02.29.08
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Sweet Smelling Bratz
Aussie company parlays US toy franchise into body spray quartet.
By Joanna Cosgrove
Online Editor
Anyone who knows a school aged or pre-teen (or “tween”) girl is probably already familiar with the trendy Bratz doll line. Widely considered to be the “Anti-Barbie,” Bratz dolls embody modern urban girl personas by way of trendy fashions; wide-eyed, full-lipped, colorfully made up faces that convey lots and lots of attitude. Launched in 2001, the dolls became immensely popular but haven’t been without controversy – last year the American Psychological Association expressed concern about the sexuality the dolls allegedly convey. Controversy aside, Melbourne, Australia-based Creative Brands Pty Ltd. recently translated the Bratz phenomenon into four uniquely scented body sprays formulated for girls between the ages of three and ten.
Although the Bratz motion picture, which debuted in US theaters last year, was a flop, Creative Brands is banking on the brand’s flanker fragrances and future product extension opportunities to both capitalize on the toy franchise name and also to extend its own internal product capabilities. “We chose Bratz because it is one of the leading brands in the market place and one of the most popular brands with the tween demographic,” said Maraika van Wessem, public relations manager for Creative Brands. “We heard they were doing nails and since we are experts in sales and marketing of artificial nails in Australia (we also have the licenses to Revlon, Nailene and Fing’rs) we decided that Bratz would be the perfect addition.”
The Bratz Perfume Body Spray range was developed in-house at the company’s Springvale headquarters, in conjunction with Haven Licensing and MGA Entertainment Los Angeles. To formulate the fragrances, Creative Brands tapped into its expertise in the development of body sprays while following style guidelines from Bratz.
“The new range is completely different to any body sprays available in the market currently,” commented David Reid, sales & marketing manager. “We have developed packaging and fragrance that is as distinctive as the Bratz girls themselves.”
While the formulations do not specifically cater to the skin care needs of younger consumers or contain additives like moisturizers or glitter, each fragrance is intense and “fruity sweet” to appeal to the tastes of the girls in the 3 – 10 year old demographic. It is available in four characteristic Bratz fragrance varieties, one to suit each of the personalities of the Bratz girls: Cloe, Sasha, Jade and Yasmin. Each “fun-filled” fragrance is marketed as completely unique so that there is one scent to suit every girl’s individual style and personality traits: Yasmin is billed as an “alternative, outdoorsy and fresh like raspberries” scent; Cloe is “fashionable and classic like passion punch”; Jade is “happy, outdoorsy, summery like vanilla” and Sasha is “stylish, casual, fun like tropical fruit.”
“These fragrances represent a good cross section of the Bratz brand because of the different characters,” said Ms. Van Wessem. “Each fragrance offers something different to the user – they take on the identity of the character they choose. Each character has its own fragrance that is unique to them.”
According to the company, Creative Brands Pty Ltd has experienced “excellent” sales in the teen body spray market with its Evoke and Australis body sprays brands. The Bratz brand is the company’s first entry into the “tween” body spray market. “Very few body sprays are targeted at such an age group,” noted Ms. van Wessem. “Other brands have tried to extend the market to reach an older target market through more romantic and sophisticated product offerings [however] none of these brands have produced a body spray targeted at younger girls who like to play dress ups and mimic Mum or older siblings putting on their deodorants and perfumes.
“The Bratz brand is hugely popular in the toy segment – it was a natural progression into other growth areas such as cosmetics,” she continued. “The fragrances are unique because they are stronger and more intense to appeal to this younger demographic.”
Bratz Perfume Bodysprays are sold at Kohls, Kmart, Target and selected pharmacies for about $4.50.