November 21, 2013
France’s Guerlain is inviting consumers to virtually step inside its newly renovated Parisian flagship boutique with a guided tour on Google+ Hangout on Air Nov. 22.
The space, located at 68 Champs-Élysées, will open its doors on Nov. 23 for the first time since its renovation, making the boutique the largest beauty store in the world. Guerlain’s unusual decision to introduce its new store via Google+ is likely to attract worldwide consumers and display the minds at work behind the brand.
"This strategy is an interesting approach as Guerlain's is able to feature the reopening of their flagship boutique in France by utilizing multimedia channels to engage a broader as well as aspirational audience," said Dalia Strum, professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology and founder of Dalia Inc., New York.
"Essentially, they can provide a bird's-eye view into their reopening, and through their expert panel, they have an opportunity to discuss the value-add of specific products, placement, merchandising and more," she said.
Ms. Strum is not affiliated with Guerlain, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Guerlain was unable to comment directly.
Inside Guerlain
The LVMH-owned fragrance house is inviting enthusiasts around the world to participate in a virtual preview of its revamped space at 68 Champs-Élysées.
Produced by Guerlain and Google France, the event on Google+ Hangout on Air will occur Nov. 22 at 11:30 a.m. ET and will be hosted by the brand and its special guests.
Guerlain's 68 Champs-Élysées boutique
Guerlain’s guests for the event include the brand’s muse model, Natalia Vodianova, house perfumer Thierry Wasser, creative director Olivier Echaudemaison and chef of the in-store restaurant, Guy Martin. Guerlain’s guests will be interviewed by five international bloggers during the guided tour.
During the live video conference the first images of the space will be revealed to the public. Enthusiasts can join the reopening event by watching the live stream here.
Guerlain is promoting the Google+ Hangout on Air on its Web site as well as with teasers on its Facebook page.
Facebook teaser
The newly renovated Guerlain flagship was designed by architect Peter Marino who has designed many luxury retail boutiques.
The brand asked Mr. Marino to “bring his eye to bear on the antique section of the boutique and imagining the continuation of the story,” according to a brand statement.
Guerlain’s 68 Champs-Élysées flagship first opened in 1914 and its spa, the Institut de Beauté, opened in 1939.
Now, the original space has been doubled during the redesign to include four floors, the spa, where Guerlain products will be used and an in-store restaurant and tea room where guests can drink tea blends inspired by the fragrance house’s scents.
The boutique’s square-footage vaults it to the position of the largest beauty store in the world. On the boutique’s floors Guerlain will sell its full range of products including skincare and beauty products.
In addition to skincare and beauty products the boutique will feature over 100 of Guerlain’s fragrances as well as its bespoke scent services. A bespoke fragrance consultation can be arranged for $56,800, according to The Wall Street Journal.
To fete the reopening of 68 Champs-Élysées, the brand updated its 1914 fragrance, “68 Champs-Élysées,” for a 30-piece series contained in a black-crystal Baccarat decanter. To continue to play off its history, the brand is also offering engravings on its signature “bee bottle.”
68 Champs-Élysées fragrance bottles
Revamped scent
Due to its sensory nature, fragrance is nearly impossible to accurately depict via traditional marketing alone. The in-store experience gives fragrances the room it needs to influence consumers.
For example, Saks Fifth Avenue boosted foot traffic to its New York flagship’s redesigned fragrance floor through a series of fragrance-themed events intended to draw aspirational consumers.
The fragrance floor’s redesign opened Sept. 26 amid various events and giveaways that celebrated the occasion (see story).
Similarly, London department store Harrods used multimedia content from its iPad magazine application to spur perfume enthusiasts to visit the store for its “Meet the Perfumers” experience.
Meet the Perfumers showcased a selection of well-known perfumers and exclusive workshops in Harrods' Beauty Halls (see story).
The inclusion of fragrance and experts during the Google+ Hangout preview event will add another element of engagement for viewers to enjoy.
"Instead of consumers being targeted and bombarded at the make-up counters, this opportunity allows Guerlain to provide the appropriate information and create product appeal on the consumer's terms and availability," Ms. Strum said.
"More importantly, their featured experts are typically the most informed about product benefits and shopping experience, which allows the viewer to consume the appropriate content from higher-level experts," she said.
Final Take
Jen King, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York
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