Byredo is a Swedish brand of sophisticated and refined perfumes, created in 2006 by Ben Gorham, who started his business from a small shop in Stockholm and has rapidly extended his distribution network to 300 stores in 65 countries. Behind the unique fragrances by Byredo, made through “the composition of the highest quality raw materials”, is the idea that the product itself should tell the consumer a story.
For its 10th anniversary Byredo launched a limited-edition nameless fragrance officially called Unnamed. Designed with a blank white label and provided with a personalization kit (press-on letters and an application tool), the concept of the perfume is to allow consumers to interpret their olfactory experience, give it a name and write their own story.
The idea behind Byredo launching Unnamed is not completely new: it follows the path initiated by the perfume (untitled) (2010) by Maison Martin Margiela and Mon Exclusif (2015) by Guerlain (which also provided metallic letters for customising the flacon - see link).
Indeed, these fragrances meet the current trend of personalisation and the consumer’s desire to have a role and a place within the identity of a brand, as demonstrated by recent advertising campaigns of some larger brands, for example, Coca-Cola, with its campaign “Share a Coke”.
That said, Byredo’s choice is surely the best way to customise a brand without incurring any risk of dilution of the trade mark and the danger that the consumer may claim certain rights in the “new” name of the product, as may happen in cases where consumers can literally play with the trade mark of a product (see, for example, one of the advertising campaigns for Perrier). The creation of the name of the perfume in this case remains private, as it is not shared with Byredo or with other consumers through a marketing campaign or social media.
The question is whether it is just a commercial gimmick or a further demonstration of the distinctive power of a trade mark, which can be modified without losing its identity. I would opt for the second.
Nicoletta Galizia is a member of the IP Emerging Issues Team and an Associate at Studio Legale Jacobacci & Associati, Turin
Issue 077
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