Meet Onika.
Shattering the Conventional Female Rapper Mold, Nicki Minaj emerged as the focal point of her career, unveiling her diverse talent and distinctive style. This influenced modern hip-hop and left a mark on pop culture forever. Her debut album, Pink Friday, hit the charts in 2010, achieving remarkable commercial success with Double Platinum certification and securing the coveted #1 spot on the US Billboards. Nicki Minaj further etched her name in history as the first female artist to command seven simultaneous singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Just to catch yal up to speed on her queen status. After the successful release of her debut album Pink Friday, it was then time to take things to new heights with the next release Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded.
*Strategic Fragrance Marketing enters the chat*
In April 2012, Nicki Minaj inked an exclusive fragrance licensing deal with Give Back Brands LLC. The initiation of this deal, facilitated by Nicki’s management firm, Blueprint Group, marks the inception of her fragrance line.
This comprehensive agreement encompasses the development, marketing, and distribution of fragrances under Nicki Minaj’s brand. The inaugural fragrance was scheduled to make its debut in high-end department stores in the fall of 2012. Noteworthy is Nicki Minaj’s hands-on involvement in every facet of her fragrance brand, ranging from product development to packaging and advertising.
Prior to doing this deal with Nicki, Give Back Brands had previously struck a successful licensing deal with Justin Bieber. The inaugural fragrance from this partnership, Someday by Justin Bieber, launched in June 2011 and swiftly claimed the title of the #1 women’s fragrance launch of the year. It not only achieved this accolade but also shattered historical retail records in the celebrity fragrance category.
So this is very smart for Nicki to be next in line to do a deal like this.
Elizabeth Arden, Inc acquired the global licenses and certain related assets for the Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj fragrance brands from Give Back Brands.
Elizabeth Arden already had pre-existing celebrity fragrance brands including those by Mariah Carey and Britney Spears. They also went and bought licenses for the Ed Hardy, True Religion and BCBGMAXAZRIA fragrance brands.
They were basically were collecting celebrity licensing rights like Thanos and them infinity stones yal.
Nicki would release her first fragrance in September of 2012.
Celebrity licensing deals involve a collaboration between a celebrity and a brand or product manufacturer. These agreements leverage the popularity, image, and influence of the celebrity to enhance the marketability of a product or service. (welp this sounds like another case study for me lol)
Nicki Minaj has released numerous fragrances since September 2012 with Give Back Brands and Elizabeth Arden. Her latest was released in 2023. The Nicki Minaj fragrance collection consists of nine fragrances, including six standard releases and three limited edition or "flanker" releases.
In 2018 Nicki Minaj made a move and signed with the same company behind the Ariana Grande fragrance franchise, LUXE brands
The goal was for Luxe to reinvent her fragrance franchise which currently centers around her signature scent, Pink Friday.
The fragrances were strategically centered around the music and persona, catering perfectly to Nicki Minaj’s devoted fan base known as "The Barbz." What impresses me about Nicki’s decision to delve into the fragrance line is how seamlessly it has boosted her customers’ lifetime values. Customer lifetime value (CLV or CLTV) is a metric that indicates the total revenue a business can reasonably expect from a single customer account throughout the business relationship.
So if you’re reading this far and are like “Is having a fragrance line really that profitable?” YES YAL.
The global perfume market size was valued at USD 50.85 billion in 2022 and is expected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9% from 2023 to 2030. (Remember a good CAGR is above 4.3%!)
If you don’t remember why a good CAGR is important read this. ⬇️
So boom, by Nicki expanding to the luxury fragrance brand marke, she’s strategically expanding the visibility of her brand to consumers that can spend more money.
In 2013, Pink Friday fragrance was nominated for three Fifi Awards and won several other industry awards. Upon its release in select markets, the Give Back Brands backed release saw its sales skyrocket in the last few weeks by way of social media ‘word of mouth’ which was attributed to her three-part E! ‘My Truth‘ special which was used to advertise the scent. The brand said it was on track to make 40 million in the first year.
But notice the key part being “sales spikes by way of social media word of mouth” aka The Barbz—the power behind it all.
So to recap Nicki Minaj spent over a decade building a strong relationship with her fans and the results of investing so much in her fans is what we just witnessed: her fans doing her marketing rollout for her.
The Barbz used AI I to create a fictionalized neon-pink kingdom. Called Gag City, the AI metropolis is inspired by the cover art of Minaj’s latest album Pink Friday 2.
Gag City is a fluorescent paradise dedicated to the art of gaggery. The term “to gag” has its roots in the LGBTQ+ community and comes from the idea of being so blown away that you’re “gagged.” In Gag City, Minaj’s fans can share their excitement for the new album- MOISES MENDEZ II, for Times Magazine.
I’m just going to let you guys see the depth of their creativity for yourself:
The takeaway of this is that while the world is trying to avoid AI, The Barbz not only embraced it but used it strategically to promote Nicki’s new album. And if you refer back to Minaj’s fashion choices throughout the years down to the fragrance bottles that are fashioned after herself, the #gagcity campaign is completely on brand.
Discover your standout product and consider developing complementary add-ons, drawing inspiration from Nicki Minaj’s strategy of pairing album sales with a custom fragrance.
Concentrate on cultivating a fan base of 1,000 devoted supporters—your "true fans." Just as Nicki experienced exponential growth, your loyal following might expand into the millions.
Maintain unwavering consistency in your branding, enabling your true fans to effortlessly produce content that resonates seamlessly with your brand.
Regularly reassess partnerships, and if a collaboration no longer aligns with your goals, be ready to move on. Prioritize relationships that continue to serve your brand’s evolution.
See you in the next case study!
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Climb Your Mountain, Reach Your Ocean.⛰️ 🌊
-Méndez
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