SNAPSHOT SURVEY
PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MEDIA OUTREACH
NOVEMBER 2019
l l l
KEY TAKEAWAY:
MARKETING AND PR WILL BE ESSENTIAL
to reestablishing a spa once the COVID-19
pandemic eases, but when it comes to a spa’s
PR and media efforts, it’s very much a case of
big vs. small.
Hotel/Resort spas were more active across the
board than day spas, allocating more resources
and engaging in more activities. While just 32
percent of day spa respondents indicated that
they had an employee dedicated to PR efforts,
four out of five (82 percent) of hotel/resort spas
do. In addition, 51 percent of hotel/resort spas
work with a third-party to manage PR efforts.
36 percent of day spa respondents do the same,
suggesting they were more likely to handle PR
themselves than outsource it.
As for the PR activities themselves, 69 percent
of hotel/resort spas surveyed invited media to
their spas for a free treatment in 2019, making
it the most popular PR method. Just 36 percent
of day spas did the same, although it was still
their most-frequently-used activity in 2019.
MARKETING AND PR MEDIA EFFORTS
82%
32%
HAVE A
DEDICATED
PR EMPLOYEE
51%
36%
HIRE A THIRD-PARTY
PR FIRM
69%
HOTEL/RESORT SPA
DAY SPA
36%
INVITE THE MEDIA
TO SPA FOR FREE
TREATMENTS
OUTSIDE
THE BOX:
Benefits of Hiring an Outside Firm
l “The ability to get great ideas, the ability to farm out for advertising, or to get
collaborative with our assets in their portfolio. Having a team of experts in
social media, SEO, marketing, web development, etc.”
l “The most valuable benefit is [that] we can use this when and where we want.
Depending on the level of attention, both positive and negative, we are able to
dial up what we need on demand.”
l “The real benefit for us in having a third-party PR firm is to have an independent
objective viewpoint on how we position ourselves to the rest of the world. It is
too easy for us to become insular in our thinking and, therefore, having another
voice at meetings is really helpful.”
58 PULSE ■ JUNE 2020