Paco Rabanne is celebrating the future with an exhibition at London's Spitalfields. As part of the launch of its Phantom perfume, the experience has been timed to align with the UK emerging from lockdown and consumers beginning to look positively into the future.
Developed with the help of neuroscience and packaged in a silver robot-shaped bottle enabled with an NFC microchip that connects to smartphones, Phantom blends themes of futurism, history, innovation and craftsmanship.
To launch Phantom in the UK, Impero has conceived a futuristic immersive experience in bustling Spitalfields. Inside Paco Rabanne will host "The future of fragrance", a digital exhibition where six digital artists have created works inspired by the fragrance. Exhibits include a cosmic garden and a breathing computer-generated sculpture. The build is by experiential agency Bearded Kitten.
A launch party will take place on 24 September featuring DJ Bossy London. Influencers will be sharing their experience at the exhibition and reviewing the fragrance for their followers. The pop-up will be open to consumers on 25 September.
The global above-the-line for the Phantom launch includes a 30-second film running on digital platforms, as well as disruptive Instagram posts that make the robot appear to jump out of the screen. UK ATL will include a first of its kind in the fragrance category 3D digital out-of-home by Paris based agency The French Accent, at Ocean Outdoor's Piccadilly Lights.
Paco Rabanne has been working with Impero to develop the brand positioning and consumer tribes for its range of fragrances in the UK. Phantom's tribe is identified as the "Future gazers": those who are drawn to brands that celebrate innovation and have a positive attitude for the future.
Celine Gilg, UK managing director, Puig, said: "Phantom was inspired by Paco Rabanne's legacy of futurism. Combining the science of AI with the art of perfumery, Phantom draws on neuroscience to create a powerful emotional response to its scent. It was only fitting that our UK launch also embodied innovation and the spirit of future gazing, and with the power of AR and a return to immersive experiences, 'The future of fragrance' exhibition is expected to deliver a similarly impactful emotional response."
Charlotte Willcocks, head of strategy, Impero, said: "For the first time in 18 months, in a huge cultural reset for the nation, we can finally start to look positively to the future. We wanted to tap into this by not only letting people experience what the future 'could' look and feel like, but also have our artists define and create what that future 'should' look like".