09.29.09
Discover Bora Bora Products/Packaging
Liz Claiborne Cosmetics launches a romantic getaway in a bottle.
When Liz Claiborne Cosmetics set out to create its fragrance launch for 2002, it was looking for a magical image that would draw men and women on a sensual journey to the exotic. Neil Katz, company president was inspired to find a tropical, exotic theme and Bora Bora was rediscovered as a fragrance brand.
Bora Bora, an island in the South Pacific, has just such an image. According to Liz Claiborne, its research found: in an A&E Television list of the Top 10 Romantic Getaways, Bora Bora is ranked No. 1; Bora Bora is listed in Condé Nast Traveler magazine as a Top 10 island, and etravel.com says Bora Bora is “the world’s most beautiful island.”
The plan for Bora Bora, the fragrance line, took more than 18 months to complete, as the Liz Claiborne creative team put its imagination to work crafting a “passport to paradise.” The image is of a romantic, faraway place where fragrances originate—a vacation in a bottle.
The name Bora Bora gave inspiration to the entire project. The women’s fragrance was developed by Quest as a “tropical floral rush of passion.” The bottle for Bora Bora for women is a pale shell pink and features a shallow relief of bamboo down the center. The men’s juice was created by IFF as an “exotic exploration,” made up of musks and sultry woods. The men’s packaging features a black pearl shade with bamboo embellishments on the sides of the bottle. Both packages are topped with rectangular caps with square logos in gold, reminiscent of passport stamps. Cartons for the products repeat the shell pink and black pearl shades with tropical pattern trim and gold accents. The inside of the cartons are printed with a blue design to reflect tropical skies.
Typical of its high impact launches, Liz Claiborne will roll out Bora Bora with full product lines for women and men. For women, the line consists of perfume spray, eau de parfum, body lotion, shower gel, body powder, body scrub, bath soap and a candle quartet. The men’s collection includes cologne spray, after shave, skin soother, body moisturizer, hair and body wash, hair gel, deodorant, shave cream and soap on a rope. Bora Bora has been created for the upscale Generation X audience (18- to 34-year-olds), who will be tempted to “Take my hand and discover Bora Bora.”
Consistent with Katz’ formula for fragrance marketing, which is “Success depends on presentation, quality and speed to market,” the company will spend $20 million on a campaign that includes television as well as print advertising and in-store events starting in August. Bora Bora will roll out in over 2000 doors nationwide. The brand will be promoted with gifts-with-purchase offers and samples. These too have been chosen to connect with tropical images. For women, the launch gift-with-purchase (with a purchase of $47.50 or more) will be a bright pink drawstring bag and a Bora Bora sarong in a pink and violet tropical print. For men, the launch promotion (with a purchase of $47.50 or more) will offer a free watch featuring a custom strap with an embossed tropical pattern.
Traditional sampling, including blotter cards, vials on cards, scented post cards and special mini-bottles, will be joined in-store by paper umbrellas, which will be sprayed with fragrance for the consumer.
Holiday gift sets for Bora Bora as well as stocking stuffer sets will be on counter by Oct. 9, supported by other gifts-with-purchase promotions planned for the season.
The packaging was designed by Dale Kan, chief executive officer of Brandonology. Bora Bora’s men’s fragrance bottle is manufactured by Bormioli Rocco, France. Saint-Gobain Desjonqueres, France manufactures the bottle for the women’s fragrance. The cap and collar for both men’s and women’s cap and collar are supplied by SGB Packaging Group Inc. and the folding cartons are manufactured by Shorewood Packaging.