NEW YORK — Designer brand Escada is hoping to prove that diamonds are, indeed, a girl’s best friend with the launch of its newest scent, Escada.
Launching May 1, the women’s fragrance will feature an advertising campaign that is literally dripping with diamonds. The print ads, which include the catchphrase, “A Girl’s Best Friend,” include a two-page spread that features blonde model Veronica Varekova in a bejeweled Escada gown holding the simple glass bottle on the first page and a picture of the bottle lying in a pile of sparkling diamonds on the second page. There is also a single-page ad, which features only the bottle in the pile of diamonds. Both will break in the September issues of women’s fashion magazines.
In addition, there are two television commercials planned, one 30-second spot and another 60-second spot, in which a woman discovers a bottle of Escada in a pool of diamonds, as diamonds “fall from the sky,” according to the company. The commercials are expected to run in November and December 2005.
“Escada has a diamond jewelry collection — it’s a very luxurious brand,” said Don Loftus, president and chief executive officer of Cosmopolitan Cosmetics USA, which handles Escada’s beauty lines in the U.S., of the choice to incorporate the pricey jewels into the fragrance’s marketing strategy. “Each Escada fragrance stands for something, and with this fragrance, they really want to stand for luxury and purity.”
“Escada was missing something in the luxury segment in its fragrance lineup,” said Nicholas Munafo, senior vice president of marketing, training and public relations for Cosmopolitan Cosmetics USA. While neither Munafo nor Loftus would confirm whether there might be a men’s “luxury” scent in store for Escada, it is a possibility, as the brand’s men’s portfolio (which currently includes seduction-focused scents Magnetism and Sentiment and the more “classic” scent Escada) is missing a specific “luxury” scent.
The new fragrance’s outer packaging is made from a glittery, diamond-inspired material. While Loftus would not comment on numbers, industry sources estimate Escada could bring in up to $30 million in first-year retail sales, with about $15 million spent on advertising. By August, the fragrance will be available in 400 specialty store doors, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, in addition to Escada boutiques. An additional 800 department store doors will follow by October for a total of up to 1,500 doors by year-end, according to Munafo.
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The juice, which was developed by perfumer Pierre Bourdon of Fragrance Resources Inc., in conjunction with Cosmopolitan Cosmetics’ in-house fragrance experts, features top notes of bergamot, black currant, leafy greens, cucumber, Italian lemon, sea breeze accord, freesia and honeydew; middle notes of magnolia, jasmine, muguet, rose, orange blossom and peony, and bottom notes of amber, musk, nectarine, vanilla, orris, patchouli and sandalwood. Loftus said that the scent lends itself to a more sophisticated customer than past Escada scents. “This is more sophisticated,” he said. “If there were a special-event fragrance, this would be it.”
The Escada lineup will include three sizes of eau de parfum: a 1-oz. for $45, a 1.7-oz. for $62 and a 2.5-oz. for $82. In addition, a 6.7-oz. Precious Body Moisturizer will be available for $40, and a Luxurious Bath & Shower Gel will retail for $35. Loftus added that, unlike the brand’s limited-edition, fashion-inspired fragrances (the most recent of which is called Escada Rockin’ Rio), this Escada fragrance is here to stay. “It’s not the first fragrance for Escada, but it is the one that is most in line with the image of the brand,” said Loftus. “Hopefully we can build this into a really long-term classic.”