Editors’ Choice Award Winner: Sampling and Promotional
euphoria By Calvin Klein Fragrance Sampler
by Coty Prestige
The euphoria by Calvin Klein sampler represents the next generation of magazine inserts for fragrances. It is truly an innovative—as well as affordable—way to provide fragrance samples in magazines.
The euphoria by Calvin Klein sampler was distributed in several different magazines simultaneously last October when the fragrance launched. It was also used in in-store support materials, including postcards and airline ticket jacket inserts. The sampling device is called the Mini-LiquaTouch, developed, patented, and supplied by Arcade Marketing. Coty Prestige was the first fragrance company to use this type of sampler in magazine advertising on a global scale.
The Mini-LiquaTouch is a multilayer foil label that the user peels open. Inside, there is a proprietary nonwoven fabric saturated with 50 mg of fragrance, which is meant to be applied to pulse points. The experts at Arcade developed the sampler’s four-ply foil material as well as the process used to hermetically seal the sampler. This sealing process prevents moisture loss and ensures a shelf life of up to one year. “Its special seal is achieved through the application of heat and pressure,” explains Lou Zafonte, senior vice president, Arcade Marketing. This sampler is a smaller replica of Arcade’s LiquaTouch (first used about seven years ago) that was designed to stand alone and that holds 170 mg of fragrance.
Before LiquaTouch could be downsized in order to meet all the necessary requirements for magazine insertion, a few challenges had to be overcome. First, the Mini-LiquaTouch had to have a specific fill weight in order to avoid incurring any postal surcharges when inserted into magazines. Next, the strength of the sampler had to be measured and increased in order to guarantee it would not open on the page during the bindery process. Its burst strength is rated at more than 1000 pounds per square inch.
“It was difficult to fully capture the unique multifaceted scent of euphoria in a traditional scent strip. The Mini-LiquaTouch uses the actual eau de parfum solution and provides an actual sampling of the fragrance that allows users to truly experience the addictive euphoria scent on the skin all day,” says Lori Singer, vice president of global marketing, Coty Prestige. “We found that many more consumers came into stores ready to buy the fragrance, instead of just to try it,” Singer adds.
CPC Packaging’s awards panelists were convinced that this type of sampler works. “It is such a great step up from scent strips, and since it is so economical, it brings fragrance sampling to a whole other level,” says Maiken Erstad, design director for Dragon Rouge. Since it was so widely distributed, the sampler reached many potential customers, providing a unique, enjoyable new sampling experience.