"We are building strategic alliances"
Direct Marketing V: The Body Shop demonstrates that communication goals can be achieved through integrated DM/PR strategies. Ivan C. Levy, license holder for The Body Shop Switzerland, discusses alternatives to traditional advertising.
Direct Marketing V The Body Shop proves that communication goals can be achieved with holistic DM/PR concepts. Ivan C. Levy, owner of the license rights to The Body Shop Switzerland, on alternatives to traditional advertising. WW Ivan C. Levy, it seems that The Body Shop has an aversion to classic advertising. Ivan C. Levy No, that's not the case. But Body Shop founder Anita Roddick does. She held and holds nothing
from classic advertising.
She didn't and still doesn't understand why people should spend so much money on a simple product.
They sat on the board of The Body Shop for three years and could have changed that...Anita Roddick and her husband were not wrong. It doesn't make much sense for Body Shop to rely on traditional advertising.
Why not? because, unlike Lancôme, for example, we don't have to compete with rival products in department stores or perfumeries. We don't need any product or image campaigns. Our stores, their location and the shop windows are our advertising.
Admittedly, if The Body Shop had advertised as aggressively as Benetton did in the nineties, we would perhaps have 4,000 stores worldwide today instead of 2,000. But the Roddicks wanted
rather invest the money in fair trading and communication. I am of a similar opinion. I don't think The Body Shop's investment in traditional advertising would pay off.
So The Body Shop Switzerland won't be using traditional advertising in the future either?
As long as no agency can guarantee that I can increase my sales by five percent with a classic advertising campaign: yes.
I don't know of any agency that offers such a guarantee... That's the problem: while we, the entrepreneurs, spend huge amounts of money to launch an advertising campaign and take a big risk, the advertising agencies come up with some idea and only risk not getting any follow-up orders from the same company and damaging their reputation a little.
They generate annual sales of over 38 million francs with The Body Shop Switzerland.
Any other cosmetics company would be envious of such figures. What is Body Shop Switzerland's recipe for success?
Our products, the location of the stores and the Group's ideology. However, our communication and DM strategy has also played a major role in our success. I helped develop this strategy when I was on the management board of The Body Shop International from 1996 to 1999. The aim was and is to be as close as possible to our customers. For example, by giving customers advantages with competitions or special offers. To this end, we have founded customer clubs around the world. One of the most successful is the Swiss Club. With over 150000 members, we have one of the most comprehensive customer databases in Switzerland. And we spend a lot on this club: we invest 500,000 francs a year. But it pays off: After all, the response rate is between five and ten percent.
Up to now, it has been limited to cardboard cards with the most important details and information about the store where the customer joined the Customer Club. In the near future, however, we intend to better record and supplement our customer files and build up "strategic alliances" throughout Switzerland, i.e. look for suitable companies to take part in joint campaigns so that our customers can benefit not only from Body Shop but also from other campaigns.
Who would you like to work with? We can well imagine that, thanks to our collaboration with a travel agency, we will be able to offer our customers throughout Switzerland a special offer for health vacations in the future.
Are you planning further campaigns? Yes, among other things we are planning a campaign in September 2004 on the subject of violence at home to draw attention to abuses and shake things up. However, I can't tell you exactly what this campaign will look like at the moment.
Interview:
Roddick's social vein The Body Shop was founded in 1976 by
The Body Shop was founded by Englishwoman Anita Roddick and her husband Gordon. After a crisis in the 1990s, The Body Shop returned to success and is now one of the expanding companies in the cosmetics industry. According to its own statements, the company does not test on animals and is committed to fair working conditions. The Body Shop International does not advertise in newspapers or on TV. There are 2000 stores worldwide. In Switzerland, The Body Shop has 50 stores and employs 3000 people. In 2003, The Body Shop Switzerland is expected to generate sales of over 38 million Swiss francs. The license rights to The Body Shop Switzerland belong to Ivan C. Levy and his wife Sheela. From 1996 to 1999, Levy was a member of the management board of The Body Shop International and was responsible for marketing and retail. Today, he works as a consultant and board member for various retail companies and charitable organizations in England and Asia. (af)
Ivan C. Levy does not want to spend money on traditional advertising because he does not believe in its efficiency.
Annelies Friedli
from classic advertising.
She didn't and still doesn't understand why people should spend so much money on a simple product.
They sat on the board of The Body Shop for three years and could have changed that...Anita Roddick and her husband were not wrong. It doesn't make much sense for Body Shop to rely on traditional advertising.
Why not? because, unlike Lancôme, for example, we don't have to compete with rival products in department stores or perfumeries. We don't need any product or image campaigns. Our stores, their location and the shop windows are our advertising.
Admittedly, if The Body Shop had advertised as aggressively as Benetton did in the nineties, we would perhaps have 4,000 stores worldwide today instead of 2,000. But the Roddicks wanted
rather invest the money in fair trading and communication. I am of a similar opinion. I don't think The Body Shop's investment in traditional advertising would pay off.
So The Body Shop Switzerland won't be using traditional advertising in the future either?
As long as no agency can guarantee that I can increase my sales by five percent with a classic advertising campaign: yes.
I don't know of any agency that offers such a guarantee... That's the problem: while we, the entrepreneurs, spend huge amounts of money to launch an advertising campaign and take a big risk, the advertising agencies come up with some idea and only risk not getting any follow-up orders from the same company and damaging their reputation a little.
They generate annual sales of over 38 million francs with The Body Shop Switzerland.
Any other cosmetics company would be envious of such figures. What is Body Shop Switzerland's recipe for success?
Our products, the location of the stores and the Group's ideology. However, our communication and DM strategy has also played a major role in our success. I helped develop this strategy when I was on the management board of The Body Shop International from 1996 to 1999. The aim was and is to be as close as possible to our customers. For example, by giving customers advantages with competitions or special offers. To this end, we have founded customer clubs around the world. One of the most successful is the Swiss Club. With over 150000 members, we have one of the most comprehensive customer databases in Switzerland. And we spend a lot on this club: we invest 500,000 francs a year. But it pays off: After all, the response rate is between five and ten percent.
Up to now, it has been limited to cardboard cards with the most important details and information about the store where the customer joined the Customer Club. In the near future, however, we intend to better record and supplement our customer files and build up "strategic alliances" throughout Switzerland, i.e. look for suitable companies to take part in joint campaigns so that our customers can benefit not only from Body Shop but also from other campaigns.
Who would you like to work with? We can well imagine that, thanks to our collaboration with a travel agency, we will be able to offer our customers throughout Switzerland a special offer for health vacations in the future.
Are you planning further campaigns? Yes, among other things we are planning a campaign in September 2004 on the subject of violence at home to draw attention to abuses and shake things up. However, I can't tell you exactly what this campaign will look like at the moment.
Interview:
Roddick's social vein The Body Shop was founded in 1976 by
The Body Shop was founded by Englishwoman Anita Roddick and her husband Gordon. After a crisis in the 1990s, The Body Shop returned to success and is now one of the expanding companies in the cosmetics industry. According to its own statements, the company does not test on animals and is committed to fair working conditions. The Body Shop International does not advertise in newspapers or on TV. There are 2000 stores worldwide. In Switzerland, The Body Shop has 50 stores and employs 3000 people. In 2003, The Body Shop Switzerland is expected to generate sales of over 38 million Swiss francs. The license rights to The Body Shop Switzerland belong to Ivan C. Levy and his wife Sheela. From 1996 to 1999, Levy was a member of the management board of The Body Shop International and was responsible for marketing and retail. Today, he works as a consultant and board member for various retail companies and charitable organizations in England and Asia. (af)
Ivan C. Levy does not want to spend money on traditional advertising because he does not believe in its efficiency.
Annelies Friedli
