Paragon ID’s technology connects Paco Rabanne’s new fragrance

Paco Rabanne has recently launched Phantom, a new luxury fragrance for men, presented in a connected bottle - a first in the fragrance industry.



The unique robot shaped bottle is equipped with an embedded NFC tag which provides users with access to the online “Phantom Universe” via their smartphones.     

The first connected perfume bottle 

Paco Rabanne’s original concept was to create a connected, user-friendly, sustainable luxury bottle for a new fragrance. The bottle was developed by three industry leaders who worked closely together, combining their technological expertise to produce an innovative product.



The connected bottle combines the ST25TV02K chip provided by ST Electronics with the inlay supplied by Paragon ID. Both companies worked together with FaiveleyPlastBeauty (VPI) which is a company that is experienced in injection molding, decoration, and assembly.



The three companies worked together to embed a general-purpose NFC-certified type 5 IC chip, to ensure maximum operating volume and range coupled with a custom small antenna into a space-constrained perfume bottle cap. The challenge was also to ensure optimal connectivity despite potential interference from the shiny chrome-metal finish.

- Photo by Paco Rabanne -

The power of an NFC marketing campaign 

NFC technology is a key element of phygital marketing which links online and offline platforms, to create new opportunities for companies to engage with their customers. The benefit of this is that the online content can be reviewed and updated daily, extending the lifespan of offline media such as brochures, labels and flyers etc.



Several international brands have already successfully used NFC in their marketing campaigns, embedding the technology in posters, print ads and labels.



With this new perfume, Paco Rabanne has gone one step further by integrating the technology directly into a re-usable bottle, creating an innovative and green approach to marketing and product development.

Exclusive content and a VIP experience for Phantom’s users 

Tapping the cap of the Phantom’s connected bottle with a NFC-enabled smartphone gives consumers access to interactive games, personalized reading lists, augmented reality and other exclusive online content.



To keep benefitting from the experience in the long term, Paco Rabanne also launched, in parallel, an innovative and easy-to-use refillable bottle which allows users to keep their original Phantom connected bottle and continue to access new content.

Paragon ID – Leading RFID inlay manufacturer 

Paragon ID is the largest manufacturer of RFID (HF, UHF, NFC) inlays in Europe. The company provides NFC-based solutions to many clients in various sectors including pharmaceutical, luxury goods, wine, gaming) for diverse applications including brand protection and marketing.

Aurélien Dif, Paragon ID EMEA Sales Director, says:

 

“We are very pleased to have been involved in this amazing project working closely with the teams at Puig, ST electronics and VPI. It’s great to see luxury brands, such as Paco Rabanne, adopting NFC technology and creating new VIP experiences for their clientele.” 

 

To see the bottle in action, watch this short video: