Thank you very much Mr Bolt

I've run a few business in my time and relish the challenge each market offers. I've been involved in the outdoors market, holistic industry, recruitment, optical, tea and soon a hearing aid business.

At the beginning of each journey we sit down as a team and map out or marketing plan. How can we get our product in front of potential customers? After all, you can have the best website and product in the world but if no one knows about it then you will struggle.

So what has this got to do with the humble hammock?

Well, when we took over Simply Hammocks a few years ago we realised that we'd benefit from a lot of free marketing - an unusual prospect when it's been something we've always paid for.

We've discovered that a lot of companies use hammocks as a prop in their own marketing, as it's seen as an aspiration most people can relate too. Who doesn't picture themselves relaxing on a beach in a hammock?

For example our local bank, HSBC, has a giant picture on the back wall of someone in a hammock. So everytime a customer enters a branch the seed of a hammock is planted. Magazine covers often feature them - recently Fern Britton relaxed in one of our hammocks on the front of Prima magazine. Richard Branson owns one of our hammocks and was seen relaxing in it on a recent BBC documentary about Necker Island. Currently an ad campaign is running on National TV featuring runner Usain Bolt in a hammock.

Hammocks seem to be featured everywhere which is great for us as it helps to promote the idealistic dream of owning one. Odd really, you can pick up a hammock for less than £50 so it's a dream which won't break the bank.

Scott (Simply Hammocks Founder)