Succeeding in the ‘Age of Transparency: an interview with Lifecycle19 speaker Harri Laitalainen of Elvis & Kresse

Lifecycle19 is just a month away, and will bring together over 300 retail marketers to learn from the best brands in retention marketing, including Hotel Chocolat, Moonpig and Feelunique.

In the run up to the big day, we’ll be interviewing some of our keynote and panel speakers. This is a chance to learn a little more about their role, their challenges and what they’re excited to share with you in October. To grab your Lifecycle19 tickets, head over to the site.

This week we spoke with Harri Laitalaine, who will be taking part in the “Winning the seasonal surge: How do we beat the discount race to the bottom?” panel.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and the company you work for

I’m the current marketing strategist for Elvis & Kresse, a multi award-winning sustainable luxury brand based in Kent; known for their work towards a circular economy and their radical transparency.

In 2018, my first year with the brand, I increase direct online sales by 44% without the help of a team or agency, while increasing marketing spend by just £3708 for the entire year. By August 2019 cumulative online sales for Elvis & Kresse had already surpassed the total sales for year end of 2018 and cumulative profits had increased by 19%.

Elvis & Kresse don’t do sales, discounts, or seasons.

What are the top 3 challenges you are facing the most in your role?

I would say, changing perceptions on pricing and sales, the unique nature of the materials Elvis & Kresse use and working with very limited stock that can change rather quickly are the biggest challenges.

Are you an avid conference goer? Whether yes or no, what attracted you to Lifecycle19 in particular?

Not typically, but  Lifecycle19 was something our co-founder, Kresse Wesling MBE, brought to my attention and suggested it would be great for me to attend.

What do you hope attendees will take away from your panel?

I want to educate a little more on how to succeed at marketing without discounts, sales, or seasons can be done profitably and with significant growth. Marketing outside of sales is not hard, but the perfect opportunity for marketers to get back to what they do best. Be creative and actually market the brand and not just the price. Long term customer loyalty, retention, and how customers value the brand significantly increases when sales are not made the focus.

If you want to hear more from Hari, amongst a host of exciting speakers and panellists, make sure to get your Lifecycle19 ticket today.