Truth or Dare by Madonna: Difference between revisions

Truth or Dare
File:Madonna-Truth or Dare-Perfume.jpg
Fragrance by Madonna
Released	April 2012
Label	Coty, Inc.
Tagline	Truth: Duality. Sin is my twin. Contradictions push and pull. Dare: To expose what lies beneath. Infinite possibility. In this tension, we find our true selves.

Truth or Dare is a perfume by American recording artist Madonna, to be released in the United States on April 2012 exclusively to Macy's departmental stores and globally in May. The lauch of the scent was preceded by the press release of Madonna's own global lifestyle brand called Truth or Dare by Madonna, a joint venture between MG Icon—the joint venture between the Iconix Brand Group Inc., Madonna and her manager Guy Oseary. The brand targets women in the demographic age range of 27–50 and would launch a variety of apparel. The first among them was the perfume, Truth or Dare, which will be released under Coty, Inc.

Madonna's main inspiration behing the perfume was her mother, whose characteristic smell had always been cherished by the singer. In order to create a contemporary version of her mother's fragrance, Madonna collaborated with perfume maker Stephen Nilsen. In order to promote the release, Madonna will be featured in a global print, television, and online marketing campaign produced in collaboration with Fabien Baron, whom she had previously worked on her renowned 1992 pictorial book on sexuality, Sex. To deliver the perfume to beauty editors, Madonna enlisted two handsome male models for the job. This was followed by the first advertisement for the fragrance, showing an image of the singer from her 2010 photoshoot with Interview magazine.

Background

In November 2011, American recording artist Madonna announced plans of launching her own global lifestyle brand, called Truth or Dare by Madonna; it was her second lifestyle brand following Material Girl with her daughter Lourdes. The architect of the brand is MG Icon—the joint venture between the Iconix Brand Group Inc., Madonna and her manager Guy Oseary. Neil Cole, chief executive officer of Iconix Brand Group, stated, "The interest and excitement globally for brands developed by Madonna are significant. After the highly successful launch of the junior brand Material Girl, we knew there would be a tremendous demand for a brand that Madonna herself is the face of and that truly captures her essence." The brand would be initally launched with footwear, handbags, intimates, accessories and fragrance and will be aimed at buyers who are close to the singer's own age. Since her Material Girl clothing was aimed at teens, Madonna wanted to target a more age-appropriate sector of the population, with her own line of clothes and other items. Truth or Dare by Madonna is aimed towards women of the age range 27–50, and the brand was created to popularize the concept of a powerful icon and feminine beauty. In an interview with Women's Wear Daily, Madonna stated her inspiration behind the name, Truth or Dare:

Over the past several years, I have been approached countless times to create my own brand. The timing is right and I have found great partners in Iconix, who can help translate my vision to reality. I have always been obsessed by fragrance and for years wanted to create something personal that was an expression of me but that other people could relate to as well. Something honest, and yet daring, hence the name Truth or Dare.

"Madonna is a globally recognized music and style pioneer. The debut of her first fragrance is a dynamic platform to launch her lifestyle brand, Truth or Dare by Madonna," commented Neil Cole, CEO, Iconix Brand Group. "Coty is a respected leader in the prestige fragrance industry. Their expertise coupled with Madonna's iconic status is a powerful partnership."

Development

Cole later added that the first plans for the venture included launch of fragrance and accessories in 2012. Women's Wear Daily had reported in September 2011 that fragrance manufacturing company Coty, Inc. was in talk with Madonan for a possible fragrance deal. A press release from the company confirmed the deal and said that the first fragrance for the brand, titled Truth or Dare, will be released exclusively at Macy's in April 2012 in the United States, with global distribution beginning in May. The agreement with Coty marked the first time that Madonna was releasing a perfume. Truth or Dare was confirmed as a signature floral fragrance. Its blend consisted of narcotic florals, balanced with smells of wood and vanilla. The bottle was described in the release as "playing the Truth or Dare duality – a classic and sophisticated shape, with modern and edgy detailing."

Madonna's inspiration behind the perfume came from her late mother, and how she used to smell. She explained: "My oldest memory of my mother is her perfume. I carry it with me everywhere. She always smelled like Gardenias and Tuberose. An intoxicating mixture. Feminine and mysterious." To create the particular smell that she had in mind, Madonna collaborated with Stephen Nilsen, who had previously created fragrances for designers like Donna Karan, Tommy Hilfiger and Tom Ford. The result was a modern and fresh interpretation of her mother's perfume whose top note consisted of gardenia and tuberose, the middle note consisting of jasmine, and the base consisting of vanilla and musk.

Release

Bernd Beetz, CEO of Coty, Inc said that to promote the brand and the perfume, Madonna will be featured in a global print, television, and online marketing campaign produced in collaboration with Fabien Baron, editorial director of Interview magazine, with whom she had previously worked on her renowned 1992 pictorial book on sexuality, Sex. The scent was confirmed to be available in various EDP prices – 75ml ($68, 50ml ($55), 30ml ($39), Body Lotion ($28), and Shower Gel ($24). French Vogue photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott shot her print campaign. The promotional items accompanying the perfume consisted of bracelets, earrings, lingerie and a special Dom Perignon champagne bottle with custom made packaging. Also present were a vase of yellow waterlillies, a gold box, a blindfold designed by French artist Kiki de Montparnasse, and a tiny vial of the scent.

To deliver the perfume to beauty editors for review, Madonna hired two handsome male models, with one dressed in white and the other in black. She had the model dressed in white holding tuberose and gardenia in his hand, thus symbolizing her mother, while the one in black held the white-colored perfume bottle. Gregory DelliCarpini Jr. from Billboard commented that "Madonna is fully aware that yes, sex sells. What better way to pep up a dull day?" In December 2011, the first advertisement for the perfume was revealed. The ad featured Madonna topless, and looking towards the camera with the Truth or Dare perfume bottle in front. The image was constructed from recycled images taken from the singer's 2010 interview with Interview magazine, shot by Alas and Piggott. Jessica Vince from Grazia magazine complimented the ad, saying that they were "loving Madonna's recycle chic and can't blame her when she looks this foxtastic. [She] is looking every inch the Hollywood glamazon, topless except for striking lipstick and her trademark crucifix, plus a mass of blonde waves. And no, you haven’t had one too many glasses of mulled wine – that is indeed herself she’s cosying up to." Conversely, Jessica Misener from The Huffington Post found the whole advertisement as "ridiculous".

External links

• "Madonna And MG Icon Announce The Launch Of Truth Or Dare". Madonna.com. 2011-11-03. Retrieved 2011-12-24.
• Whitworth, Melissa (2011-12-02). "Madonna has her new perfume hand-delivered by male models". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-12-23.