American perfume users may think of themselves as quite normal, but compared to their cousins across the sea, they are a rare breed. Differences between norms for perfume use between Americans and Europeans are distinctive. They also shape the way that the perfume market works.
Globally, the European market accounts for more than 40% of all of the perfume revenues world wide. Branded perfumes, such as Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue, are especially popular. So popular, in fact, that Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue has been transformed into a scent for men and women. It is pitched as an affordable aspiration and an embodiment of a good life near the sea.
Back in the US, branded perfumes are a top end luxury good, rather than a regularly purchased accessory. While Americans might wear their scent for a big date or a fancy party, they are much more likely to not wear it daily or to be 'saving it' for some unknown future date. This makes it possible for a single branded perfume purchase to last for years, or perhaps even for a lifetime.
In Europe, on the other hand, consumers are much more likely to wear their branded perfumes each and every day, like a signature bit of jewelry or a watch. This allows the major fashion houses to design elaborate ad campaigns around their fragrances, creating characters and plot lines. Others, like Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue, simply make the perfume an extension of the fashion house.
In the US, the Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue perfume is merely a set of pictures of an Italian ocean scene. US advertisements for perfumes are usually in this frame set, as a still photo. Rather than elaborate stories or plot lines, American consumers seem content to merely see iconic surface images when they are making their purchase decisions. They limit themselves in their overall involvement with the brand lifestyle.
As a result, while America may be one of the top consumer markets in the world for most goods, it is unlikely to attract additional investments from perfume advertisers. US consumers simply don't make the perfume a deep enough part of their lives or themselves for a significant investment to make a worthwhile difference in sales. As a result, European consumers, who use perfume much more regularly, will be treated to varieties of perfume that may never make their way over to the States.
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