Know your competitors

Years ago, we had a section in the beauty pages in our weekly supplement magazine, Stella, that showcased three similar-ish products lending to the same trend. While we don’t do those kinds of stories any more, it came to my mind this week while having a deskside meeting with a PR.

This PR came to show me her brand’s new serum, and explain to me the merits of the formula. She shared the clinical data, as well as the experts she had access to for quotes.

But, interestingly, she also told me there were two other brands launching a similar ingredient in serums around the same time as her new launch (one I knew about, one I didn’t). I thought this was really clever – she wasn’t afraid to mention what else she knew was on the horizon to build a bigger story around this specific new ingredient.

Obviously we didn’t discuss the other brand launches at length – it was just a passing comment – but it made me think how a PR shouldn’t be afraid to mention a competitor product or brand. If a competitor product is mentioned, I will still be much more likely to lead a story with the brand/PR who pitched the initial idea (as well as use their quotes and data).