Customer Says It With Flowers

I'm always impressed by the customer service given by my wife Julia and sister-in-law Wendy in our Winchester shop Your Life Your Style.
They seem to know instinctively when to stand back and when to intervene. They listen, they suggest appropriate products, they enthuse, they never push. Customers love them. They tell them about their lives. They come back.
But yesterday was a first. A customer returned with a posy of flowers for each of them because they'd given her such good service.

Why Good Retailers Make The Best Lovers

The manuals and the agony aunts pretty much all agree that the best lovers are the generous lovers who put their partner first. They listen, they learn and they try to to please them.

It strikes me that it's highly likely therefore that the best retailers make the best lovers. After all, like a good lover, a good retailer puts the customer first, listens to what they want, doesn't push their own agenda, improves their service and products in the light of what they learn about customers' needs, in fact does everything they can to make the customer feel like a king or queen.

Carried over to the bedroom, this mindset cannot fail to please a lover and win his or her heart. Like a loyal customer, the partner is likely to stay faithful and even forgive the occasional lapse into selfishness or peremptory lovemaking.

Of course, we can go too far with comparisons. A good retailer will send a customer to another shop if they're unable to satisfy them. Not many lovemaking manuals would recommend that.

Funny Marketing

I was interested to read in the ClickZ newsletter that the late US comedian Red Skelton used to collect the addresses of members of his audience, then write to them next time he was due in town. A simple but very cost effective tool for selling tickets and building a fan base that most acts fail to exploit to this day.

Stop Press! Small Papers Are Victims Of Big Business

Although I'm heavily involved in running a store these days, I still do quite a bit of PR work. The current crisis in local press is proving a real challenge.
A cornerstone for success in local PR is having good contacts but I'm constantly finding that local papers have closed or excellent journalists have been fired.
The headlines say the problem is a decline in property, cars and jobs advertising, exacerbated by the rise in online advertising. Yet some local papers remain profitable.

The difference is almost always the ownership. The ones in trouble tend to be owned by large conglomerates who bought the papers as commodities, financed the purchases with loans, milked the profits, built up debts that cannot be repaid in these difficult times and don't care if they are depriving a local community of a source of news, debate and jobs.
It is a tragedy for local people. The same thing has happened where big corporations have swallowed up and then closed down local shops, farmers and factories in a process of cost saving.
My hope is that the current recession will sweep away a lot of these huge holding companies who only look at the salaries of their chief exceutives and shareholder profits.
Like my wife and me, all our suppliers have gone back to basics and are building enterprising small companies that are sound and profitable because they are run by people who love the business they are in and care about employees and customers.
We're supporting them with a range of Handmade in Britain special gifts at our online store. We'll be looking for more next week at the Britosh Crafts Trade Fair.

Jade Goody and a PR Landmark

The story of Jade Goody's death was terribly sad. It was also a landmark in the march of PR.

Since ancient times, people have made up stories about the lives of famous people- Roman generals, catholic saints, Renaissance artists- in order to increase their standing and influence. For example, King Alfred the Great allegedly burnt some cakes whilst dreaming of uniting England. Only it wasn’t called PR in hose days. We have gobbled them up because we have an insatiable appetite to know the ‘real’ people behind the achievement.

In the last century, as documented in the book The Fame Formula, Hollywood flacks and others turned making up fame-enhancing stories about people into a fine art. In the second half of the 20th century, the best publicists stopped being employees and became a power in their own right, using their contacts and knowledge of the media to bring fame to whoever paid them. The media thrives on our interest in the real lives of our heroes. PR exploits this, although it now also has to control the media monster it has unleashed.

Still, at this point, people’s fame was based on some product (be it, acting, music or sporting prowess) the sale of which would be helped by the media coverage gained from PR. Occasionally someone would gain fame by being involved in something high profile- they might marry a footballer or appear in a reality TV show- but these were exceptional and their fame didn't last without some inherent talent to back it up.

Not any more. The trouble is, real stars don't want to reveal their ordinary lives, except via the contrived reality of a photoshoot for Hell. This is because either it devalues their mystique or they simply don’t want the intrusion. Some don’t want celebrity at all (check out the number of actors that haven’t supplied a photo to the Internet Movie Data Base.)

Jade Goody fed the public appetite. She perpetuated her fame because she was willing to allow the media into every corner of an ordinary life, including her deathbed. By definition, she was famous for being famous, in that she was famous for nothing else than simply being Jade Goody, an ordinary person that the rest of us could either identify with or mock.

However she was clever enough not to waste the opportunity- she made money for her children and raised awareness of cervical cancer. I admire her for that. Nevertheless, for me, the real story is that PR is now so powerful it can keep someone with no discernible talent on the front pages longer than any celebrity in recent memory.

Small Is Beautiful In A Recession

High street shops in the UK are struggling. Shoppers, worrying about the pound in their pockets, seem to be turning their backs on the throwaway products mass produced in China. By contrast, sales at our independent 'lifestyle' shop in Winchester and on our website yourlifeyourstyle.co.uk are actually increasing.

In a recession, value is what people look for, and that doesn't automatically mean 'cheap'. We concentrate on stocking products that are beautifully designed and made to last. We have found that our customers recognise Britain as a world leader in the quality of its design and craft. They see handmade British products as something of lasting value, something that will make a special gift. We have responded by launching a Made In The UK collection on the website.

It's a joy to see and touch hand crafted wooden flowers by Martin Jones of High Wycombe, fused glass bowls and coasters by Jo Downs of Cornwall, Yorkshire based Rosie Soul’s jewellery, Naturaleigh of Dorset’s organic soaps, fabric door stops and notice boards by Pins And Ribbons from the North East and top London designer Margo Selby’s scarves and clutch bags.

They're all people with an artistic eye and the skill to create lasting beauty with their hands. Just looking at one of their creations is a delight. But when you touch it and feel the care and attention put into it, it's like a personal contact with the maker.

What is also crucially important is that they are part of a new breed of crafts men and women who are serious business people. They want to satisfy a growing market and understand that retail success requires consistency and competitive pricing.

It may not be a bad thing for Britain's high streets to be cleared of some of the dross that people bought when they were encouraged to consume for its own sake. The recession is a real opportunity for retailers and producers who can offer something of quality and value.

A Thing Of Beauty

A thing of beauty is a joy forever. These beautiful wooden flowers by Martin Jones of High Wycombe capture the transient forms of spring flowers and turn them into lasting works of art. Julia and I were so pleased when we found these near the end of a rather disappointing trip to the Birmingham Spring Gift Fair. One of many special gifts from our shop Your Life Your Style.

How To Become Famous

The current media coverage of Jade Goody is a masterpiece in the art of PR. You wouldn't expect the imminent demise of a person, who participated in a reality TV show and was likeable and inadvertently amusing but has little discernible talent, to attract such attention, however sad her story. However she and her PR team have handled her media career brilliantly from the moment she came to national attention and, in effect, have made her famous for being famous, continually renewing the interest.

Mark Borkowski is a PR agent, who specialises in arts and entertainment, has worked out a formula for achieving this kind of celebrity. His book The Fame Formula (Sidgwick & Jackson), explains how modern PR became such a powerful tool by telling the fascinating story of the development of Hollywood publicists or ‘flacks’. It starts with the outrageous stunts of the silent movie era, moves through the sanitising control by studio fixers in the mid-centuryand ends with today’s powerful agents who fence with the devils of the media on behalf of would-be celebrities.

There are some great examples of stunts which were carried out from town to town in the early 20th century by publicists who followed in the large footsteps of P T Barnum. To publicise The Return Of Tarzan, Harry Reichenbach sneaked a tame lion into a hotel room, resulting in a major news story. Its human companion told the newspapers he wanted to be like the Apeman.

Invention on that scale is less common nowadays because it’s more easily exposed as a stunt by mass communication but there is still plenty of scope for stories that use gimmicks to gain attention. I’ve had Cannon and Ball planting a tree to launch Babes In The Wood and soaked the local TV weatherman when Singin’ In The Rain was in town.

The greatest publicity stunt of all time is probably the three year search for someone to play Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind. The saga is retold in detail from the point-of-view of the studio’s publicist Russell Birdwell. We recreate a small scale version every time we get coverage from auditioning children to play The Babes In The Wood.

Although the publicity said it was a chance arrival of Vivien Leigh on the set that led to her getting the part, it seems the decision had already been made. The point is, the story may be fictitious but it tells a truth that people want to believe about the person or event. When I was involved in publicising Snow White, a story about Sneezy being the only dwarf not to get a cold caught the public imagination. It even became the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question.

The Secret Of Lasting Fame

There are a number of heartfelt references in the book to the way even the best publicists are frequently dumped by their employers, something to which I can attest. The trouble is, people believe their own publicity and don’t like to acknowledge that their achievements are not entirely due to their own talent. An example quoted is the disastrous period Tom Cruise went through after he ditched Pat Kingsley. In the rough seas of today’s media, the ship of fame requires a steady hand on the tiller.

The importance of celebrity to today’s media means that ‘superflacks’ like Kingsley are more powerful than journalists. She controls all aspects of her clients’ interfaces with the outside world, even down to telling them to leave a small gap when they cross their legs so the top leg doesn’t look fat.

Whilst acknowledging that nowadays some people like Jade Goody are simply famous for being famous, nevertheless Borkowski insists, “Fame still, on the whole, relies on someone being possessed of an extraordinary talent.” Andy Warhol, whose portraits of famous people are currently on display at the Hayward Gallery, would agree. Despite suggesting everyone could be famous for 15 minutes, he also (less famously) said, “You should always have a product that’s not just you.” In other words, lasting fame should be the result of producing something of worth.

Borkowski rambles and repeats himself a bit and I found the story he tells somewhat disjointed. I suspect it needed more editing. Nevertheless it is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in PR. The formula for fame that the book promises is revealed at the very end. And it really is a mathematical formula. Studying a number of celebrities, Borkowski concluded that any boost to fame lasts 15 months (not Warhol's minutes) after which it needs to be renewed or the celebrity will slip into obscurity. I'm afraid I got lost at F(T)=

A version of this piece appeared in the December edition of Encore magazine

Marketing Sends Environment Down Toilet

The news that 98% of Americans use toilet paper made from new wood rather than the recycled kind is a perfect example of the power of marketing to cause damage, in this case to the environment.

Again and again we have seen corporations use vast advertising budgets to persuade people to buy products they know or should know are damaging - cigarettes, gas guzzling cars, sugar-rich children’s cereals and so on.

How can one of the toilet paper manufacturers to say consumers have the choice, when they spend huge money on marketing brands of soft multi-ply tissue produced from what are called 'virgin fibers'? Consumers can only really make a choice if they are properly informed. What a difference it could make if U.S. toilet paper manufacturers put equal marketing resources into persuading people to help the environment by using recycled paper.

Like consumers, we marketers have a choice. Whether we run our own company or work in a large corporation, we can use their powers of persuasion responsibly or irresponsibly.

Creating Art Out Of Craft Is A Special Gift

To produce great art, an artist needs to understand thoroughly the medium in which they work in order to be able to use it to communicate. The medium could be words, oil paint or a piano- or the mind in the case of conceptual art. It’s not usually cloth or glass.

Craft works are often not seen as great art because they have a practical purpose; but when you come across someone who is so skilled in their craft that they can use it to create emotional responses, I have no doubt it is Art.
We have works from two such artistic craftspeople on sale in our Winchester shop Your Life Your Style and online at yourlifeyourstyle.co.uk.

Jo Downs works in fused glass. Her supreme craftsmanship results in astonishingly rich colours but beyond that, the artistic use of shapes, textures and colour combinations is emotionally engaging, be it a heart within a heart or an abstract impression of a Cornish beach through various seasons.

Likewise Margo Selby produces colourful geometric abstract designs which are converted to three dimensional fabric. This in turn is spun by English mills to provide the fabric for stunning bags, scarves and cushions. Like all great art, the form and the content are one. The results work on an esoteric level way beyond simply being a beautiful accessory.

Like any work of art, they are a joy to possess or to give to someone you care about. Click on this link to get an idea of what these special gifts are like.

Profit Is A By-Product of Customer Satisfaction

More words of wisdom from Simon Caulkin. His response to the recession is 'Quit thinking about cost - give people what they want.' He points out they aren't interested in your costs. They just want your product or service with the minimum of fuss and the maximum of convenience.
Forget productivity, work on quality.
Economies of flow and effort far outweigh dinosaur-like economies of scale.
Learning and improvementonly happen when people control their working lives and are proud of what they do.
Build co-operation. Internal competition is usually a wrecker.
Read the full article.

The Stock Of The New

We’re all excited by something new. Would the New Testament have caught on if it had been called “The Old Testament Part 2- this time it’s peaceful”?

In our shop, we are constantly looking for new lines and new ranges from existing suppliers to keep our regular customers interested. It's fascinating how even the best sellers start to flag after a while, as the Star becomes the Cash Cow and then declines into Dog status on the classic Boston Matrix marketing tool.

So we'll be off to various trade fairs over the next few months in search the next Stars.

The Curse Of Booking Fees

In times of recession, customers look for value. So I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find people balking at paying a booking or processing fee for something they reasonably expected to be part of the price. (You don't pay Sainsbury's an extra fee for putting your can of cat food through the till.)

Even if we pay the fee, our opinion (and therefore our loyalty) of the company goes down.

I’m aware from my own experience that contracts between theatres and producers are often based on a percentage of box office. Naturally theatres and agencies are reluctant to let promoters have a percentage of the 'fee'. Even so, they must find a way to introduce a clause that allows them to deduct a processing fee from the money owed. Companies like airlines and theme parks who own the entire process have no excuse at all.

Is Newspaper Advertising Worth The Paper It's Printed On?

The question in today’s digital world is, how much do you need print?

Is advertising in newspapers anything more than an expensive habit? With readerships are dropping faster than Russell Brand's trousers, the return on investment is increasingly poor. Concentrate instead on competitions, giveaways and PR, which are low cost and have more impact.

Then there are fliers and season brochures. No doubt some customers pick one up and buy a ticket but many are consigned unread to the recycling bin. The one kind of print worth sticking with is the targeted postal mailing. Research suggests that a brochure or letter in people’s hands at home stimulates both phone and online sales.

Print also means posters. These are another questionable use of a limited budget because only a handful of theatre posters obey the two golden rules for this form of advertising- use emotive visuals accompanied by seven words or less. The exception that proves the rule is the current campaign for David Pugh’s production of Calendar Girls- a row of apparently naked women with their naughty bits covered and the tag line ‘All will be revealed on…’

Marketing In A Recession

How are we going to cope with the economic downturn, apart from shopping at Aldi? Whatever you do, don’t cut your marketing budget. My experience of previous recessions is that people stop buying big ticket items like new cars or foreign holidays but continue to cheer themselves up with small luxuries like entertainment. Reducing your marketing will damage sales.

If your boss or funder says you must cut the budget, then you have no choice. In any case, it’s never a bad idea to review your marketing plan to see which tools are working. (If you’re spending money without measuring the results, you must work for a local council or a bank.)

Are Capitalist Managers Secret Soviets?

I always read Simon Caulkin's management column in The Observer. He has stimulating things to say on, for example, the importance of decentralisation and customer focus.
Yesterday he wrote about the attachment by free market managers to Soviet-style central planning. This means they are unable to learn from the outside world. In the course of the article, he recalled a quote GE's former CEO, Jack Welch, which I ratrher liked: With their faces toward the CEO and their arses towards the customer, what would they learn from?

Do Cheap Tickets Build Audiences?

The Sun newspaper recently ran an offer that enabled readers to see Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera House in best seats for £12- something of a bargain since my local arthouse cinema is charging nearly £20 to see it on a screen by live link. This was one of many initiatives over the years by the Hamlyn Trust to encourage the less well off and the unconverted to enjoy ballet and opera- or to put it another way, break down these art forms’ elitist image. This is not dissimilar to the National Theatre’s £10 ticket offers.

I would love to know the level of success because my own experience is that these kind of offers tend to be taken up by existing fans happy to get a cheap ticket or by people willing to spend say £10 but not the normal price. Either way, the audience is not significantly increased.

I don’t doubt that price is an issue for many people considering attending ballet and opera but I don’t think it’s a case of saying, “Try it and then you’ll see it’s worth £50.” If people can afford those prices, the chances are they will give it a try when they’re ready.

Which leaves us with the intractable problem- how do you diversify the audience for the arts? Or to put it another way, how can you justify public subsidies for art forms that are only enjoyed by the well-off middle classes?

My suggestion is a national registration scheme that gives people a discount card if they can prove their income is below a certain level. For many this would simply mean showing that you are in receipt of some kind of benefit or family credit, for others it might mean providing proof of earnings. Then all subsidised art forms should be obliged to make 10% of their seats available at a realistically cheap price (compensated if necessary by raising the full prices) on a first come first served basis to those in possession of a discount card.

The Power Of Music in Retailing

Music goes straight to the emotions. In our shop, we like to make an emotional connection with our customers, so we play music that we know most of them like. We play jazz swing, sixties and modern ballads- melodic songs that are familiar and appealing to the older women who form the bulk of our customers. Recently we've been playing Abba, because of the popularity of Mamma Mia!, and that's gone down well.

Music that's relaxing without being soporific helps customers think this is the shop for them and gets them in the mood for purchasing. The same applies to music-on-hold.

No doubt sounding like the middle-aged fuddy duddy that I am, I'm at a loss as to why some sports shops play very loud, drum'n'bass rap music. They may want to appeal to a niche part of a younger crowd but the alienating effect on everyone else must be huge. I suspect this is the mistake of allowing staff to play their own favourite music. Equally bad is the kind of bland musak that used to be very common in lifts and department stores but fortunately seems to be less fashionable these days.

You still have to be careful in the choice of music. Not long ago, I was standing in an inexorably long line, listening to golden oldies, when The Kinks' So Tired Of Waiting came on. Quite.

The Old Ways Are Sometimes The Best When It Comes To Marketing

A story in the Southampton Daily Echo shows the importance of choosing the right medium for your target audience-even if that medium isn't the latest trend and doesn't come recommended by advertising agencies.
A company planned to spend £10,000 on advertising their marine storage, using an email campaign and all the usual paraphenalia of modern marketing. They also decided to put a postcard in the local post office next to the marina. The result was all £250,000 of space was let for a cost of a mere 50p.

Plus ca change... the old media and new media aren't that different

People often say that the internet has created a new way of doing business and in some respects they're right. But what strikes me are the similarities wtih what has gone before.

It seems to be true that Websites have to please customers whereas earlier media needed to put advertisers first. Then again, subscription only magazines and subsidised or subscriber-based Public Service Broadcasting always put customers first. And when you think about it, many websites won't survive unless they attract the visitors advertisers want to reach.

As someone in the retailing business, I notice how alike a successful website and a successful shop are. Both need to decide which market segment or 'tribe' they're aiming at. For both, customers come first (or they should). Both need to have an attractive window to lure their target in. Both need to lead their visitors around their site with clear signage. Neither can afford to overwhelm their visitors with too much information or too many choices in one go. They both have to be user friendly. Both need to provide a straightforward buying process (if we're talking about an e-shop). The internet is great at one-to-one marketing but this is what the best shops do, with their regular customers at least.

Of course there are important differences. An e-shop can reach niche markets with a 'long tail' of products that even the biggest mail order catalogue could not previously have served. A website needs to make its sale through its copy and images, whereas a bricks'n'mortar store has staff who can help a customer to the product that's right for them. An e-shop has a much better opportunity to get to 'know' its customers by tracking their movements and purchases.

Speed and scale have changed and every medium has its quirks, but I believe that the basics of good marketing are the same whether the channel is old or new.