Mercedes-Benz Perfumes was launched in 2012 as “the new star of the perfume world”. Ten years later, the product line is still around.
The Mercedes-Benz Perfumes product line is according to Mercedes-Benz an obvious product range expansion because defined style and exquisite design are central to Mercedes-Benz as a leader within the design industry worldwide.
Design and style are not only essential ingredients for the world of luxury cars, it is a natural step to extend this expertise into other luxury categories.”
Creating luxury products beyond the cars has been a natural evolution, starting with Mercedes-Benz eyewear, leather accessories and other luxury goods. In recent years, the brand has naturally gained visibility and credibility in the most exciting, joyful and vibrant industry: fashion.
The Mercedes-Benz Perfumes are available for Him, Her and Home. The parfum product line follows eyewear, leather accessories and other “luxury goods”.
The idea behind launching all these extensions is of course that Mercedes-Benz owners would finally have an all-encompassing Mercedes-Benz lifestyle. Drink coffee in a Mercedes-Benz cup, spray some Mercedes-Benz perfume, leave home in a Mercedes-Benz Bodywarmer, drive in the Mercedes-Benz, call with an iPhone covered in a nice Mercedes-Benz cover and when it rains use the Mercedes-Benz umbrella. This is the Mercedes-Benz life.
The question is who is living the encompassing Mercedes-Benz brand life? And who wants to live life like this?
Still the Instagram account of the Mercedes Benz Parfums has 46.8K followers, not a lot compared to the fashion brands. The Facebook page has 1.36M followers and almost the same amount of likes.
I cannot help thinking that this conversation feels weird for anyone linking the brand Mercedes-Benz with cars “Hey want kind of perfume are you wearing?” “Mercedes-Benz”.
And the reaction to the above question is the key to success: when buyers have a strong connection with the Mercedes Benz brand as a car, it will be much harder to accept the brand in another category. When there is no strong connection, the brand can be accepted in parfums.
An example of a brand like in the case of Caterpillar, the brand for tough equipment and shoes.
Most Cat work boots buyers are not Caterpillar equipment users. They might not even know at all that Caterpillar is heavy duty trucks. And when buyers somehow know that the brand has something to do with toughness then that is exactly the right connotation. On top of that: Caterpillar did something smart to distinct: in work boots the brand uses a different logo “Cat”.
Being successful in multiple categories with the same or similar brand is a careful balance of managing buyer perception. Usually this is easier and much more successful when the categories are perceived to be more distant, like in the Caterpillar case.