Marc Rosen, renowned package designer and member of Beauty Packaging’s advisory board, moderated the seminar and recruited these industry experts to participate: Jeanette Liang, executive director, global digital,  lipstick container.

The panelists, wiith Moderator Marc Rosen: (L-R) Melissa Montfort, marketing director and creative trend forecaster, Givaudan Fragrances; Marc Rosen, Marc Rosen Associates; Jeanette Liang, executive director, global digital marketing, The Estée Lauder Companies, Aramis and Designer Fragrances division; Mary Manning, president, SilkRoute Strategists; and Karen Young, CEO, The Young Group. marketing, The Estée Lauder Companies, Aramis and Designer Fragrances division; Mary Manning, president, SilkRoute Strategists; Melissa Montfort, marketing director and creative trend forecaster, Givaudan Fragrances; and Karen Young, CEO, The Young Group.

A VISUAL EXPERIENCE

“The saying, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ was never as true as it is today,” said Rosen. The way your brand looks in a photo online will either resonate with online shoppers - or it won't.

Mary Manning, president, SilkRoute Strategists, looked back at how the role of the marketer has changed – along with a brand’s conversation with consumers.

Manning mentioned how brands once spoke “at the consumer,” before the worlds of marketing and design were forever changed by Marc Gobe and the concept of “emotional branding.” Creating a connection with consumers has become a package designer’s most important task.

“Next came the revolution,” said Manning. “The emergence of digital has changed marketing fundamentally. Brands can reach consumers through so many access points today that there is a direct dialog,” she explained.

Manning also stressed the point that photos posted online will get 85%

MAKING A FRAGRANCE ‘VISUAL’

Since the online shopping and browsing experiences are visual ones, perhaps fragrance brands should be having the most difficult time using digital marketing strategies successfully - but a few brands have disproven that assumption.

Jeanette Liang, executive director, global digital marketing, The Estée Lauder Companies, Aramis and Designer Fragrances division, presented one example - the launch of the Michael Kors fragrance, online. “The challenge,” said Liang, “was how to convey the emotion of a fragrance through a digital platform.”

The solution was to make an interactive video to introduce online shoppers to the new fragrance. They were “brought into the experience” through online videos, and strong visuals, Liang explained. The personalized experience on the brand’s website successfully acted as a substitute for the experience of being in a store, and smelling the fragrance ‘in person.’ ”

Melissa Montfort, marketing director and creative trend forecaster, Givaudan Fragrances, spoke about the successful media and online presence that Christian Dior’s J’Adore has achieved. The scent was created in 1999 by one of Givaudan’s star perfumers, Calice Becker, and has since earned its place as a timeless classic.

“We’re very proud of it,” said Montfort. “The fragrance’s story is communicated seamlessly – from the packaging to the ad to the website. We wanted to understand what worked,” she explained.

Givaudan asked online shoppers the reasons why they liked the fragrance and ad. The most popular answer was the bottle’s “golden hue.” Second, consumers said “the packaging.” The third most popular response was “the model, Charlize Theron.”

A final question in its consumer research asked shoppers whether or not J’Adore measured up to their expectations, from the impression of it that’s presented online, through videos and visuals. “Ninety-four percent of consumers said yes – it delivered on its promise,” said Montfort.

FINAL TIPS

Karen Young, CEO, The Young Group, showed a few more examples of brands that are successfully telling their story online and connecting with consumers. “Hello does this well,” she said. “It’s message - no more crinkled toothpaste tubes – is told just by looking at the packaging,” she said.
Young added, “Brands have four seconds to connect with consumers – and it’s the same whether she is standing in a store, looking at a product on a shelf – or on a computer screen.”

Rosen summed it up by saying that no matter where the consumer is shopping, a brand’s first impression had better be a good one. He added, “It all starts and ends with a great story.”