There is something going around at the minute called "The TOWIE Effect". And one of the many things I learnt at my PR internship is that it is used a lot, and appears to work. Most branded surveys will be doing well to get one or two national print 'NIBs'. You know the ones..."75% of women wear the wrong bra according to a survey by Debenhams". And a story about increased sales in products rarely gets a mention, unless it is obscure or due to some strange effect. This is where Superdrug hit gold. They reported on a huge surge in the sale of Sudocrem after the TOWIE girls were slapping it on during an episode. And it hit so many national newspapers, and even got coverage a few days later.
It becomes apparent that anything the TOWIE lot are doing, we want to do too. They are normal people (I use this term loosely), and appear to be using normal products that haven't been shameless plugged by PRs. This is where I find coverage doesn't equate to increasing consumer buying behaviour. We all want something with a little more integrity, no? Although my friend had used Sudocrem for years and raved about its wonders, it wasn't until The TOWIE Effect happened that I thought I must purchase this product. Everyone mass using a product must mean it's good!
However I didn't go out on a specific shopping trip to buy this product. I was out buying a rug with my flatmate (I'm very domesticated now) when I spied a Savers. I rushed over to hunt for St Moritz fake tan, that I have struggled to locate since moving to London. Obviously London once again disappointed me, and so I felt a need to purchase something else, as I can never leave these stores without purchasing some kind of discounted beauty product. And there I saw it. Sudocrem. All that brand recall hit me straight in the face, and as I explained to my flatmate that the whole nation was using it, I picked it up and bought it without a second thought.
So last night I slapped it on (after reading some online reviews of just how much to slap on and what it is actually going to do...). And I love it.
