The Money's in the Product

I'm home today with a sick kiddo so I figured I'd take the time to write another post.

Last night I was making a custom fragrance for my cousin who is also my sister/best friend. She loves vanilla and has been using body sprays and eau de toilette from a well-known bath product store for years.

We mixed up the most delightful blend for her that included vanilla, brown sugar, a hint of maple and a hint of chocolate. She was ecstatic!

She could feel the difference in the spray immediately. She pulled out the bottle of the other stuff she had been using out of her handbag and we compared ingredients. Then we took a sniff of it and literally all we could smell was the pungent odor of the alcohol. It was so amazing to compare the two scents side by side.

Then she pulled out a glass bottle of the eau de toilette she had in her handbag (I told you, she loves this stuff she doesn't leave home without it!). She was commenting on the packaging. Wouldn't you know it - the "other" stuff was less ounces but that had been camouflaged by a heavy glass bottle.

She then said, "Urban Botanic obviously puts their money into the quality of product and ingredients. They don't waste it on packaging."

So true! Now, being a graphic designer by trade, I am a HUGE sucker for aesthetics and pretty packaging is something I fall for time and time again. I might not even want the actual product but if it's packaged beautifully, I'll buy it.

Now don't get me wrong - the U.B. label design is fresh and lovely. The products all together in a row look great. But comparing the U.B parfum spray packaging to other fancier shaped bottles, you can't help but notice a difference.

BUT the bigger (and more important) difference is in the product. Every time I spray the parfum spray on someone for the first time, I get the same reaction to how different it feels (it's those silk amino acids - they are amazing!). Then in explaining the ingredients - how there is no alcohol, fromaldehyde, or other questionable chemicals - I can see people have this "a ha" moment.

Then, if you really think about the U.B. price point in comparison to the department store brands with their (expensive) fancy bottles...well, it's pretty clear where a lot of their money is going.

U.B. puts the money in the product. She summed it up perfectly. And as much as I love a pretty glass bottle, I will take the better quality product over something inferior any day of the week.

Tweens as a U.B. Market

In my earlier post, I wrote about marketing U.B. to brides. Now I'd like to shift focus to the tween market. Tweens are identified as kids between the ages of eight and 12. Essentially, they are in between being children and teenagers. Hallmarks of this age group are a fierce need for independence and establishing a more grown-up identity. At times bouncing back to familiar childhood habits or comforts (stuffed animals or dolls) but then turning right around and wanting to wear makeup and dress like they are 25 (yikes!).

Meanwhile many parents are struggling with the fact their kids aren't children any longer but they still need their help and protection, which flies directly in the face of said kids' desire for independence and an identity apart from Mom and Dad.

Oy vay!

My own daughter who just turned five is already at times displaying these tween-like behaviors. Which is terrifying to say the least. It really got me thinking to how I can create some traditions and bonds that might give us common ground to see us through the trying times ahead in our relationship (I'm not going to kid myself here - there WILL be those moments for us, just like I had with my mom). For instance, as a treat, I will take her to get a mini-manicure with me where she gets to pick out any color of nail polish in the salon and sits like a grown up chatting with the manicurist (seriously...the first time we did that, I was holding back tears at watching my baby behaving so grown up). I know that my mom and I didn't have those connections during my tween and teen years, like shopping or getting our nails done together, and that is something I would like to try and have with my daughter.

So...cut to Urban Botanic. I think this is the perfect product for tweens. Especially for a mother/daughter event or a tween birthday party.

The products are hypo-allergenic and contain no harmful ingredients like many/most other fragrances or cosmetics. The more important aspect of how U.B. would absolutely appeal to both kids of this age group and parents alike is how it allows the tween the ability for self-expression and individuality which they so desperately crave. Yet, it is self-expression in a completely safe and contained manner. And it is fun, creative, and really quite a "cool" activity. Bonus, bonus, bonus for the tween and their parent!

And the price point is so reasonable. As a mom, I could totally see throwing my daughter an Urban Botanic birthday party in a few years. I would pay for, say, a bubble bath and/or a shower gel for each girl attending. At $12.50 a pop, that is actually less than what I have been paying for her parties already (some of the most popular places to have parties in my area are $300 and up just to rent the space for 2 hours). The girls would have a blast, and hey, the Urban Botanic Consultant does most all of the work! ;)

So here's to looking forward to the tween years with my daughter. At least I have one strategy for retaining my status as a "cool" mom intact! :)

Finding my niche

Everyone has heard the term niche marketing and target marketing. In figuring out how I could position myself and where I could really focus my efforts as a Scent Consultant with Urban Botanic, I immediately thought of two markets that would likely get excited about this new product: brides and tweens/parents of tweens.

First up...brides.

Thinking back to my own wedding, I would have absolutely flipped and gone nutso over the idea of having a "signature" wedding fragrance. I have heard so many times over the years how the sense of smell evokes a huge emotional response, especially associating smells with memories. How better to remember your wedding day than with a custom fragrance!

I was such a make-it-"signature" bride. My colors were bright orange, bright pink, and red fer Pete's sake! Mind you, this was several years before the whole infusion of Middle Eastern, Moroccan, or Indian sari-looks hit the mainstream. My bridesmaids carried fans instead of flowers, I served margaritas but had not a drop of champagne, and we had karaoke at the reception...but I digress... ;)

I realize now that the custom market for weddings has really taken off. There are soooo many adorably cute and sophisticated ways to make a statement, not like back in my day (haha - like it was sooo long ago). Being a bride who loved poring over the minutia of planning the event...let's just say the whole signature-fragrance-for-a-wedding was an immediate connection for me when I first found out about Urban Botanic.

The unfolding of the custom fragrance making could take place as part of a bridal shower, as part of a bachelorette party (and no, not with tacky stripper-dudes, well...at least not until later, ha!), or even as part of a nice bridesmaids dinner/brunch with the fragrances being the gift from the bride to her bridal party. How fun!

Next time...marketing to tweens.