NEW YORK — When the advertising breaks in February for the Tommy Bahama men’s and women’s fragrances, it won’t have the typical look of many beauty ads. The models will not exude twentysomething youthfulness. In fact, they will look more like the marketing target, which is on the other side of 35.
“We are aiming at the Baby-Boomer type of customer,” said Neil J. Katz, president and chief executive officer of Gemini Cosmetics Inc., which is producing and marketing the Bahama fragrances under a licensing deal with the apparel firm. He described the age of the target consumer as “35-plus.”
The fragrances will be positioned much like the fashion — casual and relaxed, but sophisticated, elegant and above all, romantic.
What sets this brand apart is the maturity of its customer, who is affluent enough to afford the good life and young-minded enough to want to thoroughly enjoy it. Jacqueline E. Singer, vice president of marketing at Gemini, pointed out that with the constant focus on youth, this is an underserved marketing opportunity.
Even though 70 percent of Bahama’s apparel volume is done by the men’s collection and the women’s clothing line is only a few years old, there will be a women’s as well as a men’s fragrance because the positioning of the brand is very much on romance. Katz pointed out that the marketing, as seen in the advertising, focuses on a man and “the woman who wants to be with him. The feeling is that people are connecting. Life should be one long weekend.”
Robert E. Rumsby, Gemini executive vice president and chief operating officer, pointed to the theme of the advertising, “island luxury in a bottle.”
Like the fashion, in which a silk men’s shirt sells for around $200, the fragrances will be upscale in pricing. In the men’s line, the 1.7-oz. cologne will have a suggested retail price of $45, a 3.4-oz. version will cost $65 and a 3.4-oz. aftershave $50. There also will be a 4-oz. skin soother for $40, a 6.7-oz. hair and body wash for $30 and a 2.5-oz. deodorant for $18.
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The opening price point of the women’s fragrance will be $55 for a 1.7-oz. eau de parfum spray and the line will include a 3.4-oz. version for $75. There will be an additional three stockkeeping units: A 6.7-oz. body lotion for $40; a bath and shower gel for $32, and a 4-oz. body powder for $35.
In terms of formula, the men’s fragrance is a sparkling aromatic. The fragrance opens with Sichuan pepper for invigoration, tempered with elemi, coriander and bergamot. The heart is a blend of sage, incense, caraway and ginger root. The formula finishes with patchouli and vetiver, warmed by musk, guaiac wood and amber.
The women’s scent is a modern floral with a citrus burst at the top and a creamy drydown. Top notes include cactus flower, clementine and bergamot. The heart is a tropical floral with Hawaiian tuberose, frangipani and honeysuckle. For warmth and sensuality, exotic woods, sheer musks and nectarine were added.
Both fragrances were developed by Firmenich, which Katz credited with being instrumental in the birth of the licensing deal. Perfumer Harry Fremont created the men’s scent and Jean Claude Delville did the women’s.
The bottle design, done by Dale Kan at Brandonology, fits the theme of what Katz describes as “the never-ending weekend.” The men’s bottle will feature bubbled glass to give the impression of well-worn amber sea glass with a shape inspired by a flask. The women’s bottle, with a cap in pink, gold and amber tones, is meant to suggest a conch shell. A detail on the neck of the bottle was designed to resemble a Hawaiian wedding ring.
At every turn, Katz was careful to be faithful to the Bahama image, which has turned the apparel company into a lifestyle fashion force with licenses launching a fleet of businesses, including handbags, eyewear, ceiling fans and even yachts, as well as stores and restaurants. Tony Margolis, president and ceo of Bahama, which is part of Oxford Industries Inc., was involved in the product development, Katz noted. The models who appear in the fashion advertising also will appear in the fragrance advertising, which was created by Foundation, Bahama’s Seattle-based agency.
The print advertising will appear in lifestyle and travel magazines, along with upscale shelter and golf books. One of the magazines will be Vanity Fair. There will be a co-op TV campaign, showing the models enjoying themselves in a tropical setting.
Katz declined to discuss figures, but industry sources estimate the advertising and promotional war chest may swell to between $12 million and $15 million, once the co-op bills, the rotators and the mailers are paid for.
In terms of promotion, Katz intends to have in-store contests raffling off vacations to the islands and various lush golf courses to live up to the Bahama image. But he is adamant that he will not resort to gift-with-purchase promotions. “Our goal is to build a business, not create a false business with gwp’s,” he said.
Sources estimate the volume target for the first 12 months is $35 million to $40 million at retail for the two fragrances combined.
Distribution will follow in fashion’s footsteps as well. It will include the network of Tommy Bahama boutiques plus other tony shops, such as at golf clubs and resorts, where the clothing is sold. In addition, there will be about 800 department and specialty stores. Gemini executives mentioned Marshall Field’s as one account and the divisions of Federated Department Stores are now looking at it, according to Thia Breen, senior vice president of cosmetics at the Federated Merchandising Division of Federated. “We think it looks great,” she said, noting that the positioning exudes an easy, casual feeling of escape to an island.
According to Gemini executives, talks are also going on with several specialty and department stores. Katz, who previously headed the fragrance division of Liz Claiborne, said he plans to build Gemini into a multibranded company, built on beauty licensing. And not just fragrance. “We will have the ability to do cosmetics and treatment, depending on the imagery of the company we are licensing,” he said.