The Fragrance Foundation, now with Elizabeth Musmanno at the helm, is working on new branding initiatives including integration with art, technology and design as well as a national fragrance shopping festival and more consumer engagement.
"The new initiatives are going to be a team effort," said Musmanno, speaking at the Fragrance Foundation's chairman's breakfast and annual meeting at The Harvard Club in New York.
Part of the proposals on the table include engaging consumers through a national shopping festival for fragrance and getting the public involved with the FiFi awards, which are planned to have additional glamour while building consumer awareness. "We need to bring the consumer to the FiFis," said Musmanno, who is proposing a plan to allow consumers to buy sample fragrances of the FiFi nominees and then allow visitors to vote for their favorite fragrance via social media sites before the gala, which is slated to be promoted as early as January.
Musmanno's strong business acumen with technology and cutting-edge artistic design is also spurring plans to revamp the foundation's website and to add online magazine-quality content, which Musmanno said will "promote the world of fragrance." Publishing initiatives include a "Scents of Home" book and creative input from Alex Wiederin, a creative director and luxury fashion industry notable. Other plans include member education as it unites its member companies.
"One of the big questions [for members] is what's the value of the membership? We have to create value and, as a team, we can create value if we all work together," Musmanno told P&F.
In addition, the fragrance festival shopping night involves three pillars of the industry: retailers, manufacturers and magazines, she said. "If we do it, we are very powerful when we all come together," Musmanno added.
(Read more about the Fragrance Foundation's new initiatives and the state of the industry in P&F's January issue).
