With their ever-evolving, 360 approach to delivering engaging campaigns, The Publicity Loft are perfectly placed to adapt to the much-changed beauty industry as we find it in 2020…

This month we got chatting to Amy Buckeridge, director and founder of the Dublin based multi-award winning PR agency that specialises in beauty, fashion and lifestyle. She chats about business, how Covid-19 has altered our industry and how we can keep ahead in today’s challenging times. To salon, spa and clinic owners, managers & industry professionals who may be feeling slightly anxious about business right now, there’s some seriously inspirational and positive tips to take away with you today!

Amy discusses what stands out about her company and team ”With us, it’s not about thinking outside the box. We don’t even see the box. We at The Publicity Loft are an intimate but highly effective team of people who eat, sleep and breathe media and live to create engaging and meaningful content for brands and businesses. We are an independently owned, multi-award-winning PR agency, specialising in beauty and lifestyle, alongside our sister digital agency, The Digital Loft.

We’re constantly evolving because we know the importance of being ahead of the game in the media industry. Overdelivering is something we love to do, and we pride ourselves on our full-service communications approach. We’re immensely proud to have loyal, happy clients and to produce innovative, world class campaigns.

We have an unrivalled attention to detail and a passion for keeping standards high. Our aim is to deliver only the smartest PR and digital strategies that result in measurable commercial success for each of our clients whether it is building their brand profile, highlighting their business or re-imagining their social media strategies.

WHAT OUR WORLD LOOKS LIKE NOW

Right now, we are in a rapidly evolving and almost unrecognisable landscape for both business and the beauty industry. We’re obviously acutely aware– as everyone is – about the possibility of levelling up in terms of government Covid-19 guidelines. Further restrictions are looming, just like the virus itself, and as a result, we’re reframing previous goals and plans for the business to adapt to the new reality we’re faced with.

Covid-19 has massively altered the beauty industry from every angle. The way people shop, engage with content creators and engage with brands has changed, and so for us, being ready to shape-shift as quickly as the world we work in has become an invaluable aspect of our business.

WHERE WE’RE GOING

Here’s what we know. We know that these changes we have faced and are facing are a part of the business journey. But we also know that it’s not what happens, it’s how you deal with it.

We know that in 2020 and beyond, brands are rethinking how they tell their stories. We know that consumers are ready to engage in conversations about looking and feeling good in a more wholistic way.

The laser focus beauty once had on looking good has split down the middle: Feeling good is now as important, with body positivity, self-love and selfcare dominating the landscape. Consumer consciousness will create even more demand for brands that authentically join the beauty-meets-wellness movement.

Within the beauty sector selfcare is an area that there is huge growth potential. Concepts around building a safe space, a sanctuary or even just an environment that consumers can control in an out of control world will be key. The industry changes we are anticipating are as exciting as they are potentially daunting, and thankfully we’ve always maintained a certain flexibility. A business that isn’t malleable isn’t feasible, after all.

INDUSTRY CHANGES

Beauty, as we touched on, is no longer solely about how something makes you look, it’s also about how it makes you feel. There is a massive opportunity for growth with this knowledge. With the knowledge that a 360, total wellbeing approach will be sought by consumers, comes the power to position ourselves well, ready to respond with the engaging content and campaigns we are known for.

Some of the bigger industry changes we’re currently preparing for are:

  • ‘Detox’ is taking on a new meaning – previously it was a word associated with fatigue, whereas now removal of toxins and good cleansing is an opportunity
  • Consumers will begin to associate ingestibles as a non-negotiable part of their beauty routine
  • Items that were deemed a luxury in the past will become a perceived necessity when it comes to professional skincare in particular
  • Home care will evolve, but those consumers accustomed to using professional grade products they love at home will continue at pace
  • ‘Inside out’ beauty is set to grow: The supplement industry grew worldwide by more than $123 billion in 2019, with another 8% growth expected in 2020. This trend connects the ideas of wellbeing and defence against disease
  • Consumers now know wellness begins with the immune system;therefore, they are turning to nutrition and supplements – there is opportunity within this sector
  • Changes in need for packaging. The shift to sustainability has been halted due to safety concerns during Covid-19, and a return to sterile, stable products sustainably packaged must be achieved as a matter of priority
  • Good tech will become synonymous with great customer service. The in-store experience has to be cleverly adapted and brought online, with online shopping requiring brands to become more sophisticated
  • Customers still want the guidance they’ve always received from brands, it will just need to be delivered differently, and as part of a virtual community. Community building will be a powerful tool for all Gen Z brands
  • Boosting any online presence and establishing a consumer confidence in your online world will be of huge and immediate benefit

OUR OPPORTUNITIES AND THE FUTURE

We’re always inclined to put as positive a spin on everything as we can. We could find a silver lining in the most unlikely of places. Which is why, as a business, The Publicity Loft is looking at these industry upheavals as a unique and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to move forward in a new and fresh way.

We believe there are certain things businesses can do right now to see this period through and potentially even emerge stronger from it.

It’s a time for planning. Assigning time to things you never had the time to do previously. It’s a time to get your house in order in terms of social media – seeing it as your own ‘news channel’ and having it reflect your brand, your story, your values and what’s happening within your business.

It’s important to acknowledge how your customer and their consumers are feeling right now. People don’t want to feel like they’re getting the hard sell. They want to be involved in the conversation, they’re craving engagement, they’re willing to invest in things that will in the end contribute to their stability and happiness.

Taking a step back and reassessing isn’t a chance business owners get often, but this could be the perfect time. Here are some of the questions we’re asking of ourselves that might help you to ask of your business, too.

  • How can you make your voice be heard in a noisy online space?
  • How can you stand out from your peers and competitors?
  • What are you doing differently?
  • Are you too close to the brand to see the bigger picture?
  • How will you tailor and adapt the services you offer?
  • What is your E-commerce position and how can you build on it?
  • Is it time to re-evaluate the ways you used to work versus how you work now?
  • Is now a good time to up-skill, undergo renovation or re-educate key staff?

For our business, by developing that full 360 approach internally, we know we can offer exceptional all-round service to our clients. By already having focused on the digital arm of our business, The Digital Loft, we have the ability to take on digital specific campaigns in addition to the PR accounts that we would ordinarily work on. The Digital loft was established in 2018 to meet the growing demands of social media development, influencer strategies, design and content creation. It has allowed us adapt to the needs of smaller businesses, whether it’s a social media audit or complete overhaul, whether it’s developing their ecommerce offering and get their retail element online to future proof closures or developing the strategy to engaging with clients to let them know you are there. It may be a brand redesign, looking at a brand bible for the first time that you never had or availing of expert eyes from our inhouse graphic designer or videographer. This has widened our net in terms of the type of focus clients need clients we feel we can confidently take on and deliver our usual high standards for.

We’re choosing to see change as an opportunity, a way to broaden our business horizons and a way to show once again that we are all leaders in our field.

For more information or to book a consultation with the Publicity Loft or Digital Loft Team visit www.publicityloft.com