Global fragrance developer Elizabeth Arden is breaking new ground in marketing scents to young women. The company recently announced that the successful launch of its Curious fragrance was driven by a mobile-phone marketing campaign featuring personalized phone messages from pop diva Britney Spears.

As part of the campaign, young consumers were prompted via Internet ads to submit their mobile phone numbers to receive a voice message from the 23-year old superstar. During a seven-week period, 27,000 teenagers sent in phone numbers and received one of a series of cell phone messages in which Ms. Spears conversed about product launch dates and her involvement in the creation of the brand.

By all measurements, the cellular calls were an overwhelming success. According to representatives at Elizabeth Arden, recipients of Britney's voice message stayed on the line for an average of 40 seconds during the 45-second call. In addition, the promotion generated massive buzz and excitement, boosting Curious to the top selling position in U.S. department stores over the holiday season. Analysts noted that the launch was the most successful in the last five years in the fragrance category.

Certainly, Elizabeth Arden isn't alone in using celebrities to tout scents. Firms like Christian Dior and Chanel wield the star power of actresses like Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman for their brands, and the Estee Lauder Company even has Donald Trump in on the action with a new scent called, appropriately, "Donald Trump." However, Arden is one of the first businesses to demonstrate the money-making potential of mobile phone marketing. And as long as teens and their cell phones continue to be inseparable, celebrity phone messages may become the preferred way to promote new fragrances.