Ever been tempted by a holiday tour in Japan? But not just any tour – one that promises an authentic overnight stay in a traditional ryokan with a luxurious onsen boasting healing properties, and a trek that takes you on an adventure deep within forested valleys. Or perhaps you’ve read an article on top beauty brands of the year. But not just any run-of-the-mill brands — ones that appeal to your values by offering cruelty-free and sustainable products.
This is exactly what effective PR can do for your lifestyle brand. It helps you convey your brand’s story and values in a way that resonates and connects with audiences, painting a picture of the lifestyle they relate to and desire, and ultimately building trust to ensure they keep coming back.
Whether you choose to do this with a PR agency or carry it out in-house, here’s where you can start if you’re thinking about where to begin.
It’s all about personalisation
First things first: ask the right questions. Find out what your brand needs to achieve and who you want to connect with. Understanding your audience helps you determine the right messaging, the issues you need to address, and where your brand falls alongside competitors. Finding ways to align with their interests helps you speak to them on a personal level and delivers authenticity that doesn’t come through in mass marketing.
For example, think about Shake Shack’s approach to its launch in Singapore. The American fast-casual restaurant has a big enough brand presence to simply open on our shores without too much effort, but what it’s done well is adopting some Singaporean flavour in both its media releases and some of its menu items, which incorporate ingredients sourced from local purveyors. Just like that, the generic burger restaurant established a sense of relevancy and relatability to the local market that it wouldn’t have had otherwise.
But personalisation doesn’t just apply to your target audience. When you pitch your stories, tailored approaches work far better than a press release blast in reaching target media and publications, and this eventually results in outcomes that reach your target audience. When crafting a pitch note, think about the different verticals you hope to reach and why aspects of your news or announcement should matter to specific publications and their readers.
Storytelling that breathes life
A brand name on its own is just a brand name, and there are tons of new brands launched daily. But how do we get consumers to fall in love with, and identify with a brand? This is where storytelling comes into play. Effective PR means telling powerful stories that bring your brand narrative to life, builds positive perception and influences thought and behaviour.
Think about bags, shoes and watches from popular brand names – many of them don’t look like anything special on the outside, yet the brand name sells the idea of the type of lifestyle audiences want to live and identify with. Aside from just selling a product, you want to create an aspiration that your target audience strives toward.
IKEA Singapore did a great job with this in their Shelf Help video campaign, seeding their message of being the ‘go-to retail store’ in relatable and humorous scenarios that made viewers sit up and go, “Hey, that’s me!” Similarly, an effective campaign makes consumers recognise themselves in your brand, and makes them stop and think – “That’s who I am, and this is the life that I want to have.”
Build and maintain a community
Finally, an integral part of any lifestyle PR strategy is building a community on social channels. This allows you to garner a loyal following, connect with your followers, have ears on the ground and curate content that positions your brand on an aspirational level. You can do this through community management – for example, replying to queries that come in on a daily basis that build trust by showing you’re on the ball in addressing any issues and concerns. In addition, you can find new and fun ways to engage your audience through functions like interactive Instagram stories or Facebook polls.
Time’s are changing! And in today’s modern world where traditional marketing is no longer as effective, it is clear that understanding your audience, building your brand story and creating real and authentic relationships with the people you desire to reach is key to an effective PR strategy that helps you stand out from the crowd.
If you’re a lifestyle brand and you need that extra PR-boost…you’ve come to the right place: hello@mutant.com.sg