ALIEN EAU EXTRAORDINAIRE – THIERRY MUGLER Thierry Mugler recently released a new fragrance advert as a continuation from his previous perfume ‘Alien’. The fragrance is named ‘Alien Eau Extraordinaire’ and features within the April 2014 edition of Vogue magazine.
I also believe some of the inspiration for this image comes from Madame de Staël, a French novelist who “represents the last éclat (shine) of the enlightenment encyclopedic spirit”. De Staël was an “18th century thinker who contrasted with the egocentric character of love” and who “questioned the moral relativism implied by materialist theories”. I feel that this is also represented in the fragrance advert as it isn’t trying to portray an image of love and lust, but an image of mystery and fantasy which is what entices the consumer. The advert goes against the norm of a substantial number of perfume adverts in the way that it is a lot more mysterious and controversial than others as the name ‘Alien’ isn’t a reflection of the beauty and fantasy that the rest of the perfume industry is trying to portray.
The brand identity is represented very well within the image as the unique, well known font stands out against the dark background, and the shape of the woman almost reflects the shape of the perfume bottle; thus enhancing the brands image, and creating a link between the alien-like woman and the perfume. The fact that the advert features in Vogue emphasises the fact that the fragrance is targeted at a wide variety of women; from teenagers to late-thirty year olds, of a variety of different classes as those are the type of people that tend to read the magazine. As the perfume is priced at £50 for a 60ml bottle, this also signifies that the target consumer would most likely be a middle class woman, as it is quite pricey but still affordable to many. On the other hand I feel this fragrance is targeted to the more ‘quirky’ individual as the whole aura of the advertisement is quite unusual and therefore doesn’t seem as though it’s aimed at a girly girl or a typical Vogue reader, and so the advert may have been better suited in an alternative magazine such as Dazed & Confused or i-D magazine. Figure 5
One of the unique things about this advert is the symmetry within it; as the model is positioned within the centre of the image and the background behind her is symmetrical on either side. I feel this represents the power of the woman and the dominance in which she portrays. This is also mirrored in the models stance, as the way she is positioned implies an eerie yet goddess beauty that the consumer will feel if they purchase this fragrance. I feel this positioning works better than many other brands such as Roberto Cavalli, a competitor of Thierry Mugler, as the model gives off a more prevailing and important look.
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The advertisement for ‘Alien Eau Extraordinaire’ resembles a mythological character which in many ways reminds me of Hieros Gamos of the Solar-Sphinx-Goddess. Mugler’s advert mirrors the same stance that the goddess in this image possesses and the use of the rich gold colouring emphasises the empowerment of the woman and creates a “sense of serenity” and highlights the “positive energy” within the fragrance, meaning that the woman that wears this fragrance will feel a sense of empowerment and incandescence.
Therefore, I feel the model used in the advert isn’t very representative of the consumer that would purchase and use the perfume, as the woman looks around aged 25/30 and I feel this target market is too old for the perfume, so a younger model could’ve worked better in this way. On the other hand, the slightly older woman gives a sense of power and authority that the younger target market might aspire to achieve and therefore they will purchase the fragrance. The main theme in this advert is the goddess-like feel that it oozes, and this is fascinating as it isn’t what is normally thought of when you hear the word ‘Alien’ and so the contrast between the two is intriguing.
appealing smell that all consumers look for when buying a perfume. Overall, I feel that this advertisement stands out from many typical fragrance adverts; which include youthful models and themes of love and lust, and in this way I think it is very successful. But in contrast I also feel that the alien-like look that it is portraying may put consumers off, not persuade them to buy it, so I feel it could’ve worked better if they captivated the ‘Alien’ theme more and played with it, or if it were to feature in a slightly ‘alternative’ magazine.
“The Solar Goddess is serene and radiates positive energy. Through Alien she enhances the sensuality of women with incandescent freshness. Like a positive energy force, the Alien woman radiates her generous light to reveal the radiance and splendour of all women. Alien is a modern divinity born from the unique aesthetic vision of Thierry Mugler.” “In order to continue with the Alien story, we have created a follow-on from the previous visual: the awakening of the Goddess in the light of the sun, as though she has been reborn through the sun, the source of life for the earth.”Figure 6
On the whole I feel that this advert works well for the brand as the advert as a whole signifies a mysterious image; from the alien-like look of the models face, to the contrasting colours in the background and foreground and through the use of abstract church- like features within it. I also believe these all symbolise the name of the brand and the perfume very well, creating an ‘Alien’-like appearance. However, in many ways I feel that there could have been more emphasis on the ‘Alien’ within this advert, and they could have reinforced more obscurity and ambiguity into the advert to make it more of a reflection of the brand name, and I feel this would’ve made it stand out more as a whole and made it completely diverse from many other fragrance adverts. I feel that they could have achieved a more interesting and ‘out there’ image to reflect the ‘Alien’ than what they have. Furthermore, some consumers may be put off due to the name, as ‘Alien’ doesn’t represent a nice smelling fragrance and so some people may not want to purchase this fragrance purely because the name is not something that represents a nice and
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References Chantal-Hélène Wagner. (2014). Thierry Mugler Alien Eau Extraordinaire (2014): A Luminous Eau de Optimism and Benevolence {New Perfume} Read more at http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/2014/02/thierry_mugler_alien_eau_ext. Available: http://www.mimifroufrou.com/scentedsalamander/2014/02/thierry_mugler_alien_eau_extra_1.html. Last accessed 26th March 2014. Claudia Moscovici. (2010). Madame de Staël: The Passionate Philosophe and Salonnière. Available: http://literaturesalon.wordpress.com/2010/09/08/madame-de-stael-the-ultimate-philosophe-and-salonniere/. Last accessed 26th March 2014. Unknown. (2012). Roberto Cavalli Fragrance Ad Campaign Spring/Summer 2012. Available: http://theessentialist.blogspot. co.uk/2012/04/roberto-cavalli-fragrance-ad-campaign.html. Last accessed 26th March 2014. (Figure 2) Unknown. (2014). Perfume Pic of the Week No. 8: Thierry Mugler Alien Ad Campaign 2014. Available: http://thecandyperfumeboy.com/2014/02/24/perfume-pic-of-the-week-no-8-thierry-mugler-alien-ad-campaign-2014/. Last accessed 27th March 2014. (Figure 6) URBAN (R)EVOLUTION . (2013). Hieros Gamos of the Solar-Sphinx-Goddess. Available: http://humanity3000.blogspot. co.uk/2013/02/hieros-gamos-of-solar-sphinx-goddess.html. Last accessed 26th March 2014. (Figure 1)