A Wren Says

Almost 30 years ago now in 1993, Yves Saint Laurent released a fragrance, Champagne. It was meant to evoke the spirit of a bubbly woman. It was a fruity chypre, with notes of nectarine, anise, mint, and rose, and more.  It quickly became a top seller in Europe. They embarked on a $3 million advertising campaign in the U.S. and secured and an exclusive deal with Saks Fifth Avenue. And the challenges, all due to that effervescent name. Quickly, the Comité interprofessionnel du vin de Champagne (The association of Champagne producers) battled them in every court the item would be sold to block them from using the name. Eventually, the name was changed to Yvresse.

What I thought I was going to write about was the history of the fragrance, the notes, and potentially what happened to it. Instead, I am much more interested in the power of names.

What is in a name? Well, if you trademark it, then legal rights.

If you are not aware, Champagne is a very protected name. It refers to a very specific region of France, a specific breed of grapes, and the beverage produced with those grapes in that region. There is sparkling wine and then there is Champagne. If you are not a part of that group, you cannot use that name. And they will find you and they will fight. Which is exactly what YSL experienced, and apparently Apple when they tried to call a phone color champagne.

This can seem petty. The champagne growers in France filed suit on trademark infringement, claiming that by allowing the name to be used it would cause damage to their reputation. Why on earth would it matter if they call fragrance or a phone champagne? Well maybe it doesn’t matter at all. But it is important that a brand/organization actively monitors any possible infringements on their trademark. It is up to them to protect their trademark and keep it strong.

Personally, I found this interesting because it opens up another side of marketing and business that I hadn’t really been thinking about too much. I think it brings in the idea that words matter. How you refer to a product or an idea, or how you let others, begins to shape perceptions over time. Tightly controlling the use of words can help a brand maintain, to the best of their ability, their perception.

That is all I have for today, just a quick dive in to this little topic. But, please, tell me what you think.