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Chanel the strategic promotion and muses of the brand for the perfumes N°5

Dernière mise à jour : 7 déc. 2021

French post-war brands like Chanel were able to diversify thanks to the invention of the licensing system, which encouraged the creation of new products to reach a broad audience. Their presence on the covers of magazines or at high profile events contributes to the development of great notoriety.


The launch of the Chanel N°5 is considered to be the first luxury marketing operation. In 1921, the choice of components, including the aldehydes, was deemed to be revolutionary. Its short, numerical name is shocking in an era when scents are usually metaphorical echoes.

Thanks to careful packaging, selective distribution and the first confidential communication, Chanel N°5 is one of the first buzzes that has become a global success. It is still the subject of millions of euros in marketing spending. For years, prestigious directors and glamorous muses have been running advertising campaigns all over the world.




Gabrielle Chanel opted for a "non-media" type marketing strategy by first offering N°5 to her best customers, who thus became her first muses. Gabrielle Chanel was herself the face of her perfume in 1937 and even embodied her perfume in advertisements for American magazines.


Marylin will succeed her and will initially be sensual to the perfume Chanel N°5. The movie legend would become one of the fragrance's most excellent ambassadors, although she was never an official face of the brand in her lifetime.

In 1952, in an interview she conducted for the American magazine Life, she was asked what she wears to sleep.

Her response: "I don't wear anything at night, just a few drops of Chanel 5". Sales of the product exploded. In 2013, more than 50 years after her death, she was featured in a Chanel campaign, thanks to a photo of Ed Feingersh, where the icon is seen wearing perfume, number 5 bottle in hand. Even today, we still speak of this perfume as "that of Marilyn Monroe". At least that's what a lot of men ask of perfume consultants.

However, by the end of the '60s, the perfume evoked less sophistication and could be identified by the general public. Wertheimer N˚5 reduced the number of outlets and entrusted his artistic director Jacques Helleu with the supervision of all creative decisions. Helleu was inspired by Coco's words "'pure transparency an invisible bottle" for the photos that restored the brand's exclusive image. During the 1970s, Helleu, Avedon and Deneuve collaborated to create exceptionally simple and graceful images. They are still some of the most iconic and powerful photographs in the history of beauty marketing today.

The Chanel company invests in promotion through different channels. Advertisements are shown in magazines, on posters or television. The publicity of the house are masterpieces. As early as 1937, Miss Chanel posed near the foyer of her apartment at the Ritz de Paris to illustrate Chanel perfumes. Famous models and actresses like Nicole Kidman, Carole Bouquet, Ali MacGraw, Suzy Parker, Estella Warren, Marion Cotillard will follow.


At 16, Lili-Rose Depp will be the youngest ambassador of the house by becoming the face of the fifth variation of N°5 imagined by the current Chanel perfumer Olivier Polge.




Brad Pitt is the only man to date to embody a feminine perfume, particularly the N°5. The advertising campaign will last less than a year and garnered a lot of attention, causing misunderstanding with the black and white images and its rather sad atmosphere.


Whether in photos or short films, we find the greatest collaborators Patrick Demarchelier, Ridley Scott and Dominique Isserman. In 2004, Baz Luhrmann directed a two-minute short film with Nicole Kidman. The spot was a success and a profitable investment for CHANEL, boosting sales from 12% to 20%.

Fun fact, The Chanel N°5 makes a cameo in the movie The Visitors. Godefroy de Montmirail (Jean Reno) teleported since the Middle Ages in the castle occupied by his descendants, emptying a large flask in his bath. This scene has become cult-like, the perfume itself.


The house of Chanel also uses booming communication channels such as advertising and the Internet to promote these products to a broad audience. The "His kiss, his smile, his perfume" ad created for the "CHANEL N°5" perfume is made like a film with the spirit of "Hollywood" with star Nicole Kidman. The sales strategy puts forward a model to captivate many women who wish to look like this feminist beauty icon. Chanel is considered the most social luxury brand. Its ads set themselves apart from the competition by regularly featuring stars on popular platforms like Instagram. The content of publications is optimized to stand out from the competition thanks to production values that have the power to create user engagement.


Among all these incredible muses and you which one has marked you the most to have your preference? Don't hesitate to share it !

Flore Brault Custot

21/11/2021


References:


Images:

Lithographie publicitaire par Ses, 1927

Chanel N°5 advertisement (Nov. 1, 1937). For the first time, Gabrielle Chanel herself promoted her perfume. Photo: Francois Kollar © Ministère de la Culture - Médiathèque du Patrimoine, Dist. RMN.

Photo taken in person by Flore Brault (2020) during the Gabrielle Chanel: Fashion manifesto exhibition at the Palais Galliera

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