For 40 years, L'Oreal-owned haircare specialist Redken has been at the forefront of developing products for the hairdressing industry. As you would expect from a brand that positions itself as 'fashion, inspiration and energy', it places huge importance on events. They are inspirational and innovative, providing the sector with examples of how the products can be used in the workplace.
Neatly split into four sections - business, education, awareness and inspiration - Redken's event strategy is designed to cater for all of its clients' needs. "You really live the brand at an event, it's all-encompassing and a great way to enthuse the audience," says Redken events and trade marketing manager Lucy D'Onofrio.
The company has long used events as part of its marketing strategy, which now boasts an annual budget of 拢750,000. "Redken is all about connecting with an audience and getting them involved and what better way to do this than through an event," explains D'Onofrio. "It has taken a few years to get to where we are now but we have a strong events strategy that works."
Business
During the early part of the year, the business side of the brand's event programme comes into play with the Redken Symposium/Business Trip, a key event aimed at developing both salon managers and key staff managers.
Every other year, Redken US organises the Redken Symposium, which takes part in Las Vegas and involves 12,000 hairdressers coming together for two days of intensive seminars that ends with a party. As part of this event, D'Onofrio is responsible for taking 100 hairdressers from the UK and adding a specific UK forum onto the Las Vegas event.
"During the in-between years we organise a UK-specific business trip," adds D'Onofrio. This year, 100 hairdressers will be heading to Iceland where a number of guest speakers will be covering subjects including shopability and maximising the customer experience. "The past two years have been sold out and a huge success," says D'Onofrio. "Our marketing strategy is always carried through in the business message on the symposium."
Education
Between March and May each year, the brand runs a number of Redken Artistic Parties (RAP events), which feature the Urban Talent Competition. "This year we will be running four RAPs around the country in Birmingham, Manchester, Ascot and Dublin," says D'Onofrio. "The focus of these events is education and developing talent."
The event involves salons entering the competition, using moodboards and showcasing a look they have created with the brand's established and new hair-styling products. As an incentive, entrants are offered prizes including a photoshoot, trip abroad and the chance to shadow a top Redken stylist. "Average attendance is 350 guests per venue, and the audience pays to come along," says D'Onofrio.
Each year, this type of event plays a bigger part in Redken's strategy, which aims to create an ideal fit for its audience. "Our target market is a very visual, inspired group who always long for something new, creative and exciting," explains D'Onofrio. "We have various types of event because each one has a different benefit and end in mind, with regards to the audience and the message we want to get across."
Awareness
Another important aspect of the brand's strategy is its Awareness Project, which sees Redken exhibit to 48,000 visitors from its industry at the Salon International show at Excel London. In 2007, the brand employed agency Sticki Events to create its stand at the exhibition. Sticki's objectives were to reintroduce Redken into a show at which it had not exhibited for quite a few years.
"We were asked to come up with a design inside a set space that Redken had reserved. It needed to include the brand visuals, seating, a bar and key messages," says Sticki Events managing director Wren Solares. One of these ideas included an interactive concept to draw guests to the stand and make it different from the other brands at the show. "Three models were placed in clear boxes within the stage set and highlighted key messages for the brand," adds Solares.
In keeping with Redken's style of doing something different, the brand sponsored the only bar on the floor and built in a lounge with touchscreen computers for visitors to navigate through Redken footage. To entertain visitors further, the stand featured a choreographed three-minute catwalk show every 30 minutes.
Solares reveals that Sticki monitored the number of guests on the stand, as well as comments about the overall look, design and entertainment. From the client point of view, every event has to be measured. "Most are part-funded by the receipts we receive, so with regard to the budget, targets need to be met," says D'Onofrio. "However, the key thing is also to get attendance and participation as it means we are spreading the Redken word and reaching more and more people."
Inspiration
An annual event, known as Tribe, provides a showcase for Redken's clients to familiarise themselves with the brand's new products through various activities that encompass its philosophy of 'fashion, inspiration and energy'.
To help produce Tribe 07, which took place at Battersea Evolution in October, agency Sticki Events joined forces with creative solutions expert You Know to provide an industry party for 1,200 guests. They included internal representatives of the Redken brand as a 'thank you' for their work. The event was also a showcase for hair stylists at the top end of the industry.
"The brief was to create something different for clients who have already converted to the brand, but who at the same time wanted to see the possibilities of the new products," says You Know managing director Alex Noyer.
The entire event is made up of a host of fashion shows and one big party, with every salon having a take on how Redken's products can best be used. "It provides all of the clients with a platform on which to show off. It is almost an American-style motivation concept showing how Redken's products are evolving and how they can be related to fashion, which is part of the brand's ethos," adds Noyer. "This type of marketing strategy is ideal for this type of client. A leaflet or other printed material would not have the same effect. Salons and their hairdressers have plenty of charisma and need something innovative and interactive."
With the aforementioned events set to take on an even bigger role in Redken's marketing strategy for 2008, D'Onofrio believes that there will be an even bigger expectation to put on an event that is new, original and with never-been-done-before elements to it. "You not only have to meet expectations, you have to go beyond and exceed them in a big way," she says.