I will discuss what is involved in a total fragrance launch from purchasing's viewpoint based on the Avon system.
First of all, we recognize that purchasing is strictly an arm, a tool of the marketing department. We take our directions initially from marketing and design. In the launch of a fragrance we really have two prime areas to develop: the fragrance itself and all of the components that go into the package which will support the fragrance statement.
I would like to outline a few of the decision behind both of these aspects.
First, we get a profile, a description of exactly what marketing wants, both for the packaging and for the fragrance. When dealing with fragrance, we try to extract as much information from the total marketing plan as possible. This includes the promotioal image, the target group, and any packaging information. This is relayed to the perfumers so that they can create around the packaging and total promotional image that is planned for the item.