Carolina Herrera seeks rebellious men with powerful fragrance ad

August 23, 2019

Carolina Herrera's Bad Boy is made for rule breakers. Image credit: Carolina Herrera

U.S. fashion label Carolina Herrera is debuting a male companion to its Good Girl fragrance with a campaign that aims to portray the scent wearer’s electric attraction.

Carolina Herrera’s Bad Boy is premiering with a campaign that depicts a man’s dramatic effect on the city around him. Connecting the two scents, Good Girl spokesmodel Karlie Kloss is playing an integral role in the Bad Boy launch campaign.

"If you are a fashion house that has broken into the fragrance market, a significant rite of passage is the creation of a signature his and hers fragrances – Hugo Boss, Burberry, Calvin Klein, Hermes, Issey Miyake, Armani and Mugler, to name a few," said Daymon Bruck, CCO/partner of The O Group, New York. "With the launch of Bad Boy, which builds on the success of Good Girl, Carolina Herrera now has matching set of fragrances to promote and claim prestigious territory held by larger and more mature fashion houses."

Mr. Bruck is not affiliated with Carolina Herrera, but agreed to comment as an industry expert. Carolina Herrera was reached for comment.

Electric effort
Housed in a lightning-shaped bottle, Bad Boy opens with top notes of black and white pepper and bergamot followed by a heart composed of sage and cedar. Base notes including tonka bean and cocoa are meant to give the scent a sensual and masculine edge.

Carolina Herrera's Bad Boy is a companion to Good Girl. Image credit: Carolina Herrera

The launch campaign for the scent is similarly edgy. At the start, the fragrance’s face stands overlooking New York as bolts of lightning shoot through the sky in front of him, contrasting with the nighttime darkness.

As the camera moves in closer to the figure, he turns to look directly at the viewer. He sprays some of the perfume, and the notes of the fragrance are depicted as shattering animations.

The man steps outside and splashes through a puddle, and lightning hits electric lines above him.

Ms. Kloss walks down the street ahead of the man. As she passes, their hands almost meet, causing an electric energy that turns off the power in the surrounding buildings.

Pausing at a flower vendor, the man pulls one bud out and smells it. Behind him, the flowers respond, leaping up into the air.

A woman driving by in a car stares at the man a bit too long. After taking her eyes off the road, she crashes her vehicle into a fire hydrant.

Getting into a black convertible, the man speeds by a woman in eveningwear, causing a sudden gust of wind.

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A distinctive rebellion for men who chart their own path and design their own principles, introducing the newest member of the family: our very own #BadBoyCarolinaHerrera Discover the full story on IGTV
A post shared by CAROLINA HERRERA (@carolinaherrera) on Aug 22, 2019 at 6:24am PDT

Carolina Herrera's Bad Boy campaign

As the model drives off, a tagline reads, “It’s so good to be bad.”

Boy meets girl
Carolina Herrera previously showed that being virtuous all the time is overrated to launch a seductive scent.

To introduce its Good Girl perfume, the brand created a sultry campaign featuring Ms. Kloss, who proved the supernatural power of a pair of sky-high heels as she drew attention on a New York street. Portraying a duality of being female, this campaign was poised to resonate with consumers, as they could see a bit of themselves in both good and bad (see story).

Carolina Herrera also played a game of truth or dare for a flirty fragrance campaign.

The brand marketed its CH L’Eau scent with a beachside effort that painted a playful picture of romance. Involving consumers in the content, Carolina Herrera developed an online game that asked consumers to seek truths or daring feats from the campaign's spokesmodels or a special someone (see story).

"Herrera’s campaign for the launch of Bad Boy is mostly on-brand, capturing a cosmopolitan and sophisticated man, but breaks with the label's slightly traditional perception with a more sexy and aggressive attitude," The O Group's Mr. Bruck said. "This is a good call in terms of reaching a younger male audience and starts to reframe who is the Herrera audience today and into the future."

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