Best-selling author, Danielle Steel, is known for her dramatic romance novels in 47 countries and 28 languages. A prolific romance writer, Steel has writtten 76 novels that have reigned the New York Times bestseller lists for over 390 consecutive weeks.
In 2005, Steel launched her signature fragrance Danielle. Intended to be marketed to her romance readers, “Steel said that the fragrance would reflect the characters that she uses in her novels, stating that: ‘this is a wonderful opportunity to introduce my readers to another dimension of my creative life. Fragrances represent so many aspects of life that my characters experience – commitment, love, and emotion’”.
Steel paid close attention to the creation of her fragrance. In her marketing campaign, Steel appealed to the emotional aspects of her romance readers identifying certain elements that were mirrored in her novels:
Optimism
Opening with a fresh burst of lush green notes combined with Mediterranean Mandarin, the fragrance’s top note signifies Danielle Steel’s universal message of hope and optimism.
Romance
The heart of the fragrance is a modern floral kaleidoscope radiating richness and romance with bright accents of Butterfly Jasmine, Sunset Orchid and Hydroponic Rose.
Intrigue
Slowly revealing its darker facets, the fragrance exudes the sensuality of Blue Vetiver wrapped in intriguing White Amber. The lasting impression is a soft caress of Cashmere Musks.
All three descriptions reflect the very aspects that readers seek in her novels. The implicit message presented is if the reader wears the perfume, she will find herself in her own romance novel, which will of course end happily ever after. This fragrance will bring you optimism, intrigue and romance, allowing the reader to live in the world Steel created in her novels.
The most powerful marketing tool Steel wields is her way with language to appeal to her female readers. Instead of having an outside entity promote her frangrance, Steel takes her skill as a writer to self-promote her fragrance. She commands her expertise as a romance writer extrordanaire.
The perfume bottle was also purposefully created to appeal to Steel’s romance readers. According to Steel’s website, her intent was for the bottle to look: “clean, chic, strong, sleek, simple, elegant, of high quality”. By stating this description on her website, Steel is again trying to emotionally appeal to her fans who enjoy the romantic ideals found in her romance novels and would be drawn in by the possibility of joining Steel’s romantic fictional world.
Steel goes on to discuss the packaging her perfume comes in, once again using her writing skills to capture the attention of her romance readers. Steel describes the pattern found on the perfume box with an explicit message: “I love the notion of old lace, which suggests the softness, mystery, and glamor of women. It is subtle and sexy”. Again, Steel is using her strength as a writer to tap into the female reader’s desire for romance.
Finally, Steel’s choice of marketing logo “Believe in happy endings” personifies her belief that wearing this perfume with help you discover your “happy ending”. Using her expertise as a renowned romance writer, Steel plays on the very hopes and dreams that draw her readers into her fictional world to promote her fragrance. It is almost as if Steel is suggesting that her fragrance is a magic potion that will grant you the very thing you seek, a “happy ending”. Steel even goes as far as bringing in research statistics regarding her readers, to support her belief that everyone should seek their happy ending by purchasing her perfume.
Ultimately, Steel’s marketing approach is genius. She ties in the emotional connection her readers feel for her novels and provides a concrete way for her readers to achieve the same type of romantic connection in their own life, through the use of her perfume. The constant reminder of her novels is evident in her advertisements, as pages of manuscript flutter in the wind reminding us of her manufactured “happy endings”. The message is clear and directly from the expert: “I hope that all your endings will be happy, and that wonderful things happen to you when you wear it”.
