Avon is a business which has grown via its army of ladies going selling through their catalogue – people usually do it for extra money and selling to friends and neighbours – Avon is one of the few catalogue female prisoners can purchase make up from so quite a large captive audience.
Avon has now opened a shop in the US and is selling directly via Facebook so they are taking the brand multichannel. Avon for all it’s taking on glamorous “faces” to front its campaigns at the moment they have Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon is seen as slightly working class.
A million miles away you have the “yummy mummy’s” pin up Jamie Oliver with his fabulous wife, three adorable poppet daughters and his mockney accent – Jamie is the lifesaver for any woman looking to impress in her kitchen with his dishes.
Jamie has now opened a two shops Recipease one in Clapham just on the cusp on Nappy Valley aka Northcote Road and another in Brighton they are a mixture of his products in the crockery and utensils along with prepared food and an area where you can hone your “Jamie cooking skills” – but Jamie has also engaged a whole army of women and men to sell directly at home with “Jamie parties” – it’s showing impressive figures already.
There are already 4,000 self employed consultants working and his idea was formulated after the closure of Woolies. Oliver said: “Jamie At Home is all about empowering people, particularly women, to start their own small businesses with a bit of help.
“I looked at all those Woolies employees who lost their jobs before Christmas and I saw intelligent, capable people with a lot to offer. Those are the sorts of people that we can work with.”
Smith:
Personally I think it’s a great idea as a short term plan to get a wider audience involved with a brand and to see and touch the product without that feeling of “OMG I have drunk someone’s wine and nibbled their canapés so I must buy that naff lipstick or vase “.
I don’t think an Avon shop would work on every street corner but I do think some traditional mail order businesses should look to maybe to opening one or doors on short term leases to extend their exposure.
Mr Jones:
What has happened has the world gone mad….are we heading back to the 60’s…Retail in your front room!?? Miss Smith and I were discussing the change in status of the Avon Brand, how it has managed to transform itself from a “cheap, fun, something for the wives to do at home while the real breadwinner is out”, business to a serious Retail business with Stores, structure and a relevant marketing campaign. After all home parties are a real 60’s/70’s phenomenon and we are all so much more sophisticated and polished now…..then I find Jamie Oliver at Home!!!!
So I have just been thinking that Recipease is another great example of the power of a Brand, like Virgin doing Cola…yes ok that was a stretch granted, however when you are hot you are hot and should maximise the moment. The selection of locations for Jamie’s latest Store venture has been extremely clever, Northcote Road, known as Nappy Valley and home of the Super Mum at one end of the scale and Western Road Brighton, home of the Creative Trendy cool South-Coast set, killing both birds and selling very very expensive gastro gear…nice strategy!
Now I find Jamie at Home..... Avon parties for the new decade…no it’s not working for me! The high street does not need to go underground right now, this is a time to keep smaller towns alive with Shops, Bars and Restaurants or we will see no human interaction and the demise of the Nation of Shopkeepers…are we really ready for that?!! Let’s not slip backwards let’s move forwards and remain at the forefront of retailing standards please! I can’t manage rents and adjacencies in a Lounge!
