< back The home fragrance market in the US has, according to a recent Mintel report, grown 30% between 1999 and 2004. Similar growth is also expected on this side of the Atlantic, with turnover for the sector already exceeding £100m. One business that seems well prepared to capitalise on this sector growth is home fragrance company Senti. In fact, one could say that of all the smells that come from Senti, success is the sweetest! Senti discovered artisan perfumer, Dr Paolo Vranjes, in Florence last year and now has the exclusive rights to import and distribute his unique products within the UK. Dr Vranjes has pioneered a new method of making our homes and businesses smell better using dried reeds as porous sticks which, when placed in special perfume bottles, draw up the fragrance and transmit it more evenly than other methods. If you have scented candles at home, then here is a method of creating more powerful or subtle aromas, as you prefer, without the fire risk. Like many start up businesses, Senti had marketing ideas galore… but not the cash to match. The initial stock investment and negotiating distribution via specialist retailers in the UK far exceeded the original forecast in both time and money. The company was faced with a common business dilemma: a great product, but limited distribution and no awareness or exposure within the marketplace. Oh, and of course, there was also the small matter of dwindling funds in the ‘pot’! The solution was PR. Now, in my experience, many ‘Real Businesses’ have a healthy mistrust of PR. This isn’t perhaps surprising as there are more stories of PR rip-offs than any other marketing medium. Of course the ‘Ab Fab’ image doesn’t exactly help either. But PR, properly managed, does work extremely well as Senti and others can testify. Senti recognised that whilst they didn’t have a lot of money, they did have loads of home fragrances and sticks. So, their very simple solution was to send their products to many of the leading fashion and style magazine editors, inviting them to try it for themselves, with no catch. The response was immediate. Within days the Senti team were being interviewed by just about every glossy on the women’s shelf and the subsequent articles generated such a demand that the entire first two deliveries from Florence were sold out before arrival. The other benefit of all the exposure was the interest from top retailers who approached Senti direct – leading to orders from some of the most prestigious outlets in the UK. You can generate highly effective PR if you follow some very simple rules. Firstly, you need to know who your target audience are and what they read, watch, view and listen to. Having identified the media, you then need to think about what will interest them to highlight your product and service. Here’s a big tip: look at the other kinds of products and ‘brand images’ they like to buy, then find a way of portraying your business in a similar way. Lastly, you need to be innovative when approaching the media - and that means doing something that will attract the attention of the overworked and deadline-driven editorial team. Sometimes it’s no more complicated than making life easy: “here’s a great product that your readers will really like and here’s all the information you need clearly and concisely written down”. Not rocket science, but very effective. The trouble with most companies’ PR (and many PR companies for that matter) is that the desired result has not been clearly identified. Quantity of press coverage becomes more important than quality or relevance. Indeed the ‘thud factor’ of the month’s press clippings as they hit the desk is more highly valued by many marketing managers than what has actually been written. And it’s this focus on volume, rather than effectiveness, that causes the cynicism which surrounds PR. With this in mind, it’s perhaps not surprising that many CEOs end up asking, “Does PR really work?” The answer of course is yes. Take Microsoft for example: their Group Vice President (Marketing), Kevin Johnson, is on record as stating, “If I was down to the last dollar of my marketing budget I’d spend it on PR”. And there’s a company that nose its market – (sorry). Peter Knight is chairman of Phoenix. His best-selling book, ‘HEMP: The Highly Effective Marketing Plan’ is available in 11 languages, including plain English. If you’re a real business and you’ve come up with a stunning marketing plan, or you want help, Peter would love to hear from you. Contact pk@phoenixplc.com |