Bath & Body Works Scents the Holidays | Fast Five Shorts
Bath & Body Works is bringing Fresh Balsam to Grand Central Terminal, movie theaters, and interactive mall kiosks in what beauty expert Kelly Carey calls "my favorite marketing campaign of the year." But is piping fragrance into public spaces genius brand awareness or an invasive marketing tactic?
Kelly breaks down why this campaign is perfectly timed to recapture awareness in a booming fragrance market, while the panel debates the opt-in vs. opt-out question when scent is thrust upon consumers. From middle school Cherry Blossom memories to concerns about sensory overload in movie theaters, this discussion covers the full spectrum of experiential marketing.
Sponsored A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso.
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#BathAndBodyWorks #ExperientialMarketing #HolidayMarketing #FragranceRetail #RetailInnovation
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Transcript
Bath and Body Works, known for its signature holiday scents, will be bringing its smells to train stations, movie theaters and interactive kiosks inside of malls as part of its new holiday campaign.
Speaker A:According to retail wire, Bath and Body Works becomes the first brand ever to scent New York City's Grand Central Terminal with commuters encountering the aroma of fresh balsam.
Speaker A:One of the chains three signature holiday scents in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, the fresh balsam fragrance will also be pumped into sales select theaters as movie theater goers watch the brand's new holiday ad spot.
Speaker A:Interactive kiosks will also pop up in 46 high traffic malls, inviting shoppers to explore all three of Bath and Body Works holiday scents.
Speaker A:Kelly, our beauty expert on the podcast, what do you think here?
Speaker A:Bath and Body Works new scented holiday campaigns.
Speaker A:What do you think about those and do they pass your smart smell test for good holiday marketing?
Speaker B:Awesome.
Speaker B:I'm gonna say, I know next month is your guys best of the year podcast, but this definitely passed the smell test for me.
Speaker B:I think this is my favorite marketing campaign of the year so far.
Speaker A:What?
Speaker C:Oh my God.
Speaker A:Tell us.
Speaker B:Wow.
Speaker B:I am all about this.
Speaker B:So a couple reasons why I love this.
Speaker B:First, I think it is such a genius way to create brand awareness especially for Bath and Body Works for the fact that we are living in a fragrance market right now.
Speaker B:Fragrance is top growing category in beauty and it's a barbell market.
Speaker B:So you have a ton of growth in ultra luxe and premium.
Speaker B:But actually the Bath and Body Works math segment is also doing really well.
Speaker B:Like myths are taking off.
Speaker B:That category is doing awes awesome.
Speaker B:But I personally haven't shopped at Bath and Body Works since I was in like middle school and buying the cherry blossom scent by like the boatload.
Speaker B:So I think you have, you know, they're in the right space but maybe they've lost some of that awareness.
Speaker B:So I just think that using that actual product, the scent that people are going to buy in a marketing campaign and in these high traffic locations that have this holiday heritage at the right time for holiday is an awesome idea.
Speaker B:You know everyone's getting ready to stack up on those holiday candles.
Speaker B:Like it just, it hits timing, it hits awareness.
Speaker B:I think they're going to get traffic downstream to site and store.
Speaker B:I love the Grand Central location choice.
Speaker B:I, I love it.
Speaker A:Okay, Kelly, I have a follow up question for you.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Do you feel now Grand Central Station not always the best smelling place on the planet.
Speaker A:I can attest to that.
Speaker A:Personally.
Speaker A:Balsam fir, probably better, but probably Better than what the alternative is.
Speaker A:But do you.
Speaker A:How do you think, though, consumers are going to respond to this being piped in versus, like, opting in?
Speaker A:Does that have any sort of, like, I don't know, does that change your opinions on this?
Speaker A:Like, if I'm in a movie theater and now it's being like, pop.
Speaker A:Just thrown into my experience, you're not giving them the option to elect into that.
Speaker A:Like, some of the kiosks are like, how do you.
Speaker A:What are your thoughts about that?
Speaker B:Yeah, movie theater is maybe a little bit more of an odd choice because that is really, like, you know, not a place you go intending to have this fragrance thrust upon you.
Speaker A:I get it.
Speaker B:If you're going to like a Christmas showing, like, oh, let's go see.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Christmas Replay.
Speaker B:Maybe not like the new Running man movie, but I think Grand Central.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker B:Don'T have a big issue with the.
Speaker B:Often in a place like Grand Central where you likely have a lot of holiday decor going up and there's, you know, it's New York at the holiday season.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think there are a lot of brands who've been doing that for a long time.
Speaker B:Granted, in their four wall box, there is an often you're going into store.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:You can leave there.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:Clarifier.
Speaker A:Chris, what do you think about this?
Speaker C:I mean, I just, I just think it's smart marketing.
Speaker C:You know, the fact that we're all talking about it means it's probably good.
Speaker C:I'm surprised that Kelly thinks it's like the best marketing effort of the year.
Speaker C:You know, for me, I got to give that.
Speaker C:I got to give a shout out to Pizza Hut.
Speaker C:Did you see what pizza did last week?
Speaker C:The Six Campaign?
Speaker C:November 6th and 7th, you get Buffalo wings for 67 cents.
Speaker C:So I'm just saying that maybe because my kids are going to love talking about that, but that's my winner.
Speaker C:But yeah, I mean, from a marketing standpoint, you know, I think it's smart.
Speaker C:It's getting us talking about.
Speaker C:It's getting people talking about it.
Speaker C:And Kelly's point, too, you can hit high traffic locations with sense, which is at least going to create some awareness, hopefully more so than, you know, than usual for.
Speaker C:For the brand.
Speaker C:So, yeah, I like it.
Speaker A:Well cast, what are your thoughts here?
Speaker D:I would defer to Kelly on this one.
Speaker D:I have no opinions.
Speaker D:I would.
Speaker D:I mean, I go through Grand Central Station every day when I'm going into the city, so that part doesn't sound too bad.
Speaker D:I think the theater part.
Speaker D:I agree.
Speaker D:I think it's a little.
Speaker D:Yeah, it may be a little much.
