Group MD Brett Tucker describes it as a natural fit and extension to the company's expanding range of innovative media platforms. He explains that the strength of the medium stems from the close relationship between consumers and their hairstylists. "People trust their hair stylists, probably in the same manner as they trust their doctors. The hairstylist can also be particularly beneficial to an advertiser as a brand advocate within a salon using word of mouth."
On average, people spend up to three hours in salons. While there, these consumers could be considered a captive audience in a similar manner to people sitting in a movie theatre. The new ambient media gives brands face time with these image conscious consumers, who have disposable income to spend.
In addition to guaranteed dwell time, salons are also targeted in terms of audience and those on the platform will include barbers, top-end, ethnic and kiddies salons.
Additional benefits include affordability to both small and large advertisers given that cost per thousand in this space is as low as many mainstream media platforms. Measurability can also be achieved using the company's Fotoactiv app, Augmented Reality technologies and QR code applications, all of which link to content, websites and mobisites.
Finally, SMS allows for "call to action" campaigns when sending just a single message. This is advantageous since dwell time, cellphones and current consumer trends are all key when playing in the mobile space.
Tucker stresses that, as with all forms of advertising, the point is to remain relevant and top of mind to the consumer. "I'm confident that advertisers will see the benefit of communicating relevant products to a receptive audience over a prolonged period of time and at a competitive cost per point," he concludes.
