Breathing in the smell of success

What is the common factor behind seasoned upholstery in a 1955 Porshe Spyder, St Andrews golf course and a freshly ironed newspaper? Prestige and success. The very images that Visa sought to associate its Visa Platinum with. Launched in Asia last year on an invitation-only basis, the Visa Platinum was aimed at individuals with a minimum annual income of US$100,000. Since the product would only interest Asia's most affluent consumers, the aim was to reach out to them in a way that would appeal to them, while using the core media they consume, according to Visa's media agency, Zenith Media. The communication strategy was designed to say, "This product is only for a select few." To reach this select few, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore devised a creative strategy that zeroed in on the target audience's knowledge and appreciation of the very best things in life. The agency gave a new twist to the technology behind the scented strip of cosmetics and fragrance advertisements, which have become a common feature in consumer magazines. Much in the same way that the fragrance-laced strips allowed readers to "sample" the product being advertised in a bid to prompt purchase, Visa's "open and sniff" strip concept featured the scent of success and prestige - seasoned leather upholstery in a Porshe Spyder, freshly-ironed newspapers and the smell of freshly-cut grass from St Andrews golf course in Scotland. With these scents, the campaign brought to life the hallmarks of prestige, which the target audience could identify with. Complementing the creative brainwave, Zenith chose regional print media for the campaign, describing the choice as a "natural fit" for the Visa Platinum since the majority of readers were in the top 10 per cent of Asia's income bracket. "As there are so many messages in regional media targeted to Asian affluents, we needed to impact them in a unique and innovative way to reinforce the creative message, to ensure the message was not lost. "It was not enough to just run a simple advert. As Visa Platinum is 'the ultimate', we needed a more expensive, more intelligent media approach." As it turned out, the strategy of using and updating a traditional media idea of fragrance-laced strips turned out to be a breakthrough concept. Far fewer media inserts were needed to generate awareness, making it a very cost efficient campaign, according to Zenith. - This ongoing National Geographic Showcase series features selected material from winners and other entries in the Best Use of Media category in MEDIA's Agency of the Year Awards 1999.

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