MISFIT
How to promote your business
W
hat is the best way to promote your business? I have always been brought to believe that the best form of advertising is recommendation. This is quite correct,
but my personal view is that your shop window is the best advert you can have. I find it so frustrating when I visit towns and the shoe shop displays are so boring. I have been watching Mr Selfridge on TV and one of his biggest ideas was to have amazing window displays and still to this day Selfridges windows are a work of art. A good window should stop the consumer in their tracks and the best way to do this is with props that are completely away from shoes. Why is it that suppliers feel the need to send posters out with a lovely girl sitting with her legs crossed showing a pair of shoes that she wouldn’t be seen dead in “normal life”. These posters cost a fortune to produce and most retailers finish up throwing them away. Back in the good old days K Shoes had their own display department and some of the props they produced were fantastic. Does anyone remember the K Kidproof Train.......... Put that in your window and watch the crowds grow. Whenever I dress a window I stand outside afterwards and watch people’s reaction. If it doesn’t stop someone with 10 minutes I take window out and start again. What about having a National Shoe Shop Window
Dressing competition? First prize could be a lovely Holiday For Two..... come on someone sponsor this event, it will great for your brand. It is exactly the same for suppliers when they take stands
at trade fairs. So many just line their range up like soldiers, with no effort at all. Luckily, there are some who take a pride in what they are selling and spend time producing fantastic displays. I’m going back a while, but I remember Bally Shoes having a French Cafe in the middle of their stand. Their whole collection was displayed with thought. It gave retailers great ideas about how they could display this product in their shops. One of the best stands at Moda is always the one right inside the main entrance (Moshulu) it is always bright has something to stop you and then the product is clearly
10 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • MAY 2013
displayed. I also find it very disappointing that some of the largest shoe manufacturers choose not to exhibit at all in the UK. They might not be looking for new business, but surely they should show commitment to their loyal customers and, at least, have their collection available for the retailer to get an idea of their offering. Back to advertising. I have tried all types of advertising
local radio , newspapers, free newspapers, magazines, leaflets you name it I’ve tried it and when I pay the bill I think that was a waste of money. Saying that, advertising must work because why would all the Multiples spend so much on promoting their product. It amazes me how much money some major manufacturers spend on TV advertising
A good window should stop the consumer in their tracks and the best way to do this is with props that are completely away from shoes. Why is it that suppliers feel the need to send posters out with a lovely girl sitting with her legs crossed showing a pair of shoes that she wouldn’t be seen dead in “normal life”.
night after night. There is one shoe brand which is advertising quite a bit on TV at the moment and by the feedback I have had from retailers selling this brand, sales, have increased but the big question is by how much? Maybe if the shoe manufacturers stopped sending out
useless P.O.S and invested their money in TV advertising we would see more adverts for shoes during Coronation Street !!! Listening to Radio 4 this week it seems the biggest
growth in advertising at the moment is Internet advertising via Google and other search engines. This is all very new to me and I guess I will need to talk to my son or grandson to understand how that works!
Readers wishing to send comments or suggestions for Misfit should contact:
Misfitfootwear@hotmail.com
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