After Dark Perfume

Communication plan & Digital Strategy

Grasse au Pays des Merveilles x After Dark Perfume

ESSEC Business School

Activating a Beauty Brand

Akshit Agarwal
Charlotte Bouges
Sesley Xiaoyu Chen
Mia Flaugnatti
Barbara Puig
Summary & Objective
I. About the After Dark fragrance
● About Grasse au Pays des Merveilles
● About the perfume
● Storytelling and video brief
● Semiotics and brand codes

II. Activation plan

● Target audience
● Before the festival plan
● During the festival plan
● After the festival plan

III. Tools & Resources for activation

● Merchandising tools, PR kits & GWP
● Activation final timeline
● Social media & website

At the beginning of the term, the Beau de l’Air brief was given to us and we had to imagine
a communication plan regarding a fragrance called After Dark. The objective of our plan is
to not only imagine and develop a strategy to promote the perfume,but also to develop the
notoriety and image of the Festival Grasse au Pays des Merveilles as well as the great
interest of Grasse and its region through our campaign.

I. About the After Dark fragrance

1) Grasse au Pays des Merveilles

In 2019, nearly eight months after being listed as an intangible heritage of humanity for its
perfume-related know-how, Grasse is still on its little cloud. While a few "Thanks to Unesco"
are still proudly flying on flags, the town is currently offering visitors a general flight of their
imagination in "Grasse au Pays des Merveilles".The concept of this festival, as original as
inspired by Lewis Carroll and his famous Alice, is clear: to make the link between perfume
and creation - in all its forms - through 70 animations spread over 19 sites.

"The project is led by artists. The basis is the history of Grasse and perfume, and the desire
to highlight the heritage by recharging our batteries, underlines Eric Monvoisin, artistic
director of the event, launched by the Fonds Baudelaire and the Compagnie 100°C Théâtre
with the support of the city. In his turn, Eric Monvoisin evoked the city of Grasse as being
that of "the labyrinth of the senses', hence the comparison with Lewis Caroll's work, Alice in
Wonderland, "Grasse being like Alice, a young girl...who invites you to travel, to escape.”

The highly anticipated Festival will be held for 10 days of exhibitions by the major perfume
houses, shows and events.Dance, theatre, music, haute couture, projections, street art and
gourmet food will take over the streets and squares of Grasse. The red thread will be Lewis
Caroll's Wonderland to let the imagination enter the city, and Baudelaire's
correspondences to add poetry and delicacy. The Compagnie 100% Théâtre is the artistic
director of this event in the heart of the historic city.

2
 2) About the perfume

● The creation process of After Dark

The name of the perfume is After Dark. The designer was inspired by the song that Salma
Hayek dances to in Quentin Tarantino's film, From Dusk Till Dawn. After Dark means, after
nightfall, when the sun begins to rise. There is then light and a slight movement. Darkness
can be seen as a very tempting and provocative moment, but also lonely and empty.

After Dark is a creation that combines the three aspects of the Beau De L'Air brief. This
fragrance remains true to the concept. It consists of four stages, firstly it is a multi-faceted
creation that transforms into a different smell as it envelops and is worth waiting for. The
idea was to create a gourmand, fruity and floral fragrance composed of flowers from
Grasse with a Mexican touch

● The ingredients
Here are the different ingredients of After Dark:
- First, the top note consists of juicy Pomegranate, citric Mexican Lima and a
combination of deep Guava. In the following, a milky sweetness of Dulce de Leche
becomes present.
- Secondly, a carnal floral blend of Jasmine and Tuberose takes over and envelops the
fragrance with a chili kick at the end.
- Finally, the base note shows dried and slightly smoky Hibiscus Flower and
Sandalwood to close the facets of the fragrance.

The fruity opening was chosen to represent the bright, joyful and vivacious part of the
fragrance. The beautiful, rich, vibrant colours and the smell of these fruits have a personal
connection to the designer's life. For her, Mexico is the place where the sun shines with an
ecstasy of colour, warmth and endless exotic flowers.

3
 3) After Dark Storytelling / Video Brief

There is an exuberant smell around the air, people enjoying the plethora of events
while singing and dancing their hearts out. The atmosphere is like art itself. Alice is a
young and bubbly girl who lives in the historic city of Grasse, everyone adores her
and knows her. During the time of the festival she actively takes part in every event
be it pottery with children or singing with grandparents. Alice spreads happiness
and smiles everywhere like magic dust. Slowly the mesmerising and cheerful
festival transcends into dusk while the city of Grasse and its beautiful ocar yellow
houses light up in a mellow tone. Alice slowly walks through the Place des Aires and
passes the Louis XV fountain, on her way she plucks a beautiful red rose growing
nearby, she slowly proceeds towards the narrow winding streets and stairways and
right before she enters the dim lit street, she takes out a bottle of perfume called
“After Dark” and sprays it on herself. Entering the streets, moments later all that can
be seen is her silhouette merging into the shadows of the darkness. The scene shifts
to a cozy and fairy lit square with young couples dancing intimately to the tune of
jazz, enjoying their masquerade party. The air has a intoxicating smell of Dulce de
Leche, with a floral blend of Jasmine and Tuberose, the source unknown, from a
distant a mysterious woman walks towards the party, wearing a gorgeous dress, a
rose in her hand and a black masquerade mask covering her eyes, she has the
seductive red lipstick on her lips and a hat adorned with a snake. Everyone has eyes
on this sexy woman and it's like time has stopped. She is the epitome of sensuality
and beauty, seductive yet powerful and the muse of men. Yet, no one knows who
this woman is, her identity a mystery. She dances more gracefully and becomes the
life of the party and as the city of Grasse breaks into dawn and the gala fades into
the chirping of birds, The woman again is nowhere to be found. Only a young man is
seen holding the rose and thinking if the woman he danced the night away with was
real or a dream ?

4) Semiotics and brand codes

● Key words
Through the brief and the smell of the fragrance, 5 words came to our minds to describe
what we feel when we smell After Dark : Sensual, Ivresse, Transform, Seductive,
Mysterious. Those 5 key words helped us to create the storytelling of After Dark.

● Symbols
With those 5 key words, we chose 3 emblematic symbols to represent our perfume:
- Snake : It represents sensuality, seductiveness, Sin but also rebirth. It embodies
perfectly our character : Alice is a bright, joyful woman during the day who rebirths
as a seductive and sensual lady during the night.

- The masquerade mask : It represents the mysteries of the night and the seduction
of the anonymous. When the night falls, Alice becomes a new woman. She wears
her mask and is free to do whatever she wants and to party all night.

- The Red rose : It represents femininity, seductiveness, and love. When she wears
her perfume, Alice feels powerful and seductive. It’s the symbol flower of Grasse

4
 too. After Dark is also a perfume about the sun, the warmth of Grasse.

● Colour code
The colour code we chose represents perfectly our 5 keywords that describe the perfume
as well as our symbols. We defined 4 colors :
- Red : It represents love, passion, and it is the color that comes to our minds when
we think of a rose.
- Black : We associated this color with the mystery of the masquerade mask and the
sensuality of the snake.
- Gold : When we think of the After Dark, the name of the perfume, we think of
sunset, of the golden sky of Grasse. It’s also the color of luxury, which comes after
masquerade balls.
- White : This color is associated with purity and brightness. It’s the color that comes
before the After Dark.

● Perfume label
With those elements, we were able to create the perfume label below. It includes the
majority of our semiotics : the snake, the mask, the flowers to represent the rose… We also
wanted to mention Grasse as it is an important part of the identity of the perfume.

II. Activation plan

1) Target audience

Considering the note and the DNA of the perfume, as well as the nature of the event, we
decide to focus on a group of audience with the following traits and persona:
● Demographics
25+ women, financially well off, working women or Housewives.

● Psychological characteristics
Mature, sophisticated, confident, passionate, and independent.

5
 ● Persona
“She goes to museums and art galleries during the day & dives into sassy bars at night; she
enjoys green smoothies after working out ^ takes pleasure in a glass of Classic Manhattan
after work; she loves exploring new things and travels around the city; she listens to
podcast regularly & attends book club gatherings sometimes”.

● Touch points
- Online touch points: Instagram, Twitter, podcast, fashion magazine official website,
such as ELLE.fr, VOGUE.fr.
- Offline touch points: galleries, cafes, fitness studios, bars/lounges, modern chic
destinations, bookstores, Museums.

2) Our 3 Steps Activation Plan

To launch the After Dark Perfume while stay true to the city of grasse and the festival du
Grasse au Pays des Merveilles, it is essential to come up with a solid communication and
digital strategy to not only use the days of the festival as a hook and anchor for the
perfume but also to create a Hype, engage the customer and Brand the perfume before
and after the festival. We think it will be a good idea to plan our strategy for the launch in 3
parts and have impactful, creative and actionable items for each segment.

I. Before the Festival - Around 1 month before

II. During the Festival- 10 days of the festival
III. After the Festival- Plan till the end of the year

Our current plan enables us to have a strategy in place till the end of the year which will
serve as a milestone to evaluate the performance of perfume, make necessary changes
and if successful to build an expansion map to take it to other french cities and
international markets.

3) Before the festival plan - Stage1- Warm-up

This is one thing to have a presence on social media, and it’s something else entirely to
generate buzz with it. To achieve this goal, you need to post regularly, use relevant
hashtags, and create engagement with polls, contests, giveaways, and promotions. The
content you post on social media should be shareworthy and include a balanced mix of
images, blogs, videos, and GIFs. The general idea here is to create buzz with pre launch
events before the festival takes place.

● Pre Launch Event

To create a buzz, we have a pre launch event. Small Masquerade masks of Alice have been
hidden around the city of Grasse. Once you find it, you need to click a picture and post it
online. These masks can be traded in the store for After dark merchandise !

● Print Media
Print media is essential for Marketing and bringing the product in front of the readers eyes
and to target the not so tech savvy customers, we aim to get articles, write ups and
columns in top magazines like vogue, elle etc. & Newspapers. We also want to have flyers

6
and posters placed strategically around the city and festival to help get the word out.

● Podcasts and Radio Marketing

Use Radio as a platform to communicate about the perfume, the different sales points
where a customer can buy the perfume from and regularly inform the public about the
events around the city related to After Dark perfume to build footfall. Podcasts too can
serve as a platform to talk about the inspiration, ingredients and storytelling of the
perfume to foster a connection with the audience and help propagate transparency and
credibility.

● Influencer Marketing & Live Streaming

In the age of social media, influencers have more say than even a sales assistant when it
comes to influencing your decision to buy a product. We want to have strategic influencer
and KOL's mapped and then leverage them for influencer marketing to hype the launch of
After Dark.We also plan to have Key Opinion Leaders (KOL’s) do live streaming of the
perfume. After Dark would be sent to them well in advance for them to try and plan their
content.This would be a cross platform strategy where all social media platforms would be
tapped into with their relevant influencers all all structures - Nano(1K-10K), Micro (10K-
100K), Macro (100K- 1M) and Mega ( 1M+).

● Build Brand.com
Building a website for After Dark Perfume is essential to give it credibility,open up an
ecommerce channel and start the process of building a CRM database. LIke any other
luxury brand, the after dark website will be luxurious yet mysterious, have engaging
landing pages and lead magnets.

● Discount Coupons & Promos

Discount coupons can help to boost the initial sales of the perfume and get the ball rolling.
We want to provide discount coupons with the tickets to events of the festival and
museums in Grasse.The percentage of discount will be minimal as we still want to let the
brand image be premium and exquisite.

● Social Media Challenge - #AfterDark

We live in the age of Social media challenges, where you need your content to only only be
engaging but also viral. With #AliceAfterDark challenge we want customers to show us their
day and night look after they use the After dark perfume to transform. Best ones get a
shout out.They can create a video or photo with both their looks and post in on their social
media with the hashtag #AfterDark.

● Organic and Paid Media Marketing

We want to start with a balanced split between Paid, Owned and Earned media. Initially
more focus on organic growth,SEO,SEA and getting traffic for the website and social media
pages helping to engage the customer, get conversation flowing and build likes, shares and
comments.Later we want to venture into paid partnerships, ads boost and paid social
media marketing and paid collaborations to further engage the customers and onboard
new customers to help increase conversion ratio, reduce cart abandonment percentages
and Instore footfall and purchase.

7
 4) During the festival plan- Stage 2- Grand Launch

● Photo booth and contest

- During the 10 days of the festival, a photobooth especially created for the fragrance
will be placed in the festival. It will fit the aesthetic of the fragrance. People will be
able to take pictures freely.
- A contest will start at the beginning of the festival and last 3 weeks. To participate,
people will have to post their picture taken in the photo booth on their social media
with a specific hashtag #GrasseXafterdark. The person with the most likes will get a
free fragrance.

● Use events of the festival to promote the perfume

- In the 2019 festival program, a photoshoot was organized by photographers on the
3rd day of the festival (Sunday). If the program is the same, it could be an
opportunity to use our photobooth for the photoshoot.
- Several olfactory workshops were organized. Our perfume could be used in some of
them. Its creation process and story could be told to the people attending the
workshops and they would be offered a sample at the end of the workshop.
- There are also theatrical plays almost every night. To make people wait, our
promotional film could be projected. As the storytelling of the fragrance is similar to
the theme of the festival, the film would fit well before the play.

● Smelling kiosk
The idea is to put a smelling kiosk in the festival for people to smell the fragrance and learn
about its making process. As the universe of the fragrance is inspired by the festival, its
storytelling will emerge people in its world. Discount coupons for the fragrance can also be
distributed to the people for their purchase of the perfume in retail stores.

8
 ● Sales point
People who want to purchase the fragrance will be able to do it directly at a sales point in
the festival. At this sales point, the customer will be able to personalize their bottle of
perfume (with their name engraved on it and/or with a snake/mask/rose charm) to have a
festival special edition of the perfume, as this customization will only take place during the
festival.

● Storefronts & displays

All store windows will get a makeover with a mysterious display with Alice themed
mannequins, masks, flowers and symbols to attract the passerby customers. Stores that
have more footfall will have a big replica bottle of after dark as a centerpiece. The idea is to
make the windows look absolutely beautiful and regal to ensure that every passerby on the
street at least gives it a look and is attracted by it irrespective of whether they enter the
store or not.

● Use print media & radio channels

- Print media : during the festival, we want to ask local magazines and newspapers
(such as Nice Matin, Sud Ouest, and smallest media) to promote our perfume in
articles. The articles will deal with the animations of the festival and explain the
fragrance contest as well as the storytelling of the After Dark perfume. The purpose
is to promote both the perfume and the festival. We want to target cultural papers
as the audience is the most likely to go to the festival.
- Radio : the idea is similar to the print media one. We want to schedule interviews at
local radio stations to promote both the festival and the perfume. Every two days, a
new person could be interviewed : the jurys of the fragrance contest, the perfumers,
the mayor of Grasse…

9
● Tote Bags
We have some exquisite eco-friendly tote bags that promote the festival on one side and
the perfume on the other (Distributed to the attendees of the festival and at the sales
kiosk). This will not only be handy to carry for shopping but also help the customers see the
name of the perfume everywhere and in everyone's hands. This is a strategy to play with
the customers' psychology and influence them to buy the perfume.

5) After the festival - Stage 3 - Heat-continue

● Perfume/Festival Related Filter

- Content: In partnership with Snapchat or Instagram to create AfterDark themed
filter, accompanied with social media initiatives to encourage people to share their
photos with official hashtag
- Channel: Instagram, Snapchat
- Objective: maintain and enlarge social media buzz

● Themed Afternoon Tea

- Content: In collaboration with famous patisseries such as Pierre Hermé, Laduree,
heritage hotels such as The Peninsula, The Ritz, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, or
IT dining places such as The Lemon (Galeries Lafayette Champs-Elysee) to create
themed afternoon tea set featuring the symbol / visual identity of the perfume
- Channel: famous patisseries, heritage hotels, IT dining places
- Objective: create immersive experience to maintain the influence and strengthen
the identity of the perfume as well as the festival, deepening engagement

● Pop-up at Iconic Chic Places

- Content: Establish pop-ups at iconic places, such as concept stores located in Les
Marais, to showcase the inspiration and the storytelling of the perfume, recreate the
environment of the festival with interactive installations, (VR or AR devices can be an
option); meanwhile, this pop-up can also act like a temporary retail channel for the
perfume
- Channel: pop-up at iconic places
- Objective: add to the immersive experience post-festival, continue the sales and
heat of the perfume

● Editorial Podcast Series

- Content: centering on the idea of “multi-identity” and “glamorous adventure”,
women from various industries will be invited to share their story of self-discovery
and exciting encounters with the audience (like Modern Love)
- Channel: podcast
- Objective: create a community of customers who shares the same vibe and spirit the
perfume embodies so as to strengthen customer loyalty

10
III. Tools for activation

1) Merchandising tools
After Dark would have multiple avenues of Merchandising tools like Product, Visual,
Omnichannel and Digital to have a 360 degree outlook. These different types of
merchandising tools would help not only in the launch of the perfume but also give a major
stronghold to the promotions and brand identity of the perfume. We want to launch the
perfume through the omnichannel network and leverage Offline and Online tools.

2) PR kits
Often referred to as a press kit or media kit, a PR kit is a pre-packaged collection of
promotional materials that provide all important information journalists, bloggers, and
influencers may possibly need when writing or talking about the new product.It is essential
to have a PR kit for the launch of “After Dark” as it would help to simplify things for all
stakeholder involved in the communication plan and digital strategy for activating the
launch of the perfume in a successful way. It is a smart one stop solution for being credible
and managing time & effort efficiently. After Dark PR Kit Includes Invitation and tickets to
the Festival, A Press Release,Product Fact Sheet,Samples of After Dark, Brochure, Posters
and Flyers,Social media links & After Dark Video,Semiotics of After Dark Perfume,Fact sheet
& FAQ's.

3) In-store activation kits

Grasse is a small town with store sales personnel not having a lot of possibilities to play
with promotional materials for their store due to resource constraints. We want to help
them feel more connected and valued and hence we wanted to make their lives simpler by
providing them with a In-store Activation kit which includes Stock of After Dark perfume,
Staff Brief Sheet,Product Quotation Sheet,GWP-Samples,After Dark Snake,
Blotters,Merchandising tools,Materials for In Store Window Display,POS Materials,Posters,
Flyers,Brochure. This will act as a one stop resource box for each store owner or staff to
understand and sell after dark better.

4) GWP
Who does not love a gift with purchase ! After Dark has come up with a range of GWP that
would be offered to the customer when they purchase a bottle of the perfume. We have
After Dark 6ml testers, After Dark Mini Roll ons, luxurious looking silk Travel Pouches to
store you perfume well, After Dark Bracelets which has symbols like snake, rose and mask
and is a awesome accessory to be worn anywhere ( Casually & Parties), Festival and
Perfume themed Bags and Gift packaging options ( Ribbons, Cardboard box, Gift tag etc).

5) Final Activation Timeline

It is necessary for any communication plan or digital strategy to have a clear timeline
calendar showing the different planning of events. All the activations will be spread in a
period time in consistency with the nature of the event. This will help to take actions, pre
plan and ensure a smooth execution procedure for the activation of the perfume. There are
three main stages: warm-up, grand launch, and heat –continue.

11
 ● Warm-Up Stage- June
One month before the Grasse Festival, the warm-up stage will begin to raise awareness and
create momentum for the event. Therefore in June, offline kick-off events and print
marketing will commence, accompanied with digital communications on social media,
podcast, and the launch of an official website.

● Grand Launch- July

During the Grasse Festival, storefront activations will start together with multiple activities
to complete the experience. Customization and personalization workshops will be held
where customers can have their one and only perfume package; photo booth in
consistency with the perfume’s vibe will be put up to encourage customers to take photos
and share it on social media; meanwhile, smelling kiosk and sales points activities will also
be available to public so as to join forces to create volume of the grand launch.

● Heat-continue- August onwards

Right after the festival, pop-ups featuring the perfume will appear at iconic chic places in
Paris and in Grasse to prolong the buzz generated by the perfume and the festival.
Meanwhile, traditional marketing such as outdoor light box displays as well as digital paid
media will continue to strengthen the image of the perfume and enhance its influence. In
the following months, customers can also enjoy a memorable and vivid experience with
themed afternoon tea in collaboration with famous patisseries and heritage hotels. During
the year-end retail events, the perfume will come up with limited edition and gifting
packages, which will be available at major department stores to expand its popularity. A
performance review will be held at year-end to evaluate the efficiency of all the activations
and make strategy for future expansion in other french cities and International Markets.

12
 6) Social media & website

Nowadays, social media has a huge role in marketing strategies. We decided to create an
Instagram account as well as a website especially for After Dark. We also will be creating
accounts on all popular social media platforms like Twitter, Tik Tok, Facebook etc.

● The Instagram account @afterdarkperfume

The Instagram account will be launched at the beginning of our communication plan,
before the festival. The aesthetic of the feed is really important as it will contribute to the
brand image. We chose to use the aesthetic of After Dark : we will start by posting light and
bright pictures to represent the daytime and we will post darker pictures as time passes.
The feed will look like the end of the day and the beginning of the night, with deeper color
and emotions through it. The colors of the pictures will go from white to gold to deep reds
to black, just as the 4 colors of After Dark. The posts will be about the perfume, but also
about its ingredients (sandalwood, pomegranate, etc) and about its theme (masquerade,
Salma Hayek, Alice in wonderland…).

● The website/ Brand.com

We will create a website especially for the fragrance. On this website, the customer will be
able to find a lot of information about the fragrance (the ingredients, its origin, its creation
process, etc) and also to purchase it. We will also post news updates on strategic periods of
the year (for christmas edition etc…). The website will be closely related to the Instagram
account as the Instagram account will redirect the customer on the website through links.

13
 GRAPHICS SECTION

14