Richard Simmons and Kelly Fletcher take a stroll through the JTV parking lot.
I had the pleasure of working with Richard Simmons on publicity for the recent launch of his ‘Sparkle’ by Richard Simmons jewelry collection at JTV. Even as a child of the 80’s who grew up watching him on television, I was skeptical whether or not his jewelry collection would resonate with mainstream American women. Until I met him in person. Richard Simmons has what most every woman wants to buy—hope. Whether it’s hope in a jar of organic plant-infused wrinkle cream, or “magic dust” to sprinkle on food to making carbs disappear, American women spend millions of dollars to purchase hope every day.
At FletcherPR we spend a large portion of our time crafting marketing and PR campaigns to engage female consumers and influence their behavior. Perhaps if we could bottle a little Richard Simmons Juice we’d reach our goals much sooner.
I noticed three behaviors Richard Simmons consistently exhibited that helped him engage her, hold her attention, and ultimately sell her a product.
He listens. Time and again I watched Richard grab someone’s hand, look into their eyes, and listen. Really listen. As simple as that may seem, many companies simply don’t pay enough attention to what she (the consumer) is saying.
He’s transparent. What you see is literally what you get. And Richard makes no apologies for it. As a marketing company we encourage our clients to be honest and real in their communications with women.
He’s emotional. Let’s face it. Emotional appeals sell products as long as they are transparent. Richard is an emotional guy and he uses it to his benefit as a marketer.
As marketers we could learn a thing or two from Richard Simmons.