I was chatting to girlfriends the other night and the topic turned to beauty parlours and pedicures. Seeing as the sun had finally decided to shine we were celebrating our toes looking particularly beautiful! Turns out three of the five had picked up fungal infections in their nails from these walk-in nail places that are now everywhere and priced so competitively.
Evidently the infections are unsightly, destroy a nail(s), are contagious and take ages to rectify – at least two months. Doctors and pharmacists advise no nail polish for the duration of the treatment which can cost up to two hundred dollars plus. Treatment includes nail paint and tablets.
Aren’t these places rather cutting off their noses to spite their face? They are there to add value and provide fast, easy access to what used to be a luxury service, and yet are actually putting customers (and their families) at risk of their health. I feel pretty angry at such a lack of safety and hygiene. I spoke to my pharmacist this morning and she said they often have requests for treatment for fungal infections from these type of places, at her chemist and at the branch she worked at in other areas.
In terms of product marketing and brand reputation management, what is your call? Price and convenience versus cheap and quick? Pay full price at a reputable beauty parlour or risk walk-in nails? Any experiences out there to share? And will you share your experiences – if so, these nail bars are up for a slamming in terms of brand.
We work our personal branding offering with TaurusProfile and our social media online risk management with TaurusEngage – so we monitor and strategise on these topics for a living. But what are you doing with your product or service in terms of online risk management, brand maintenance, price and service offering – and quality control? It’s a set of skills that come under the marketing umbrella and that deserve some real attention as we emerge post GFC.
Personally, I’m sticking to my lovely ladies at Spabar! And because I get good service, made to feel special and get a good result – unashamedly will promote their brand to my girlfriends!
