think Dilbert
That was a very busy weekend, with lots of samples and Rose chyprée bottles, interrupted by jogging and orchids and this brings me right to Twitter, from where I rediscovered Nathan’s blog. I was there once, but lost track somehow. So I read a few reviews there (thank you!) and got into the bottle and packaging discussions. Not much to add there, except for the fact that Nathan is right, of course, and that gradually we will change. Gradually because I am spending too many weekends with non-weekend stuff such as making perfume; did a new batch of air on Saturday., this one is for the X-mas season that starts September for me, which is somewhat strange, thinking X-mas when all the tulips are blooming and the lilac sends its perfume to bees and perfumers. Anyhow….
The new box and inlay discussed last week will help. Next we might have to do something with the stickers, maybe. Ah…. I need more time on this planet. And a higher margin to pay folks doing the samples. But this is another issue. Back to packing the roses…
The Rose chyprée bottle… well. The sticker is simpler and easier to apply. This helps. And the pumps and the cover come individually wrapped which protects them. But the invidivual wrapping is a pain. It is a fine PE bag where every cover sits in. And they charge up, electrostatically, and fly everywhere, and the cover won’t get out easily.
Anyhow, after having bottled, and labeled, and packed and wrapped my first 100 bottles, and even before reading Nathan’s comment, I started worrying whether I might not better wrap the packed box with some sort of protective foil, because I can see what happens out there with the white paper…
Maybe I will simply put the packed rose chyprée into a PE bag.
Now: Off for two days business meeting (yep…part of my 3 day office job) to earn my $ to keep me going. Yes: Think Dilbert.
Picture: Packed Rose chyprée
April 27th, 2009 at 7:41 am
Dear Andy, thanks you for opening for me Nathan? s blog, it was very interesting reading.
That I can tell the main thing in this occasion - you very courageous and probably most fair person, yes is possible Nathan and have received experience of unsuccessful packing. But it is necessary to understand, that you not a packing machine and it is on the low budget.
We have such saying - to you an inscription of a taxi - Or you need to go?:)
From a position of the years lived by me, yes packing has important, but not crucial importance and my choice excellent aroma, let and in imperfect packing, than aroma without the face in Baccarat.
April 27th, 2009 at 10:30 am
HI Andy, from the picture the rose chypree look terrific–and that’s a lot of work to do on your own. Bravo and thanks!
April 27th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Dear Vladimir
I am glad you liked Nathan’s page. He for sure has something to say and high standards when it comes to design. And yes… I am no packaging machine. But I getting better and better…
Dear Jen
Thank you, too!
April 27th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
The Rose chypree looks very attractive — packaging is a pain but such an important part of the “shop appeal”. I’d like to think I judge all scents on their merits as a fragrance, but I bet I’m influenced by the packaging none the less.
Nathan’s blog is a fun one for me - lots of opinions and lots of pictures. Talk about packaging lust!
April 27th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Very nice blog !!!!!!!!!!!
April 27th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I like Chypre perfume!
April 27th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Hi, Andy. I think Eileen hit it square on the head — I find myself influenced by the packaging, even though I’d like to believe that all I care about is the liquid inside the bottle.
It was disappointing to open a scuffed box of a fragrance I really love to find a bottle with a bent atomizer and a splotched label, and while I understand that the packaging issue is a common frustration for independent perfumers, your fragrances themselves are so creative that I wonder if you could be doing your brand a disservice with some of the present packaging choices.
Thank you, by the way, for taking the criticism well. I was a little harsh in what I wrote, yet you managed to overlook the tone and appreciate the substance of what was being said.
One last thought: your fragrances are not inexpensive, so you’re already appealing to a consumer who’s willing to spend a little more for a higher quality product. Your brand is actually close in price to many of the Serge Lutens export items, and Lutens appears to sell well at that fifteen to twenty dollar difference (with packaging that’s a sleek match for the brand) — could that kind of price increase be workable for you, and would it afford you enough financial freedom for a packaging upgrade?
I very much look forward to testing your Rose chyprée. It sounds wonderful.
April 27th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Hello Andy,
I love the fragrances that you create. I can see that a lot of care and passion goes into your work and that you create exciting fragrances, all on your own. Your Rose Chypree looks very pretty. I think maybe Nathan has a different taste in packaging design. Thank you for linking up his blog I enjoyed reading it. I wouldn’t worry because your beautiful fragrances are perfect in there pretty bottles, and your doing a great job.
April 27th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Hello Andy - I find the minimalist look of your bottle to be very appealing, although have only seen them in photos so far. It seems a nice contrast to the complex nature of the fragrance to me too. There are far too many fragrances that offer an impressive package with mediocre (or truly awful) contents.
Has there been much feedback similar to that of Nathan? Impressed that you shared that blog, and perhaps there is some truth to this. Many of us are seduced with visuals first; I guess this is the reality that must be dealt with. It is the l nature of your scents that will ensure our return. Hope you’re keeping your dual lives balanced!
Best as always
Diane
April 27th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
YT finds no wrong in any aspect of your fragrant fantasies!! If YOU wish to change a box because you find a new style that grabs your fancy, fine! Branch`s critique is out-of-place;~let him w/out sin cast the first stone…~ comes to mind! From Sting`s song `An Englishman in New York`…Be yourself, no matter what they say!…`
April 27th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Andy, I begin to make worries to be on time this year to wish you Merry Xmas :o)
Spending too much time with non-weekend staff like making perfume??? Sounds like you’ve made job from your hobby. Once I read someone has written that “if you make job from your hobby you might loose both”. I hope it’s not about you making perfume, right? You still enjoy making fragrances. And for the routine packing staff etc - there should be a solution - wish you to find it. Although - when I read you are writing enthusiastically about a packing exhibition… well - you are still enjoying the whole process :o)
Thanks for the Nathan’s blog!
April 28th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Dear Eileen,
Thank you for your comment. I am glad you liked Nathan’s blog too. I was overwhelmed with his pictures and I said to myself… how did he do them! I know my bottles… And then I think he started a good discussion and has his points.
April 28th, 2009 at 5:56 am
Dear Nathan
I thank you for your comments, very much. A few side thoughts: I do not mind criticism at all. At the end of the day, I am no expert in all the things I am doing and I can only learn and get better. And this I do by listening to critical experts and clients like you! There are -of course- constraints, money wise, production wise, handling issues, … but when looking at some issues that you mentioned: Some features of my packaging are like a palimpsest. You know: I start, selling maybe 200 bottles of air du désert, where it makes not sense at all to get a screen printed bottle. Then you sell more, change sales channels, end up with more bottles, but the entire presentation and packaging lags behind. And being in the midst of stocks issues and bottles and legal issues etc, you do not see that it is time to adjust.
And then you (I ) need a kick from outside to start looking at this palimpsest and add another layer.
Basically, this is how I started looking at the boxes a while ago and hopefully I will have solution there, soon.
One word about pricing, though: First, there is the difference between the price in the shop and what I get…. then: I try to keep my products there on the level where I am right now. I do not want to go much higher. Sort of compromising there…
Thanks again!
April 28th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Dear Elizabeth
I thank you for your cherishing up words!
I think, Nathan has his point. To be honest: There are a few things I would like to change over the next 1, 2 years. The box with the inlay will be the starting point to move on from there. Of course, as I always do, with little steps.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:09 am
Good morning to you, Diane
This is an interesting question: Yes and no when it comes to whether I got similar comments in the past. I was told not to changed anything about the overall packaging, as this is what makes me special. Thus, I was told repeatedly to keep the style (box, flyer, ribbon, inlay) but I was also told to change the box to a better box and to change the inlay. And the bottles: There I get input from clients to consider screen printing, for instance. But a lot of folks love and care about the minimal design.
By the way: I truly love and appreciate discussions like the one initiated by Nathan. It is truly helpful!
April 28th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Dear Hotlanta Linda
No reason for worries. I think it is not about having right or being right, it is more about looking at the same thing (bottles) with a different perspective. Nathan has- in my opinion- a very good eye to look at things, this reflects in his photos that are stunning. He cares about details, and esthetics’s, and goes beyond the scent . I have a little blind spot there. :-)
Fragrant hugs to you from rainy Zurich.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Dear AromaX
Merry pre-X-mas to you!
well, you know: on a serious note…. the perfumery has become a 2nd leg to stand (financially) since a year now. And it is great fun. It is fun, because a new dimension appear besides the joy of creating scents and discussing scents. It is the part of building and growing and reaching out into other niches.
Thus, nicher niche is moving… A big fragrant hug to you!
April 29th, 2009 at 3:47 am
Well, I think for being a small, artisanal line, your scents have nice graphics to accompany them. I love the sheets that come with the samples, especially. The bottles are simple, but like most serious collectors, my bottles are kept out of sight for preservation. So, although I look at and admire fabulous bottles, ultimately it is the juice that influences my purchasing decision (with the possible exception of something like Harajuku Lovers - ha!). What the heck is wrong with a sticker? Lots of lines use stickers! Frederic Malle might as well be in a medicine bottle. I’m sorry that Nathan got a funky bottle - both of mine are perfect.
April 29th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
Cher Andy,
vous connaissez la formule “qu’importe le flacon, pourvu qu’on ait l’ivresse”. Donc ce qui compte vraiment pour moi, c’est la qualité du parfum et les vôtres sont merveilleux. Je préfère que l’argent soit investi dans le parfum et non dans le packaging; les vôtres sont sobres mais inventifs et créatifs et à moins d’être riche comme Césus et proposer ce que fait Kilian… Il y a tant fe mauvais pafums avec de beaux flacons, hélas… Ceci étant dit, j’aime la présentation de “une rose chyprée”.
Bien à vous
Rebecca
December 31st, 2009 at 5:11 pm
My bottle of L’Air du Desert Marocain arrived in perfect shape, the label is beautiful, and the sprayer works perfectly. I even saved the outer box because I found it so attractive. I like the simple shape of the bottle, also.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess, and I think you’re doing very well, Andy!
August 10th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
[…] In early 2009, I posted a a somewhat harsh criticism of Tauer’s (now former) packaging. While Andy took the criticism in stride and actually initiated a conversation about it on his own blog, there was a small rush in his comments section (and on a few other sites) to defend the brand by stating that he does all his own mixing, bottling and shipping — as if #1) I somehow didn’t know that already, and as if #2) being totally DIY is an excuse for a brand to be bringing up the rear, especially when the customer is being charged a higher than mass-market price, nonetheless. […]