Launched
in 1999, J’adore’s crowning moment arrived in 2011 when it replaced No.5 as the
top-selling female fragrance in France. Since then, its star may have dimmed a
bit, being partially eclipsed by Lancôme’s La Vie est Belle (2012), but J’adore
remains Dior’s highest selling perfume and was 2014’s second best selling
perfume overall. As such, it is unsurprising that the LVMH owned brand should
continue to invest heavily in its promotion.
The above
advert’s most salient symbol is gold: there’s gold writing, a gold flacon and a
gold model set against a gold background. It’s right there in the name, too:
J’adore, ‘(d’)or’ being French for
gold(en). A cursory reading of the text then, suggests it aims to communicate a
message of conspicuous luxury. In our blinged-out, rhinestone-encrusted age
however, Dior knows it needs to go beyond gaudy appeals to aspirationalism to
retain its market share:
By
illuminating the letter ‘o’, a matrimonial symbol viz. a gold ring is brought into
direct contact with the concept of love as expressed by the perfume’s name (‘I
love’, in English).
Viewed
another way, the ‘o’ is suggestive of a halo which, combined with reference to
marriage (historically a sacred institution) creates a religious subtext with a
devotional imperative. These messages are reinforced through a strong continuity
of image that has seen ‘screen goddess’ Charlize Theron hang on as the face of
J’adore for over a decade.
In
terms of its marketing strategy then, it would appear that rather than attempting
to woo new consumers away from caremellic gourmands, Dior is instead looking to encourage loyalty amongst
J’adore’s existing customer base by evoking traditional themes of fidelity.
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