Results and Effectiveness

By indentifying a new channel, sampling rate increased and so too did sales. With just five installations, traffic to the fragrance’s e-commerce website increased by 320 percent in a fortnight. Requests for samples or brochures were unprecedented, requiring the client to print more sales collateral for direct mailouts. Sales figures showed a healthy spike of 135 percent in two weeks.

Creative Execution

Mouse pads with a wrist support made of a special material and containing the fragrance were placed in upscale cafes offering complimentary Internet access. As consumers opened the web browser, a splash page greeted them and informed them they were about to sample the new fragrance. They were invited to take part and asked to lift the arm resting on the mouse pad to smell their wrist.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

Cologne and perfume will only sell if they can be sampled. However, consumers can - and do - avoid retail environments where salespeople offer scent strips. We would tap into a new channel that increased sampling rates of a designer fragrance at a time when consumers were more receptive.