Amanda's Holden's Bum Butter'd Bum

Wow… what a week, and it's only Wednesday.

It all started when I woke up to a text telling me “Hey mate, you are all over Amanda Holden's bum”… complete with some screen shots from The Sun online. Blimey! Then my wife passed me her phone with a Good Morning Britain TV interview with Amanda and Bum Butter.

You can view that here… https://fb.watch/v6mS-ooEFj/

Then the story was picked up by countless news outlets “Amanda Holden smothers herself in Bum Butter”… and just like that Bum Butter is now a household brand name.

The Charity.

You really should check out the charity that Amanda is riding for. It's all about Heart FM (aka Global) using their mighty media presence to help all the small local charities that struggle to get seen, heard and get donations. I think it is super brilliant that Amanda has set out on this big ride to raise money. 250 miles is not a big deal for many cyclists, but for Amanda she has dug really deep, it's been a stretch… and she has also created a shed load of good for the charity. Well bloody done. Go girl.

So, how does this mega turbo publicity benefit a small niche business like Bum Butter?

This is dream marketing, this is off the scale, this is what every small business wishes for… or is it? 

It is.

Website traffic is up, and sales are up. But it was very short lived. "Today's news is tomorrows fish n chip paper" is an old saying from when old newspapers where used to wrap your fish n chips… and it is very true. I rode the Holden wave and it is now fading away.

The chart below clearly illustrates “Holden's Spike”, and you can see what seems to be a sales tail, in grey. 

This got me thinking…. How much would it costs for TV news, celebrity endorsement, and a double page story in The Sun? How much would this publicity cost if you were to buy it? I don't know, but it could be £100-£300k. That is a guess. What was it worth to Bum Butter? A very welcome surge in sales…  and hopefully a nice step up in brand awareness that will help in the longer term.

Just so you know. This publicity was not requested, paid for, or even known about until it happened.

Household Name?

In the papers and on TV they referred to Bum Butter in a generic way. You know, in the same way Hoover is a brand but every vacuum cleaner is referred to as a Hoover, and using one is called “Hoovering”… “I will Hoover up after a nap”… even if you own a Dyson.

So, that is amazing for Bum Butter. People will walk in to bike shops and ask for Bum Butter… well, it aint really Bum Butter if it doesn't say Bum Butter on the label.

It's only Wednesday… I wonder how this will play out…. Hold on!!! It looks like I am on Heart FM talking to Amanda in the morning. Whoop whoop…. The Bum Butter media rollercoaster ride is back on…

This time next year Rodney…

Stay rad.

Charlie

Written by Charlie Hobbs: Founder of Bum Butter 

Charlie Hobbs (formally known as Charlie the Bikemonger) is a veteran of the British endurance sports industry and the founder of Bum Butter, the UK’s premier 100% natural, vegan anti-chafing cream. With a career spanning over four decades in off-road riding, Hobbs is a recognized pioneer in the UK gravel cycling scene, having founded the Dorset Gravel Dash—the UK's first ever gravel event—and invented the Clunker Classic. He was also a long-standing columnist and Merchandising Manager for Singletrack World Magazine, one of the world's leading cycling magazines and media outlets.

While his roots are in cycling, Charlie is also an active hiker, mountaineer, and runner, regularly testing the limits of Bum Butter on the trails of the Dorset Coast and Hebden Bridge. This "on-the-ground" experience as both a cyclist and a runner ensures that every batch of Bum Butter is formulated to withstand the specific friction demands of ultra-running and high-mileage training. 

After 16 years as the owner of the renowned retail shop Bikemonger, Hobbs transitioned to focus on high-performance athlete care. He currently serves as the Lead Director of Bum Butter Ltd, where he oversees the business of handmade, petrochemical-free chamois balms used by Olympic gold medalists and everyday athletes alike.