How does a local spa in Southern California get a mention in The Wall Street Journal in the wake of Sept. 11? Ingenuity and careful attention to customers' needs.
The Oaks at Ojai is a well-known spa in Southern California founded by fitness guru Sheila Cluff and operated by Fitness, Inc. Immediately following the terrorist attacks on
Sept. 11, the spa experienced a dramatic drop in business. Travel-wary customers cancelled their plans, and typically carefree consumers avoided lighthearted activities. The spa
found itself with enough vacancies to put the financial well-being of the operation in jeopardy.
Cutting prices to draw regular customers and generate new business was not an option for The Oaks at Ojai, because the spa felt its prices were already geared toward value-
seeking consumers. It was clear that something more creative than discounting would be necessary to fill the void.
The spa called on its public relations counsel, The Blaze Company, for an innovative idea that would draw customers and tourists back to spa services. The Blaze Company
recommended that the spa face the issue of the Sept. 11 tragedies head-on by creating "value-added" packages which specifically addressed a post-Sept. 11 environment.
The spa developed a "Weekend of Rest & Healing," featuring not only classes and programs to assist consumers with physical improvement and stress relief, but also to
address post-traumatic psychological effects of the attacks. Experts who could guide spa visitors in psychological and emotional healing were booked at the spa. Blaze reached out
to the media with the concept, resulting in newspaper mentions in a variety of outlets, including The Wall Street Journal.
The outcome: The weekend sold out. The spa was even forced to add additional dates to the program to accommodate the demand. And The Oaks enjoyed not only increased sales, but
also enhanced visibility and positioning.
(Jessica Coleman, Blaze Company, [email protected])