Looking Fit 02/2004: SPRING BREAK

Salons Benefit Most

Tanning salons benefit the most from spring break because a high percentage of spring breakers want to hit the beach with a tan in place and keep their gorgeous tans in the aftermath. To quench this bronze thirst, salons across the country typically offer unlimited tanning packages in the $20 price range or special bundles that include a couple of tans and a bottle of lotion for $15 to $20. The marketing should focus on the idea of “keeping your spring-break tan” or “celebrating the look of spring break all year long.”

It’s important for salons to pay attention to which manufacturers are making the biggest spring-break impacts because tanners will want these manufacturers’ products when they return home.

Few salons benefit more from spring break than the ones located at the scene of the party.

Deborah Joseph, owner of Tips, Toes, Tanning & Tangles in Lake Havasu, runs different tanning specials and promotions for every occasion.

“A lot of people want to get their base tan prior to the larger spring-break events here,” she says. “Although they are in town for maybe a week, a tanner for one week is better than nothing.”

In Lake Havasu, spring breakers typically meet and party with locals, so word of mouth is very important.

“Many kids want to hit a tanning salon when they first arrive in town, so when locals recommend us, it’s free advertising for me,” Joseph says. “Since schools have different spring break dates, I run spring-break specials for approximately six weeks. The specials usually consist of four tanning sessions or one week of unlimited tanning for $15. These specials apply to the locals as well as visitors.”

Florida is the unofficial capital of spring break, so its salons do well at this time of the year, says Matt Dukas, owner of 20 Minute Tan in Cape Coral, Fla.

“So many of these kids flock to the beaches expecting an endless week of sunshine but, unfortunately, Florida weather isn’t always accommodating,” he adds. “Breakers still want their tans, so Florida salons can explode if the weather is too cold, overcast or rainy.”

Dukas’ salon features high-end tanning equipment that professionals and the working class love to spend money on; however, he used to discount his services during spring break. It took him three years to learn that spring break is the beginning of his busy season so there’s no need to slash prices.

“We have plenty of customers who pay full price for their tanning experience,” he says. “If you discount during your busy season, your salon will have less money in the bank when the slow months arrive. We like to advertise and promote our business year-round with an emphasis on our TV commercials just before spring break hits; this way, customers know where to go when it’s time to add color to their body.”

Building Brand-Loyalty

Spring break is no different than an outdoor trade show, in that it places products directly into the hands of the end users—tanners.

“What lotion manufacturer in its right mind would pass up the chance to sample its finest products to more than 500,000 spring breakers from hundreds of colleges and universities?” asks Steve Rosenberg, president and founder of Classmate USA, creator of the Official Spring Break Calendar. “There isn’t a better way to reach such a large demographic than at spring break. It’s safe to say that 95 percent or more of those college and high-school students value a tan as an attractive quality.”

Manufacturers involved in spring break are snatching a valuable opportunity to make young, impressionable tanners brand-loyal. Whether it’s simply shipping a few people to Daytona Beach or Lake Havasu to pass out samples and T-shirts or sponsoring a model contest, manufacturers actively participating in spring break lead students to request certain product brands when they return home.

John Abaté International™ (JA) understands spring break’s relevance.

“Many high-school and college students, as well other tanners with spring fever, visit indoor tanning salons to prepare for spring break,” says Richard Rubin, JA’s director of public relations and development. “Others obtain their first outdoor tan of the year during spring break and decide to check out a neighborhood tanning salon to keep their color, so it’s very important for us to participate.”

JA offers spring breakers its JA Spring Break Survival Kit that features samples of its UV Defense Shampoo and Conditioner, UV Repair, SPF 15 and Radiance™, the company’s unique finishing mist specially formulated for UV-exposed skin.

“Since this is when people often have the first chance to revel in the sun, many overdo their exposure,” says JA’s founder and CEO, John Abaté. “We not only help spring breakers to overcome their sunburns, but we also educate them about our all-natural skincare products—those designed for outdoor tanning and those necessary for indoor tanning—which they will use at tanning salons to maintain their springbreak glow.”

JA identified spring-break locations throughout North America to assess the feasibility of providing JA Spring Break Survival Kits to as many participants as possible. Already on the drawing board is JA’s participation in the annual Classmate USA Spring Break Model Search. This is JA’s second year to work with Classmate USA and the company plans to incorporate the model search into its nationwide JA Spokesmodel Search Program.

“We are helping salons to benefit from our participation in the sampling program at spring—break locations,” Abaté says. “This way, customers become more familiar with JA’s products.”

Emerald Bay announced the official kickoff of its 3rd Annual Spring Break Model Search last June. Salons received promotional information packs and tips on running their own back-to-school fall promotions to advertise the model search.

“The model search is designed to offer indoor tanning professionals an exciting preseason promotion to increase foot traffic in their salons and grab the attention of clients during the back-to-school months of August and September,” says Sabrina Little, Emerald Bay’s director of communications.

Any salon with at least one tanning unit in its establishment can participate in the contest. In addition, Emerald Bay offers a prize package worth $2,500 retail value of product from California Tan, Inc. brands— Emerald Bay, California Tan and Matahari—to the salons that represent the three finalists and also awards a spring-break trip for two to Panama City Beach to the three finalists. Winners will be flown to Panama City Beach on March 12 through 15 for their spring-break vacation and professional modeling shoot.

Last year’s winning contestant, Heather Soriano, who also was Miss Mississippi, made the cover of the Classmate USA 2005 calendar. She was a tanner from Magical Tans in Oxford, Miss.

“Heather was at the ITA World Expo in Nashville signing posters to promote the contest,” Little says. “In addition to the model search, we also hit the beach with tanning accelerators that help spring breakers achieve a fast, dark tan and create loyalty to Emerald Bay’s products.”

Hoss Sauce also is involved in Classmate USA’s model search. The company donates $100 worth of Hoss Sauce products to each of the 100 contestants selected for the contest.

“We’ve also sponsored some miscellaneous bikini contests on the beach and, of course, we always are there passing out thousands of samples of lotions to the spring breakers,” says Dale Hansen, the company’s president and CEO. Spring break grows bigger every year, many say, as does the indoor tanning industry’s active participation.

Rosenberg sees a great partnership between spring break and indoor tanning. “In the near future, I expect every major player in the indoor tanning industry will want to participate in spring break promotions,” he says. “Salon owners will expect them to participate in order to create brand and product awareness.

Manufacturers will be there giving the consumer valuable pre-sale information and thousands of samples. The salon benefits, the manufacturer benefits and the consumer benefits.”

SPRING BREAK’S FINEST

THERE’S NO QUESTION that Panama City Beach (PCB) is ground zero for spring break in the United States. PCB is just the right size for spring break; it is not too developed, not too expensive and not too restrictive, says Steve Rosenberg, president and founder of Classmate USA, creator of the Official Spring Break Calendar.