So far this year we have been shortlisted for three awards for our work, with Umpf PR, for LeedsBID’s Made Up Leeds event - a free two-day, all inclusive event going beyond beauty, covering make-up in all its forms for all people. We booked and looked after the talent, organised and managed the activation in seven city spaces including a Harvey Nicholls pop-up at Leeds Station and a John Lewis hair and beauty salon in The Beauty Space, a converted shipping container on Briggate, the city’s main shipping street.
Read MoreThe Hairdressers' Charity Ball 2019
Last week we were running around at The Hairdressers' Charity’s Ball - an annual fundraising event which we have been working on since last year. It was a huge success with over 200 guests attending including the industry’s leading companies, trade media editors, industry bodies and influencers - it was a roll call of the great and good of British hairdressing.
Held at the Grange St. Paul’s Hotel in London, guests were treated to an evening of entertainment, dinner, dancing, awards and runway hair show.
Team SLBPR worked tirelessly with the The Hairdressers’ Charity team to bring the event to fruition and so we’re proud to announce that it raised over £5,000 on the night in generous donations and pledges.
Love & Strength
Our Sharon was responsible for the runway show, working with the uber talented hair team on the theme of Love & Strength, organising make-up, choreography and delivering a show in which all the models took selfies as they moved through there room, generating significant social media activity. The hair teams represented the Charity’s sponsors including L’Oreal Professional, Goldwell, Wonderful Life, A.S.P, Wella Professional, Revlon Professional,, as well as the Fellowship for British Hairdressing and Hairdot.com.
The hair teams came from some of the UK’s best salons: Lee Radley for Nicky Clarke; Grace Dalgleish for Brooks and Brooks (owner Sally is current British Hairdresser of the Year); Tracey Devine Smith; Anne Veck; Ashleigh Hodges & Craig Chapman; Simon Tuckwell; Nicola Smyth-Humphriss and Andrew Smith.
#InTheirWords
Whilst Sharon focused on the backstage our Sam has spent weeks creating the room theme, visuals in the main room and reception area, as well as the evening’s A/V presentation. Basically anything that didn’t move Sam probably organised - and booked the fabulous Hikaru Funnell for photography.
He was responsible for the stunning AVs that greeted guests including two huge branded columns, running through the hotel, and for the new video awareness campaign #InTheirWords, aired for the first time at the Ball, introduced by hosts, co-Presidents, Samantha Grocutt, Essence PR and A.S.P’s Philip Sharp.
#InTheirWords
#InTheirWords is a series of short films that feature well-known faces from the industry telling case studies about the beneficiaries who have been helped by The Hairdressers' Charity. The videos delivers a powerful message that lets people know the real magnitude of their donations. These poignant videos made a dramatic impact on the night and are now being seeded via media and sponsors.
We also need to thank the team at LanLondon for make-up, Gunther Smitz for choreography, all the sponsors, and the team at Grange St Paul’s. All we need to do now is plan next year’s event!
MAKE YOUR PR SAMPLES MATTER
Whether it’s your favourite influencer, magazine or blogger, at some point in recent years you’ve probably watched a Youtube video , read an article or seen a post reviewing the beauty products that have helped shape your daily makeup routine.
Engaging with new and exciting products seen in use by the names you love and trust is an increasing trend, and although an amazing way to widen our knowledge of new and upcoming brands , have you ever stopped and wondered what happens to all of the makeup that doesn’t quite, make the cut…?
This is an issue that’s been highlighted more and more recently amongst press, PR agencies and influencers alike and having seen it covered in an article by the ever informative Diary Directory we thought it was about time we addressed the issue with you lovely lot!
In a world currently dominated by immediacy and throw away culture, the responsibility of ensuring the general public are aware of how important sustainability within the Beauty Industry is, ultimately falls to both PR Companies like us and Journalists/Influencers.
Here are a few top tips from team SLB PR on how to make sure your actions as a PR Sample provider/receiver mirror the ‘codes of conduct’ so often forgotten when competing with the daily rat race.
For PR Companies -
Keep Your Eye On The Ball
Are the samples you’re sending out current/exciting and likely to get featured and used? Or are you just sending out as many as you can , potentially losing money and causing product waste. Limit the samples you’re sending out, it’ll save you time and money in the long run!
Less IS More
We know it’s always been about standing out, and now more than ever brands are going the extra mile to catch the eye of those Influencers/Journalists, but do you really need that 20 ft balloon with your face printed on it sent out to hundreds of people ? No, no you don’t. Minimising your packaging could not be more recommended in this current environmental crisis , and it’ll help prevent your samples being sold on too.
Lay down the Law
Say it how it is. Make sure you’ve made it clear that the samples you’ve sent are not for resale. Most Influencers/Journalists respect their relationship with PR Companies and won’t want to cause an issue; they may even want to help! You could even suggest a more sustainable alternative or charity that would really appreciate the unwanted samples. There are LOADS out there.
Aside from being lovers of makeup and supporters of sustainability within the beauty industry we also sit on the board at The British Beauty Council and are loving their involvement in this conversation, it’s an important one ! Head to their website now to get learn even more about what you can do to make sure you’re following the code of conduct that’s becoming increasingly relevant.
If you’re an influencer/journalist then there are multiple ways you can also get involved, for example our dear friend Jo Jones , together with beauty journalist Sali Hughes have started an outlet for unwanted beauty samples . Beauty Banks contributes to the fight against hygiene poverty and you can even drop off your unwanted samples to our lovely clients and friends at Architect hair in Headingley; any excuse to pop in there for a good chat! Check out Beauty Banks for more info and your local drop off/donation point.