Association of British Dispensing Opticians

MARKETING & PRODUCT

Association of British Dispensing Opticians

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Small gold round-eye frames, a shaggy haircut,a scar on his forehead – you know I’m writing aboutHarry Potter from the first few words of this sentence.That’s because JK Rowling created a character thathas become part of reality for children who havegrown up over the last 20 years (yes, the first bookcame out in 1997!) Through the books and the films,the Harry Potter story has become embedded in thenation’s consciousness, and it has influenced thespectacle frames that are popular with adults andchildren today.

Ben Kogan isInternationalSales Managerfor Savile RowEyewear, whosupplied framesnot only forHappy Potterhimself, but alsofor AlbusDumbledore, firstplayed byRichard Harris

and then by Michael Gambon in the eight-film series.He explains the Savile Row story: “The Savile Rowframe collection has been the same since it started in1932. In the 1980s and early 90s, our clients werepeople who had been fitted with our frames in thedays of NHS subsidised eyewear, liked them andstayed with them. Vintage wasn’t in style, the peoplekeeping the business alive were generally ‘antifashion’, the company was struggling.”

With the immense popularity of Harry Potter and thePhilosopher’s Stone, though, things started to changefor Savile Row. Ben continues, “The Harry Pottermovies gave us a boost, but however popular thebooks and the films, it was still not enough to turn usunto a sustainable business. What it did contribute towas a trend for vintage becoming cool again. Andnow Savile Row is doing better than ever.”

MARKETING.TELLING THE STORY

A good story sticks in the mind in a waythat unadorned facts might not. Using storyin your marketing can capture theimagination and ensure patients spreadyour message by word of mouth. Think ofthe popular ‘Should’ve’ adverts fromSpecsavers. In 30 seconds a story unfolds,allowing viewers to use their imagination.Here are five quick tips on using story inyour own marketing.

1. What’s your story? Imagine you’re tellingsomeone about your practice, or even doit out loud and record what you say.Where did the practice begin, what arethe human elements of your business story?

2. What story do you want to create for thefuture? You can control how the story goes.Think about the impression people takeaway from your practice. What story willthey tell their friends about theexperience? Take time to write or say thatstory too. Go over the words on the pageor in the recording and think about the keyelements that come out. Is it the friendlystaff, the family feeling of the practice, orthe way you got to know the person’slifestyle and met their needs.

3. With these two stories in mind, think abouthow you tell the story of your business. Alittle imagination and story telling canenliven a practice website or flyer. Use theidea of beginning, middle and end in yourmarketing too. The beginning entices theperson in, the middle gives them the mainpart of the story, and the end mightencourage them to take a next step.Good stories often leave you wanting toknow more.

THREE QUICK WINS

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MARKETINGTELLING THE STORY

The ‘Harry Potter effect’ for Savile Row wasaugmented by the appearance of the iconic framesin movies like the Roman Polanski film, the Ninth Gate.In fact, if you search Google today, type in ‘JohnnyDepp Ninth Gate’ and Google will suggest that youcomplete your search term with the word ‘glasses’ –a lot of people are still looking to recreate Depp’slook as book dealer Dean Corso. And we can’t ignoreHarrison Ford as Indiana Jones, wearing the samestyle, Beaufort, giving him vintage good looks. This iswhere the character crosses with commerce: searchfor ‘Harrison Ford Indiana Jones glasses’, and your firstresult links to somewhere you can buy the frames.Movies, stories, characters all have a powerful effecton the public consciousness, and on what peoplebuy. Ben Kogan says, “The age profile of people whowear our frames has changed. We used to have aclientele mainly made up of men in their 50s to 70s,but our demographic is getting younger and younger– we are getting enquiries from people in their 20s,which bodes well for the future of Savile Row.”

Although you may not be able to control whether theframes that you select for your practice appear inblockbuster movies, you can make the most of theeffect. And stories are invaluable to you as a practiceowner, as a manager and as a dispensing optician,because stories stick in the mind when bare factsdon’t. If you attend a conference, which lecture doyou remember best: the one with a list of data onevery slide, or the one where the presenter usesanecdotes to illustrate his points?

Thinking about day-to-day practice, if you are talkingto a child about how to take care of their glasses, youcould make up a fictional version of what happens ifyou don’t to tell them at collection. Words andimages reinforce each other, so have a picture of abent and scratched frame to show them, or even areal one. Cautionary tales such as Little Red RidingHood, Struwwelpeter, Hilaire Belloc’s tales right theway through to the film Gremlins have all fictionalisedthe importance of sticking to the rules, and theconsequences that might follow if you don’t. Perhapsyou could write the first optical cautionary tale forchildren who don’t take care of their specs? Stories

can also become part of your window display: youdon’t need to just focus on seasonal events likeChristmas and Easter, but you could take inspirationfrom a classic take like Little Red Riding Hood, or optfor a range of Clarke Kent style frames to tie in with anew superhero movie release.

On a broaderscale, more andmore agenciesuse stories aspart ofdeveloping abrand for aclient. Jo Sackeris Client ServiceDirector atSpeed Agency.To help usunderstand more

about how stories can tie in with your branding, shesays, “Brands are successful when they create brandstories around their services or their products becauseit helps people understand them, helps peopleengage with them. We all love stories, enjoy storiesand it is about telling your marketing or promotion aspart of a story, bringing your brand, your product,your services to life. It’s much warmer. Thinking ofSpeed, our brand is all about being human, therelationships we have with our clients, they go backyears. We have great relationships, and theyrecommend us.”

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MARKETINGTELLING THE STORY

Jo continues, “[Brand story] is also about insight intohow audiences relate to brands, and customerjourneys on and offline. We need to deliver the rightmessages at the right channel at the right time. In thecustomer journey, you need to understand how yourcustomer will come to your brand in the first place –will they be on their iPad late at night whensearching for a local optician – they will be relaxing,and you need to understand how they will interactwith their brand at that moment. We stay one stepahead on this, we do a lot of research and userjourney testing so we understand the customerexperience. From that research we know that yourbrand story will only work if you have your brandproposition and your positioning right. That’s what youneed to have a coherent story. You need to be clearabout what is the purpose of your brand, to get thatflowing and right.”

Focusing on the optical sector, Jo says, “People seekout a practice when they have a need – so makesure your brand is top of mind when they do. Ongoingawareness is very key. As a lay person it is easy toperceive opticians as all the same, so you need tobuild relationships and loyalty, and that’s where yourbrand story comes in.”

Stories go beyond the words you say: they’re aboutevery contact people have with your business. If youwere reading the latest novel from your favouriteauthor, you’d notice something out of place wouldn’tyou? A cute talking bunny wouldn’t suddenly appearin the middle of Lee Child’s latest thriller, nor would ahard-boiled New York detective stumble into a scenein one of Sophie Kinsella’s books. In the same way,look at your signage, your website, even the wayyour staff dress. Is it all telling the same story? If yourbusiness brand aims to be approachable and no-frills,make sure the staff are wearing branded polo shirts,and your practice window displays budget options.You might select bright colours like orange andlime green.

The story youwant to tell isabout beingaccessible andaffordable. Ifyour business isupmarket andbespoke, thenperhaps yourstaff can choosetheir ownworkwear, butwill need to wear

smart suits or dresses. You might use burgundy, creamand navy in both your practice and the website, andyour marketing materials might be printed on thickglossy paper. Everything about your practice, rightdown to the pen you use to make a note, is telling thepatient part of your business story. A Mont Blancfountain pen says something very different to abranded ballpoint. As Jo Sacker says, though, youneed to be clear about what your business story isbefore planning your marketing and outreach.

Alongside branding, your business story can becomepart of what your patients tell when they spread theword about your practice: “Did you know that thepractice has been in the family for three generations?I always used to see the old gentleman, but he’sretired now and his daughter has taken over.” And ona deeper level, your practice story can help you driveyour business and your career forward. Think aboutwhere you have come from, where you would like toend up. What’s your story?