Manager, Paris Gallery, delivered a presentation on niche perfume marketing at Perfume Avenue in City Centre Mirdif, on 29 January, offering insights into the difference between lifestyle perfumes and niche perfumes.

Mohamed Jaber said: “Lifestyle perfumes are what most people use. They are produced by fashion houses as part of their business, where they might see handbags, watches and fashion in addition. Niche perfumes are created only by a perfume house. Making perfumes is their passion and they have a strong ‘nose.’ It is called niche perfume simply because it is available in limited quantities, the perfumers used the best of ingredients, and there will not be more than 3-4 references due to the long production process of each reference.”

He cited the example of marketing done for a niche perfume brand and explained that the idea of the perfume always precedes the marketing plan, not the other way around. “In niche perfume, it is about marketing a dream that is yet to come true. One example is that Cindy Guillemant (the founder of Moresque) and Paris Gallery wanted to come up with a perfume that had an oriental feel to it blended with a European feel. For that, we flew in different ‘noses’ and found that there was an ongoing trend called Moresque (which is a blend of Moorish culture and architecture and Arabesque culture). It took three years to come up with the ‘juices.’ Since it was a mix between Oriental and European cultures, we used European models wearing Arabic attire to promote the mix of two vibrant cultures. So, we first started with the idea, followed by creating the ‘juices’ before creating the marketing plan.”

In an interview with the DFRE Media Centre, Mr. Jaber spoke about the involvement of Paris Gallery as a strategic partner of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and the organisers of DSF.

“DSF is one of the most successful festivals in the world. Imagine an activity that has run for 21 years without a break. The team work very hard to bring the festival to fruition so that it is a success in all aspects. Both Paris Gallery and DSF, since the beginning, have grown together because we have taken the time to get to know each other, believe in each other as well and jointly promote the product or event. As a result of the exchange of ideas and exploring concepts and collaboration with the retailers, DSF has become a huge success. If you have passion and you believe in each other, anything is possible.”

Meanwhile, at a separate session at the DSF Perfume Avenue, Firas Kadem, Group Head of Fragrance and Cosmetics, Paris Gallery, discussed the market trends of niche perfumes.
Currently, niche perfumes seem to be preferred over mass produced lifestyle perfumes as customers’ tastes have changed over time. Niche perfumes are made by perfume houses that have dedicated themselves solely to the art of making the finest perfumes in limited quantities, using far superior natural ingredients. They also invest a huge amount of time and energy in the designing the bottle and the packaging that are hand assembled by the finest craftsmen with the best possible material. This has become a form of art as a bottle of niche perfume ultimately becomes a collector’s item.

Mr Kadem cited one of the reasons as to why niche perfumers are taking increasing market share in the fragrance industry. “Previously, customers from the Middle East used to travel to Europe in order to purchase niche perfumes that was not available here. However, over the years, Paris Gallery has made it possible to bring these exclusive brands such as Sospiro, Moresque, Cupid and Kilian into the Middle East market. In fact, Roja Parfums by Roja Dove is only exclusively available at Paris Gallery in The Dubai Mall. No longer do the customers need to travel to buy these niche perfumes elsewhere”.

DSF 2016, which commenced on 1 January, ends today (Monday, 1 February) after having offered residents and visitors from around the world the opportunity to indulge in a unique shopping experience, and benefit from the best in shopping, winnings and entertainment over 32 days.

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