Lancme relaunches old fragrance

Lancme is gambling £500,000 of its advertising budget on the Nineties relaunch of a 25-year-old fragrance.

O de Lancme was first launched in 1969 as the “light and fresh” fragrance for the Seventies. Sales faltered in the Eighties as scents such as Poison and Giorgio Beverly Hills took over. Today the perfume commands less than three per cent of the UK market and fails to register on any retail survey.

Lancme plans a relaunch of the fragrance to convince customers that a fragrance designed 25 years ago can epitomise the Nineties. Packaging and composition will remain unchanged – Lancme will instead rely on TV advertising by Publicis to change its fragrance’s image.

During May and June Lancme will spend £500,000 on TV ads featuring model Heather Stewart-Whyte. The ads, described as “joyous, fresh and exciting” by Lancme will focus on the perfume’s natural “edible” ingredients such as basil, coriander, lime and mandarin. It will be backed by about £300,000 of sales promotion material.

“Our perfume hasn’t changed one iota, but then neither has fashion,” says Lancme marketing manager Dominic Devetta.