Sell it like Beckham

If last week I was looking to the academics, this week I’m borrowing from the Beckhams.

As the ‘press release of the day’ below echoes, everyone’s talking about David Beckham’s new docuseries. And ­– in beauty circles and beyond – everyone’s also talking about Victoria Beckham’s new fragrances.

Like their relationship, the two things present a match made in marketing heaven: the Netflix hit explores the personal–as much as professional–life of David, while Victoria’s new scents capture her recollections of times and places – all of which speak to the couple’s romantic journey.

But rather than piggybacking onto David’s documentary promo (despite the premiere photos of the happy couple clearly helping both causes), the PR behind Victoria’s beauty launch has been epic alone. She’s shared never-seen-before pictures and “intimate details” (her words!) of their marriage and family life, while also fronting a campaign as the face of her brand for the first time. She also allowed video interviews inside her atelier (a rarity) and hosted a beauty journalist lunch (who saw pics of the honey jar labelled ‘D Bee’z Sticky Stuff’ via Instagram?). Ahem.

Clearly, this is not your average launch activation. But, then again, Posh Spice is not your average client. So, why is it relevant? We all talk about the value of storytelling, especially in relation to fragrance. Not only because scent is so closely linked to memory, but because it’s one of the most difficult sensations to capture virtually. And, well, Victoria just delivered a masterclass in it. But she’s not the only one. It made me think of Chriselle Lim, the influencer expressing personal narratives through scent with her brand Phlur. By bottling universally shared experiences, her perfumes go viral and are adopted by communities wanting to feel through fragrance. Like VB, she knows that beyond smelling fabulous, perfumes provide emotional connectivity. And, from my point of view, it means audiences are more engaged in the topic than ever.