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Facing Challenges and Opportunities
Category: Spa Product Date: March 2008
Cathy is a marketing expert with over 20 years’ experience in brand development and communications. She was educated in Los Angeles and has spent most of her working life in the United States.
In 1997, she moved to Hong Kong. With her East/West background and expertise in lifestyle, wellness and beauty issues, she founded CatchOn & Company Ltd, the only strategic marketing communications agency in Asia specializing in spas, wellness, lifestyle and travel.
Through brand development, market research and managing PR campaigns, CatchOn has built an impressive body of work with clients such as the Shangri-La’s CHI spas, Fairmont Raffles Hotels, Mandarin Oriental, Mission Hills Golf Club, SaSa Cosmetics and has launched countless retail and professional brands.
In addition to CatchOn’s proprietary client work, the team has developed a number of industry resources: a Visual Merchandising Guidebook for spas, the 2005 Spa Consumer Research report and the “Men & Spas” Special Report. This February, they launched the China Spa Consumer Study.
Being based on China’s doorstep has given Cathy first hand experience of the country’s dramatic changes and she has carried out a number of projects in China. It is a country that continues to confound and inspire her.
How high is the level of spa products in Hong Kong and in mainland China? What standards must a “good” spa product meet? Because Hong Kong is a free port, virtually every international brand can be found here, whereas in China, it’s a narrower playing field due to the product registration requirement. Nevertheless, there are already a lot of the top brands – both retail and professional -- in China today.
In terms of standards, companies and product manufacturers have to deal with an increasingly savvy consumer who reads labels, is demanding and extremely fickle. So for brands to succeed, they must engage the consumer with a compelling brand “story” (be it a unique ingredient discovery, a cultish corporate culture, celebrity fans, etc.). They must deliver on claims and promises. And above all, keep on innovating because consumers’ attention spans are getting more and more narrow.
What are the opportunities and challenges of the spa product market in Hong Kong and in the mainland?These are two very different markets — Hong Kong being more developed and mature, while China is still in its infancy, although dramatically catching up from the supply side.
Because Hong Kong is a pretty crowded field, brands have to work a lot harder to gain any kind of market share. In the Mainland, consumers are pretty receptive and not as jaded as Hong Kongers are. But, while they may be pretty keen to learn about new brands, product companies have to do more than just trade on the ‘international’ origins of their brands. They need to educate them on proper usage, features and benefits … often basic information that we would take for granted in a more mature market like Hong Kong. Mainland Chinese consumers aren’t likely to ask questions either, as they’re afraid of ‘losing face’.
Nowadays, more men visit spas. How does this influence the products that spas use? The fact that a number of brands have introduced separate men’s ranges points to how important this market segment is to spas. Having said that, there are many brands that have developed their products in such a way that they appeal to both sexes, eschewing heavy fragrances, overly feminine packaging, and intimidating names; opting for products with multi-purpose uses and benefits.
Which kind of skincare products do you use and why?I have to admit because of the nature of our work (we’ve worked with or launched over 50 brands to date) I try all kinds of products. So I don’t really stay loyal to one brand per se, but do have some standing favorites. Support Equilibrium Bath Oil by Aromatherapy Associates keeps me sane. I also like the Revitalizing Bath Gel from Cornelia Day Spa in New York and stock up whenever I’m there.I try all kinds of face cleansing products, but I keep coming back to Dermalogica’s Cleansing Gel and Soothing Protection Toner.
