Using expertise in matching consumer insights to brand experiences.
What do some of the world’s most luxurious and prestigious fragrance brands all have in common? WestRock’s top-of-the-line dispensing systems.
“The story of fragrance is about romance and aesthetics,” said Sandy Gregory, associate marketing director of global fragrance and the European beauty market, “and we serve some of the most prestigious brands in the world.”
WestRock’s success was particularly notable in 2015, when 15 of the top 30 fragrances launched used WestRock pumps.
Gregory, who is based at WestRock’s Centre of Excellence for Fragrance at the Barcelona plant in Spain, said the company’s success is due to WestRock’s expertise in matching consumer insights to the brand experience, the high performance of its technology and ability to blend sophisticated service with supply chain solutions.
Pairing Fragrances with Customer Personalities
“Something we learned recently in consumer research is how the consumer is affected by the type of spray,” Gregory explained.
“A woman will prefer a big, enveloping cloud of spray, whereas a man will prefer something discrete and targeted. No one had really thought about that having value for the customer.”
The idea is to give brand owners a spray to match the personality of their customers, which give customers a better experience. The way the spray touches their skin, the sound it makes, and of course the overall look, all come together to create a memorable experience.
Based on those consumer insights, WestRock equipped its popular Melodie and Maestro fragrance pumps with a variety of sprays to create the “Emotions of Spray Collection,” which opened the door to new brand owners.
“It’s very cool because the idea of tailoring pumps to match the personality of the fragrance is so logical in the luxury world, and it was indeed immediately adopted by brand owners who realized consumers would be more loyal to their brands,” Gregory said.
Creative Studio for Fragrance
And WestRock continues to innovate. The company’s new Creative Studio for Fragrance gives brand owners more opportunities to unlock creativity and link their brand cues to the packaging design.
As an example, the Melodie pump can now be paired with a decorative overtube, complemented by the patented invisible dip tube technology, NoC, to create a completely new aesthetic experience fully integrated with the personality of the brand.
To create this linkage between the overtube technology and the customer, WestRock’s design team in Richmond immerses themselves in the fashion, art and trends associated with the brand. The outcome is overtube designs that inspire customers, because they feel like a natural extension of the brand experience.
“We’re bringing new, glamorous solutions that will surprise and delight the consumer and allow our customers to set themselves apart in an affordable way,” said Gregory.