Tova Perfume Marketing Brilliance

Craig Clemens shares the story of one of the greatest marketing headlines in history, created by legendary copywriter Gary Halbert.

"Gary Halbert was contracted by Tova Borgnine, wife of movie star Ernest Borgnine, who wanted to launch a perfume. Gary didn't know anything about perfume but knew a lot about marketing.

While brainstorming, he was walking through a mall and saw a kiosk selling essential oils. He asked which scent was their best seller, and they told him 'China Musk.' Gary asked why no one had put it in a fancy bottle and sold it as a perfume, and they said it was a great idea that no one had done.

He took some China Musk, went to a jeweler, and had it put in a fancy glass and gold bottle shaped like a T. After sitting on it for three months, he called Tova and said, 'I've spent the last three months traveling the world searching for the finest perfume, and after sampling thousands, I've discovered it.'

Tova loved the scent and wanted to launch it at her friend Candy Spelling's boutique on Rodeo Drive. Gary insisted they rent out the entire bottom floor of the Century Plaza Hotel instead. He then took out a full-page ad in the LA Times with this headline: 'Wife of famous movie star swears under oath her new perfume does not contain an illegal sexual stimulant.'

The subhead said she was so confident that she'd give away 10,000 sample bottles at the Century Plaza Hotel. The phones started ringing non-stop. The fire department had to shut down the street to manage the crowds. At the event, Gary had two men in tuxedos bring in a handcuffed briefcase containing 12 sapphires representing the perfume's ingredients, which Tova auctioned for charity.

The next day, all the major department stores called with unsolicited offers. It became the best-selling perfume in the world that year and remained popular for many years after."