Dubai: Vijay Samyani cannot get over his obsession with celebrities – and that’s something he is putting to good use when it comes to business. And the way he does that? By bottling it.
Samyani, CEO of Concept Brands Group, is close to introducing a fragrance bearing the singer Billie Eilish’s name and will follow that up with another with Aria Grande, another hot favourite songstress of the Gen-Zs.
“The Eilish fragrance collection should reach the UAE in the first few weeks of 2022, and we are still working on a schedule for the Ariana range,” said Samyani, who uses a mix of online (Brands4U) and offline platforms to reach his intended audience. “Celebrity-backed fragrances and make-up remain some of the hottest selling items out there and it made sense to add to our already established celebrity tie-ins.”
He means the associations with the Bollywood actress Sunny Leone and the American fashion maven Paris Hilton. “The association with Sunny Leone started in 2018 with fragrances and now extended with the cosmetics,” said Samyani. “With celebrities, there is already an in-built follower base they have and who would be willing to buy their branded merchandise.
“That means during the launch phase, we can keep our marketing costs within a certain range. Because the ‘name’ is already so well established.” (The local rights to the Paris Hilton line was bought out by Samyani in 2015.)
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Brand ‘extension’
With Insta posts and social media chatter being the only currency that matters, celebrities are moving quickly to cash in on their names. They could all take some inspiration from Kim Kardashian or her sister Kylie Jenner, who became the world’s youngest ever billionaire – at 21 - through her cosmetics venture. (Doubts have since been raised as to whether there was some inflating on Jenner’s part of her networth.)
Bring to store and online
Whether a celebrity is trending or not, Samyani’s focus remains razor-sharp on the best way to leverage their ‘name’. “In any tie-up for a celebrity brand, we immediately seek a Gulf-wide exclusive arrangement,” he said. “These are stars who have built up huge followings through their social and digital media exposures. What compels a shopper in the UAE to buy a Paris Hilton fragrance applies to someone elsewhere in the Gulf.
“For us as the brand associate for all of these markets, this creates significant opportunities to scale up.”
