A spa day – but not as you know it

Spas and beauty salons were the hot topic this week at Target, not just because the team is planning its next pampering treat, but as a result of a visit to Spa Life, one of the UK’s leading industry events.

A first for Target, this conference was certainly an insightful introduction into the world of wellness. Alongside a range of exhibitors from skincare to cosmetics and nail art to aesthetic devices, ran a series of talks and workshops. 

So what did we learn? Oriel Frank, Director of Marketing at Elemis, confirmed our suspicions about the booming market for prestige skincare products (not just based on our own buying habits here at Target), while, perhaps surprisingly, sales of ‘cheaper’ anti-ageing products (under £30) have declined.  Our ageing population is driving demand, and so too are our skin-savvy teenagers, while men – 88% of them – are apparently embracing their feminine sides by following suit with skincare regimes.

So what’s driving people to buy?  We were heartened by the credit, from a number of the speakers, to good PR – using both traditional, but more increasingly online channels.  The value of recommendation was highlighted by Lopo Champalimaud, Managing Director of Wahanda, who referenced research which showed that 70% of consumers trust an online review, while only 5% trust an advert.  Clearly blogger activity and social media are having a dramatic influence on driving purchasing habits.  

All in all it’s refreshing to see an industry that is bucking the economic trend, embracing new communication channels and challenging innovation. And of course it’s great that it’s all about making you feel and look good too.

Sam Kandiyali

Director

A picture is worth a thousand words

The UK Picture Editors’ Guild Awards were announced this week (my personal favourite is Anthony Chapel-Ross’s shot of a returning father being reunited with his son) and it got me thinking about the importance of photography in PR.

It’s something we place great emphasis on and is a fundamental aspect to much of the work we do. As PR’s we pride ourselves on being accomplished wordsmiths yet we can’t underestimate the impact a striking image can have alongside carefully crafted copy, to help tell the story.

I don’t think it’s over stating it to say that a photo can make or break a story, and it’s critical within our role to ensure we either brief photographers correctly or sell the photo opportunity in the right way to entice photographers to turn up. 

A campaign that we worked on for Westonbirt Arboretum required both these skills and the final photo (see above) really encapsulated the message we were trying to convey. Hoping to encourage visitors to come and see the Spring flowers, we asked fashion students to design a dress using the flowers and foliage from the Arboretum itself. The winning submission was created on site and worn by a model to create a stunning photo that was used extensively on a national and regional level, as well as online.  

There have been many iconic photos which stick strong in the mind – Princess Diana sat alone with her back the Taj Mahal just before her marriage to Prince Charles broke down or the two African American athletes raising their fists in solidarity at the 1968 Olympic Games. While the two are certainly very different, they ultimately tell the story perhaps even better than words ever could.  

Bethan Simkins

Account Director 

Finance: It’s not like it used to be!

I was reminiscing with a client recently about how different it used to be trying to raise finance from the bank, prior to the credit crunch.

Just over ten years ago our business moved office and had a lot of expenditure upgrading the premises, which put a strain on our cashflow. To help tide us over a quick email to our relationship manager outlining the financial projections of the move and the impact on our cashflow forecast moving forward, followed by a lunch, was all that it took to secure a 12-month loan, at a very reasonable interest rate and low arrangement fee.

The next day the paperwork was signed without any need for endless security, and by the end of the week the money was in the bank. I can always remember the manager’s words at the end of lunch. “Colin, you won’t let me down will you?”  Well no, I didn't let him down, and the loan was paid off in full over the 12 months as forecast.

How things have changed since the credit crunch! I know that banks are constantly saying they are open for business, but I cannot imagine a loan being granted at such short notice these days on the same terms.

One thing that still remains constant though, is the need for robust forecasts, both profit & loss and cashflow, that allow business owners to plan for the future.

These forecasts are vital if a business is looking to invest in new products or services, and if a bank is going to grant a loan they will want to ‘stress test’ a company to ensure that it can afford the repayments, as well as having necessary security in place.

Having a Finance Director within your business, whether full- or part-time, who is adept at putting these forecasts together, will help your company to gain considerable credibility with the banks and help secure funding. I believe this so strongly that I now work part-time with small businesses as an Associate at South West FD (SWFD), in addition to my long-standing role as Chairman and Finance Director within my own business, Target PR.

As the UK hopefully continues to recover there is likely to be more borrowing requirement to boost the economy. So let me unashamedly plug SWFD, which has a number of Associates who can give businesses financial credibility by putting in place budgets, forecasts and cashflow statements that will ensure you will be in the perfect position to approach either a bank, or external investor, to raise funds and move your business forward.

Colin Spencer

Chairman