The power of celebrity

One of our stylists Michelle Louise Sultan from Hype Coiffure does the hair for Strictly Come Dancing 2007 Winner Alesha Dixon, therefore magazines are always keen to hear the styling secrets she uses to keep Alesha’s hair looking great. This results in numerous editorial opportunities.

Likewise when it was revealed that A-lister Jennifer Garner was a fan of one of our client’s products, the consumer magazines were keen to have it gracing their pages

Choose wisely
When considering celebrity endorsement, it’s important to choose wisely. Think of your target audience and what your salon stands for. There’s little point in asking a celebrity to endorse your colour specialist salon, who’s never dyed their hair or asking The Mayor to attend your grand opening when your target audience is aged 18 to 25.  It’s important to find a good fit.

For example, when Miss England 2007/2008 Georgia Horsley opened a new spa in York for a launch party we promoted this year, it resulted in a flurry of features in the local newspapers, magazines, radio stations as well as the trade and consumer press. The endorsement was the perfect match because she was a local beauty queen enjoying worldwide success therefore the message conveyed by her association was that if you visit Salon X, their team of experts will beautify you too. Subconsciously they hope that that bit of that ‘celebrity’ will rub off on them.

Seek Permission
It’s always ideal to check that the celebrity is happy for you to mention that they visit your salon or use your products, otherwise it could jeopardise your reputation. We represent a New York dermatologist who counts a number of A-list Hollywood stars, as patients. However, due to confidentiality we can’t mention the names of the celebs he treats, as that would breach his agreement. Although promoting his client list to the press would instantly guarantee us endless editorial, we recognise that maintaining the trust and relationship he has built up over a number of years with his patients is paramount and worth much more in the long run.

The Downsides
The downside of celebrity endorsement is that you can’t control their reputation or private lives. If there’s a strong affiliation between them and your salon and they become surrounded by controversy, that negativity could rub off on your brand. Imagine you were a US salon based promoting the fact that you’d just given Britney Spears a beautiful new haircut, then opened up the papers the next day to find she’d stopped off at a salon and shaved all of her hair off? Her state of mind is something you can’t control but it may then affect your image. Then of course there’s the stories of Fern Britton promoting healthy eating as a way to lose weight and then the newspapers revealing that she’d had a gastric band. Now these are celebrity endorsements on a large scale, but nevertheless these are scenarios to bear in mind.

Use It Or Lose It!
If a celeb is happy for you to mention them or endorse your brand/salon, then put it to good use. The right celebrity will attract clients, but only if you make them aware of the association. Mount a campaign or ask a good PR to implement one for you. If this is done well, your salon could become a ‘celebrity’ itself and become a brand that clients will be itching to buy into.

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