They have this extraordinary belief that all women want is hope and promise.
They have this absolute obsession with not telling the truth, which is bizarre
because some of the products they make are actually good. But to me it’s
dishonest to make claims that a cream that is basically oil and water is going
to take grief and stress and 50 years of living in the sun off your face. It’s bull-
shit to consistently endorse its main product line which is garbage, waste and
packaging.Salespeople in The Body Shop are expected to be able to answer questions,
but are trained not to be forceful.
The Body Shop does not advertise and its point of sale materials con-
centrate on giving information about the ingredients in the product, and
educating the customer about its use. In fact, the information sheets about
the products were first introduced because the products in the early days
sometimes looked unappetizing: ‘We thought we had to explain them
because they looked so bizarre. I mean, there were little black things float-
ing in some of them. We had to say these were not worms.’ Containers
have clear, factual explanations of what is inside and what it is good for.
On the shelves are notecards with stories about the products or their ingre-
dients. There are stacks of pamphlets with such titles as Animal Testing and
Cosmeticsand What is Natural?There is a huge reference book called The
Product Information Manualwith background on everything The Body Shop
sells.
The level of information The Body Shop offers provides a powerful
source of competitive advantage. It differentiates the company from its
competitors, and it creates obstacles for would-be copycats. Customers feel
they knowits values and business practices, and the effect is to create a
loyalty that goes beyond branding. ‘I’ve just taken what every good
teacher knows,’ says Roddick. ‘You try to make your classroom an
enthralling place ... I’m doing the same thing. There is education in the
shops. There are anecdotes right on the products, and anecdotes adhere.’
Although the company does not advertise directly, good public relations
is fundamental to their marketing strategy. Roddick quickly learned the
same lesson as Marks & Spencer – that product advertising is unnecessary
when a company has built up a strong and continuing public image. Says
journalist Michel Syrett: ‘Roddick courts publicity. She makes herself delib-
erately available to the Press and is a constant source of good copy. “The
Press like us,” she commented at the CBI last year. “I’m always available
and I’m loudmouthed and quotable.” Her views on healthcare, environ-
mental issues and the soullessness of big business are not manufactured
and are entirely consistent with the aims and philosophy on which The
Body Shop has been founded.’
The money that would normally be spent on marketing is largely
invested in the company’s employees. ‘It takes more or less the same
The referral and influence market domains 297