Women visiting their favorite nail salon this month could come away with more than a spiffy buff. They might well go home with a bag of branded samples that includes emery boards adorned with four-color ads.
The branded boards are the latest in a range of items advertisers can use to target women who visit beauty parlors.
To find out how to get your client’s branded message into the pampered hands of female consumers, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying the new out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Advertising messages placed on emery boards distributed to patrons of nail salons.
Who
Ambient Planet, based in New York.
How it works
Ads are printed on emery boards that are then given to nail clients at beauty salons.
Since beauty salon advertising launched three years ago, emery board giveaways are one of the newer elements that have been added to the original sampling program, says sales manager Linda Bueno.
Four-color graphics are printed on one side of the seven-inch emery boards, along with logo and text. In the case of BBC America’s campaign for its program “Footballers Wive$” the show’s day and time are printed, along with the tagline “Everyone plays dirty.” The graphic is character Tanya Turner in an evening gown with her trademark pedicured foot resting on top of a soccer ball. Previous to this campaign, one-color graphics were used.
Branded emery boards are usually an add-on to a poster program. Posters measure 16 inches by 20 inches and are placed into permanent frames in each salon, usually in waiting areas, at stations where customers dry nails, and at checkout counters.
In addition to framed posters, there are wearables like branded aprons for both nail technicians and customers, as well as branded slippers, t-shirts and manicure mats. Branded decals for nails are also available. Customers can also take home product samples and coupons.
Creative is often tied into the nail salon theme, as in the case of the BBC campaign focused on the lead character.
“Using emery boards is in keeping with Tanya Turner, who is famous for her nails. We’re using stylish, female things for a show that is led by strong female characters,” says Amy Mulcair, publicity director for BBC America.
“You can further enhance your program by selecting a premium that’s specific to the demographic,” Bueno says, “like decals or branded nail enamel for a younger audience while an older audience might enjoy a coupon or emery board.”
Additionally, specific groups can be targeted around events or seasons like proms or weddings. Summer is peak season, especially for pedicures, Bueno says.
When the salon program launched three years ago, sampling and product information were the primary elements.
Salon advertising is often used as an element in mixed media campaigns. For example, the BBC is also running ads promoting “Footballers Wive$” in magazines and newspapers and on billboards, Mulcair says.
Markets
The salon network is in the top 25 markets, with plans to expand into the top 50 by August, Bueno says.
Numbers
More than 250,000 BBC-branded emery boards will be distributed through the salon network by the end of the month. There are 5,000 salons in the salon network.
How it is measured
Salons track numbers of samples and giveaways. Coupon redemptions can provide more specific data, especially if they link to a web site.
Research
The minimum time spent in a nail salon is 30 minutes, according to a study conducted by Ambient Planet, Bueno says.
A 2005 study by Bobit Business Media found that customers visit their salon on average:
-weekly at 16.5 percent
-once every two weeks at 72.5 percent
-once every three weeks at 6.9 percent
-once a month at 3.1 percent
-every other month at 0.3 percent
-less than every other month at 0.7 percent
What product categories do well
Entertainment, health and beauty products, retail, packaged goods and clothing are popular categories in nail salons. Most campaigns in the nail salon network have been for national advertisers.
Demographics
Females from 15-49 is the general target group, Bueno says.
Specific groups can be targeted by location. “Additional networks we have are specific to African-American consumers who go to salons for hair braiding, weaving and dreadlocks,” Bueno says.
Gender breakdown for nail salon clients, according to a 2005 study by Bobit Business Media:
-female at 93.6 percent
-male at 6.4 percent
Age breakdown:
-under 12 yrs. old at 1.9 percent
-13-20 at 5.6 percent
-21-25 at 9.9 percent
-26-35 at 19.4 percent
-36-45 at 28.5 percent
-46 and older at 28.6 percent
-customers who preferred not to give their age at 6.1 percent
Making the buy
Lead time is four to six weeks.
Factors that affect cost include the number of venues, length of campaign and components.
Who’s already in salons
BBC America, TNT, Kmart, Wrigley’s, Kraft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever are recent advertisers.
What they’re saying
“Consumers return to nail salons every two to three weeks and they build relationships there. It’s a happy, pampering, intimate environment, and advertisers can piggyback on that intimacy and those relationships. It’s like having an endorsement from a trusted source.” –Linda Bueno, sales manager for Ambient Planet
Web site info
Ambient Planet at www.ambient-planet.com
Etc.
See the Media Life archives for the March 2003 article “Put your client in nail salons.”
