Without A Trace. by Thomas Brian Ryan

Without A Trace

1 Introduction Launch Event PR Digital Conclusion

Page 2 Page 5 Page 15 Page 19 Page 25

Thomas Ryan N0499487 Creative Networks Fashion Communication and Promotion

Fig 2. Pinterest

For the fragrance brief I created â&#x20AC;&#x153;Without a traceâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? This is a home fragrance aimed at a male consumer, with the lifestyle of a businessman with the underbelly of a secretive playboy; bringing together the two lifestyles, and that what goes on behind closed doors, stays behind closed doors. Our Initial inspiration came from the Christian Grey series and films such as Wolf of Wall street. We chose to do this as to begin with we were originally going to be making a home fragrance that was inspired by the orient, but that is something that is very typical of the home spray market and we wanted to break barriers, rather than just create another floral fragrance (Mintel, 2013).

Fig 1. Tumblr Image

Introduction

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Since 2011 the high end home fragrance market has increased 3.3% in scented candles, diffusers and room spray products. ( Beauty Packaging 2014. )

Fig 3. Suit by Kilgour, MR PORTER online.

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Fig 4. Withoutatrace, by Thomas Ryan

Launch Event

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To do this it was needed that a concept would be created that was drastically different to what already exists that would scare consumers, but also something that could be obscenely useful to the right consumer, a consumer that wishes to lead a double life to an extent. The idea was developed this idea further through looking into brands that have a sex at the heart of their brand such as Diesel and Tom Ford. Two brands that sell sex in very different ways, one is raw and almost dirty whereas Ford uses sex in subtle ways that can still be seen as classically high end, through showing a lifestyle, as regardless of this sex sells in any environment (Mintel, 2013). I then went onto looking into the store and brand, CoCo De Mer and how this extremely high end and provocative sex store sells and promotes its products and that the majority of it is done either through their online sales or word of mouth of what people

already know, and how their products maybe be predominately for use in foreplay but that they are produced with such refined materials that certain people genuinely have a fetish for the finer things in life (CoCo De Mer, 2014). With this idea in mind, it made sense that a home fragrance aimed at men would be aimed at the lifestyle that we are intending it for, and would need to be high end in order to attract the right audience. An audience that wants luxurious items throughout their lifestyle which is why from an early point that we felt that the bottle itself would have to be ornamental as well as practical in order for it to fit within our consumers home environment, as statistics show that 38% of men are more likely to only have a fragrance for practical reasons (Mintel, 2013).

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Within the first month of the product being released my launch event will take place within Amsterdam, an environment where the sexual explicit is much more culturally acceptable which fits in with our brand due to it being such an innovative and slightly taboo concept. Our event will take place behind closed doors of the Canal House Hotel just a short distance from the museum district and surrounded by designer shops, so that the event attracts our perfect consumer through being placed in their natural habitat of the finer things in life, as well as the fact that statistics show that bachelors prefer the environment of a hotel through the numbers of wealthy single men choosing to live in condo-hotel apartments (Mintel, 2006). The hotel will feature its own dĂŠcor but with warmly lit rooms so that it truly sets off the atmosphere for a location in which pleasure takes place (some planned and some paid for), an event that is strictly invitation only for those with the lifestyle that truly demands this type of affair, under forty, educated and beautiful. An event that will subtly throughout have the theme of a modern day gentlemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s club for the elite.

Fig 6. Canal house hotel

Fig 5. Canal house bar

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Fig 7. Canal house dinning room

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Fig 9. Product Design

The guest list will be made up of wealthy businessmen who have the funds to be able to buy their way into the party as well as celebrity bachelors whose persona oozes sex appeal and risk such as James Franco. As well as all of this there will be a main guest of honour. A man whom all men should look up to and aspire to be, Dan Bilzerian, the real life and ultimate playboy, (celebritynetworth, 2014).

Guests will enter the hotel through the main entrance and walk down the marble floored hallway and be guided to the bar, a room that is dimly lit with black contemporary furniture that match the black painted walls with accents of gold from the photo frames and warm lighting. Guests are then invited to sit down and relax as a selection of whiskey, red wines and champagnes are provided. Music will be pumped throughout the venue to the song â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tessellateâ&#x20AC;? by Alt-J plays to match my brands advert to create a link to the advertisement campaign, but also to create a party atmosphere and a surreal atmosphere to the

event. Not only will the venue be dimly lit, contemporary but still classy but also slightly smoke filled with the smell of cigars that will be offered to guests as dancers slowly walk around the room wearing little to nothing. The great dining room will be converted into almost an adult â&#x20AC;&#x153;play roomâ&#x20AC;?(BBC, 2007), a room in which burlesque dancers will perform, featuring the main act of Dita Von Teese (Dita, 2014), providing a sexual sultry but classy visual entertainment teasing the audience into acts of promiscuity.

8 Fig 8. Bwatt Magazine by Anja Poulsen

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The primary purpose of the event is to single out the brands consumer so that a client list can be obtained of the people who genuinely would benefit from a product that helps keep their private life private from anyone who dares enter their bedroom, may that be fore a second rendezvous with a different partner or to mask the smell of pheromones to anyone else in their day to day lives, making it so that my consumers sex life can be interesting and exciting making the possibility of taking part in intercourse possible anywhere they like.

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After the event has taken place, a store will open up around two months later once word of mouth has travelled around about the product, based around Knightsbridge and Belgravia in London on the infamous, Sloane Street. The area has been selected due to the interest in wealthy businessmen whom look to live here as a result of the high cost of living, which if they can afford to live their I would assume that thy would be the type of character who would love to show off their home to their suitors rather than simply sticking to the bedroom (The Times, 2014). This is our very specific customer that the product has been tailored around; this is so that due to the consumer having such a high income, he has expendable money to spend on items to better his lifestyle. With a store right on the doorstep for this consumer it not only helps them but also helps the business as a start up by having the direct consumer as to whom the product is aimed at on the doorstep.

Fig 10. Sloan Street Sign

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The store will pose as a gentlemenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cigar shop appearing ordinary from the outside. As a result of its appearance it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t raise any suspicion as to why only men enter the store and would make it so that a room fragrance that is meant to be a secret can stay a secret. As customers enter the store a sales assistant will question the consumer in a polite manner as to what they are looking for in case they truly are looking for cigars in which case they can be pointed in the right

The store will be small and intimate as the environment and experience is important to users (Mintel, 2013). The room will be brightly lit with a floor to ceiling image of the campaign behind the counter. White walls with white simplistic shelves will tower one wall, with dozens of the Without A Trace bottle evenly spaced out whilst the facing wall with have the bottles that are for sale on display ready to buy, sales advisors will welcome and guide customers into the store and tell consumers about the general purpose of the product and what it can help with from covering strong smells to generally making the consumers home smell fresh without seeming feminine.

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Fig 11. Store Mock up

Fig 12. Blogspot

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The opening of the store will be subtle and discrete predominately only letting people whom are already in the know how of the product, which should have hopefully travelled through the right circles of people as a result of the launch event occurring. The idea is, is that because the product is so different and has a purpose for such a taboo subject that any male who hears about it will become curious only to delve further into wanting to know what the product is like through visiting the store itself (Inverstopedia, 2014).

All of this will be beneficial for the brand due to the fact that the brand is meant to be contemporary, new, exciting but still very seductive but with a strong sophisticated element, which is precisely the type of vibe that will be pumped throughout the launch party and the general essence of the store (Harriet Posner, 2011).

Fig 13. Without a trace print advert 1 by Thomas

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As well as a website for Without A Trace, there will also be an advertisement campaign for predominately menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fashion magazines such as 10 Men, Another Man and Esquire, FHM and GQ, that will come out within the fourth month after the products general release that will feature throughout the next 6 months taking the product up to ten months of mass market advertising. The advert is simple seductive masculine but still contemporary and classic within its style so that it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appear cheap and fits in with the type of publications that it is intended for. It features a link to the website through lack of information as to what the product is, to intrigue male readers to research further as to what the product is.

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Fig 14. Without a trace print advert 1 by Thomas

I have decided to partner up with Esquire and Libertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for the website as both of these brands put together embody what Without A Trace is all about and would be able to do the brand justice and sell the aspect of a home fragrance based around sexual encounters in a way that would adapt to the brand without making the concept seem distasteful but instead make it seem mysterious and alluring.

Other than an arrangement of magazines that the advertisement campaigns will be featured in and the partnerships for the website, no actual agencies will be involved as I feel as though it would make the brand seem less personal and could become much more of a joke brand. Through keeping everything within the brand it enables Without A Trace to keep everything much more simplistic and focus on the consumers general experience of the brand through projecting the right elements of what makes Without A Trace sophisticated, contemporary and

The site will open with the campaign video and will then unlock the website entirely and enter a homepage as to where to find stockists from Liberty’s, CoCo De Mer and the without a trace store itself. These publications and stores have predominately been chosen due to the fact that they advertise and promote not only classic brands but brands that are modern, innovative and exciting to view, all of things which Without A Trace aspires to have throughout its brand and with the help of these stores and magazines it will enable the product to reach the intended audience and avoid the typical home fragrance market. Liberty’s especially has been chosen as it has already added niche brands to its beauty hall which already shows that it does value independent brands (Mintel, 2013) This isn’t a typical home fragrance that is aimed at the typical motherly stereotype, but at a male consumer who would only want a product if it actually had a purpose, and not one that is there to just embellish a room, but that it is there to hide promiscuity and help them cover up what needs to be.

Fig 15. via liberty’s website

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Fig 16. via fanpop

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One figurehead that would be ideal to be the brand ambassador to represent the brand would be in particular, James Franco. This is a decision that has been made upon the fact that he has become more and more into the limelight lately and is promoting the fact that a mass audience finds him incredibly sexually attractive. This is made evident from things such as Twitter posts, interviews and making general comments about how he posts too many â&#x20AC;&#x153;selfiesâ&#x20AC;? on Instagram; All pointing to the fact that Mr Franco is a man who is very sure of himself, and that is exactly the type of man that the brand needs (nydailynews, 2014).

Digital

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The plan to market the brand digitally is to keep the brands own website itself very secretive. Through this, is customers wish to purchase the product they would either have to visit the store itself and gain factual information from sales advisors themselves to gain the full experience of what the product is, or research information from bloggers, writers and associates within the fashion and print industry from their opinions and incite themselves due them already having visited the event launch.

Writer Jordan Waller from FHM online will be in attendance to the event and will be asked to write his opinion on the product and provide feedback to the public and the intended consumer through the fact that he himself writes about lifestyle, from parties and events to style which is

everything that Without A Trace holds at the essence of its brand and lifestyle towards general day to day life (FHM, 2014). The article will be to be released at the same time of the launch of the store enabling people to physically have a place to purchase the product in an environment other than a department store.

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Fig 17. Terry Richardson by Terry Richardson

Terry Richardson will also be involved within the brand, as he is a character who holds sex at the heart of what he does. He does this in a way that is innovative and exciting, as well as the fact that he himself has a cult following as well as a celebrity one and would further help launch the brand through word of mouth and interest.

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With regards to social media, sites such as Facebook donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fit to the brand as they are too basic and are longer seen as the most cutting edge and contemporary piece of technology to use as it has been around for quite sometime and is slowly drifting from the top of the social

media ladder. This is because users are finding Facebook to be a chore rather than a hobby (Huffington Post, 2013). Twitter is becoming used by much more people than it used to be (Mintel, 2009) and is used by millions on a daily basis and would be a great place to launch a Without A Trace profile which would link users to websites and stockists and give little hints as to what the product is a tease audience members within the word limit allowed. It would be the

21 perfect place to link up an Instagram account also which would show the lifestyle that our consumer has, and make people want more through aspiring to be the ultimate bachelor. All of these social media platforms will be released a month before the launch event to create a buzz about the product and gain followers of the brand before anything is released, with the exception of Instagram which will only come about during the launch event to start the brand off with a feed of images of celebrities and business men at the event itself showing the lifestyle of what the consumers aspire to have and making them want that lifestyle even more.

Fig 18. Without a trace instagram by Thomas Ryan

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Another concept that would also be released shortly after the release of the product is that at the time when the product has been advertised so much that people just want more. Within the brand an app will also be released. The idea for the app is that it will be the perfect modern day gentlemen/

23 bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best friend. An app that would calculate data in a way that once the users likes and dislikes have been put together that it would know where each individual would prefer to go with whomever they court for drinks, which restaurants are the best that they could take them too, all to help them on their way to providing an excellent evening so that it ends well for both parties. The app would also provide where the best tailors are, the best barbers, and give general style advice, all to help the ultimate bachelor with every aspect of his lifestyle and keeping it up to scratch and on top of their game.

Fig 19. GQ select via Mr Porter

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Conclusion

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I feel that all of the above will be beneficial for the brand as it uses all media platforms without seeming over the top and overpowering to the consumer. The launch event will not only provide an exclusive lifestyle to its much more personal clients and supply what they need for their day to day lives but it will also supply a lifestyle

that the mass market consumer would crave and aspire to have making them want more. The print campaign and website will seem aloof and would only make those who are unsure about the brand want to know more and crave the knowledge that is limited through only seeing glimpses across social media platforms, whereas the store itself should work very well through providing a personal and exciting experience through acting surreal that the store poses as something else which reflects the style of the product as it seems as though it is just a standard whiskey

25 decanter when in fact it is something completely else making it so that if you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a guy that know what it is then you wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t question it otherwise and wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t question the guy who is trying to sleep with you and what he wants and needs in life and would just expect a better lifestyle that he

Fig 20 via Pinterest

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Reference list

Mintel, 2013, http://academic.mintel.com/display/656372/?highlight, accessed 301th May 2014 Mintel 2013, http://academic.mintel.com/display/674553/?highlight, accessed 30th May 2014 CoCo De Mer, 2014, http://www.coco-de-mer.com, accessed 30th May 2014 Mintel 2013, http://academic.mintel.com/display/674553/?highlight accessed, 30th May 2014 Mintel 2006, http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic/display/id=228649?highlight accessed, 30th May 2014 celebritynetworth, 2014, http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/wall-street/dan-bilzerian-net-worth/, accessed, 30th May 2014 BBC, 2007, Secret Diaries Of A Call Girl 2007, accessed 29th May 2014 Dita, 2014, http://www.dita.net , accessed 30th May 2014 The Times, 2014 , http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/life/property/ areaguides/article4039946.ece, accessed 30th May 2014 Mintel, 2013, http://academic.mintel.com/display/684654/?highlight , accessed 30th May 2014 Investopedia, 2014, http://www.investopedia.com/terms/w/wordof-mouth-marketing.asp, accessed, 30th May 2014

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Reference list

Mintel, 2013, http://academic.mintel.com/sinatra/oxygen_academic/display/id=657074?highlight#hit1, accessed, 30th May 2014 nydailynews, 2014, http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ gossip/james-franco-snaps-shirtless-selfie-article-1.1804253, accessed, 30th May 2014 FHM, 2014, http://www.fhm.com/members/Jordan%20Waller/profile, accessed, 30th May 2014 Huffington Post, 2013, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jayson-demers/twitter-vs-facebook_b_3869786.html, accessed, 30th May 2014 Mintel, 2009, http://academic.mintel.com/display/445321/?highlight, accessed 30TH May 2014

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Image Reference list

Fig 1. Tumblr image, http://blacknailswithglitter.tumblr.com/ post/36054963648 accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 2, Pinterest, http://www.pinterest.com/pin/290834088406594156/ (digital photograph) accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 3, Suit by Kilgour, MR PORTER online, http://mrporter.tumblr.com/#!/ post/86787138434/suit-by-kilgour-available-at-mr-porter-explore ( Digital Image) accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 4, Withoutatrace, by Thomas Ryan (Digital image) Primary photograph, accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 5, Canal House Bar, http://www.canalhouse.nl (Digital Image) Accessed 31st May 2014 Fig 6, Canal House Hotel, http://www.canalhouse.nl (Digital Image) Accessed 31st May 2014 Fig 7, Canal House dinning room, http://www.canalhouse.nl (Digital Image) Accessed 31st May 2014 Fig 8, Bwatt Magazine by Anja Poulsen, http://bwattmagazine.com/dita/ (Digital Image) Accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 9, Product Design (Digital Image) Primary Photograph, accessed 20th May 2014 Fig 10, Sloane Street Sign, http://vintage.johnnyjet.com/images/ PicForNewsletterLondonAug2006SloaneStSign.JPG ( Digital Image), accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 11, Store Mock Up, (Digital Image) primary photograph, accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 12, blogspot, http://zsazsabellagio.blogspot.ca/2013/04/in-mens-room. html (Digital Image), accessed June 1st 2014

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Image Reference list

Fig 13, Withoutatrace, by Thomas Ryan (Digital image) Primary photograph, accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 14, Withoutatrace, by Thomas Ryan (Digital image) Primary photograph, accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 15, libertyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, http://media.liberty.co.uk/pws/client/images/articlepages/aout-7.jpg (Digital Image), accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 16. Via fanpop, http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/31600000/2010Photoshoot-james-franco-31623884-529-674.jpg (Digital Image), accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 17, Terry Richardson by Terry Richardson, http://www4.images.coolspotters. com/photos/836043/james-franco-and-terry-richardson-gallery.jpg (Digital Image), accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 18, Without a trace Instagram by Thomas Ryan, (Digital Image), Primary photograph, accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 19, GQ select via mr porter, http://www.mrporter.com/gq?cm_mmc=Tumblr_-ProductList-_-GQSelects-_-May2014 ,(Digital Image), accessed 1st June 2014 Fig 20, Pinterest, http://www.pinterest.com/pin/539376492842718249/, (Digital Image), accessed 1st June 2014

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Bibliography

Douglas Holt, (Published 2004) . How brands become icons, Boston, Harvard Business School. Tungate. M (Published 2008) (Chapter (Celebrity Sells pages 119-123). Fashion Brands: Brand- ing style for Armarni to Zara. London: Kogan Pages. Bo Bergstrom (Published 2008) Essentials of Visual Communication, (Messages page 59-70) (Colour 199-201): Laurence King Publishing Ltd. Werle. S (Published 2010) (Pages 20-23 Gabrielle Chanel) 50 fashion Designers you should know: Prestel Publishing. Sims. J (Published 2011) Icons of Mens Style, Laurence King Publishing.

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Appendix

By Thomas Ryan