class work
IMC 305 - Message Strategy and Persuasive Communications
IMC 306 - strategic Communications
Noelle Ike – December 5, 2016
IMC 306 Final - Professor Cubbage
MEMO
With the launch of our new liquid foundation Happily Ever After Foundation, we aim to focus on three main goals in our communications strategy concerning the promotion and distribution of the product and in turn of our brand, to reach the audiences that are most likely to purchase our product.
1. Launch of the product and the social message we want it to convey.
2. Working with influencers to gain trust in the product, its message, and our brand.
3. General distribution of the product and its message.
The audiences we will be targeting are as follows, in order of targeting execution. Keep in mind that while the target audiences in part one and two are media and influencers respectively as they are where we will be focusing efforts in those parts, through targeting both media and influencers we hope to have general beauty consumers, our ultimate audience, purchase the product.
1. Media (Mainstream and Social)
2. Beauty/Makeup Influencers and Celebrities
3. General Beauty/Makeup Consumers
Part 1: Product Launch – Media
During the first phase of releasing the product, we want to maximize media coverage and discussion about the product, without distributing the product. In this way, the product will be seen as extremely desirable. The main modes of communication during this phase will be in pitching to online news sites such as BuzzFeed and The Huffington Post in addition to traditional news outlets, particularly television news as they often need to fill time with intriguing yet accessible stories that a variety of audiences would find enjoyable.
In focusing on the physical product, we want to highlight the exceptional engineering that went into the creation of the product and how it is disruptive to the beauty and skincare industry. In focusing on the message of the product, we want to highlight our belief in individual and non-standard ideals of beauty. Combined is a newsworthy story that all outlets will cover due to the multiple angles that can be taken on the story, from social justice or business to technology.
This coverage will be a chance to introduce not only our product but also our brand to the general public without having to do more targeted advertising that can become expensive. We see putting large effort into the pitching of our product to news outlets and media as a way of having the product and message speak for itself. Through this wide exposure, we hope to gain name recognition before moving on to target our more specific audience, general beauty consumers, to create public legitimacy for the brand.
Part 2: Working with influencers – Beauty/Makeup Influencers and Celebrities
In the second phase of releasing the product, we will continue with the idea of maximizing publicity but not entirely launching the product to the public. We will target beauty and makeup influencers, particularly ones that have large followings on Instagram and YouTube as those platforms are the ones most frequented by beauty influencers. We will send out PR packages that include the product and a personalized note thanking them for being a leader in the industry that also acknowledges that we hope the product and our message of universal beauty will help them to further self-confidence and positivity in the beauty community. This communication will be done mainly through research of the industry and of influencers. With all the media attention around the product, these influencers will want to record themselves trying out the product or write a review on the product, allowing their followers to experience the product through social media. In turn those audiences, people who like to keep up on products in the beauty industry and are also our ultimate target audience of general beauty consumers, will become excited about being able to eventually purchase our product.
Another large benefit to working with influencers in the industry is that they will be able to provide further legitimacy to our product and our brand, as we are currently an unknown brand. Their stamp of approval will serve as an endorsement that will not only encourage people to purchase our product but also as a way of making our first impression on the industry and future customers.
Part 3: General distribution of the product and its message – General Beauty/Makeup Consumers
In the final phase of the distribution of Happily Ever After Foundation, we will focus on the general beauty consumer audience. This will be done through billboard advertisements, advertisements placed in beauty and fashion magazines, television advertisements, and online advertisements. While the majority of people who use makeup and skincare are women aged 16 and up, we really hope to highlight our message through the use of diverse models and brand representatives. We will aim to include people of every shade, every age, and gender identity and in our advertisements, and include copy that stresses our message.
There are two subsets of the general beauty consumer base that we will target individually. The first subset is individuals with dark skin. Most mainstream liquid foundation lines have somewhere between five and fifteen shades, but almost none carry extremely dark shades. We will target these audiences by sending PR packages described in part two of the memo to celebrities that have been outspoken about the lack of representation of the media of individuals with dark skin, such as Viola Davis and Naomi Campbell, and even work to create a sponsorship program with a celebrity of a similar stature.
The other subset of general beauty consumers we will target specifically is men, specifically those who care about skincare or are perhaps on camera often, but do not typically wear liquid foundation because it can appear heavy or splotchy with facial hair. As Happily Ever After Foundation goes on clear and blends with the skin instead of covering it up, we will target these individuals by featuring men in our advertisements and showing how it appears and how it is different than liquid foundation. To make purchasing Happily Ever After Foundation easier for men who do not frequent beauty or makeup stores, we will label our product as both makeup and skincare, so it can appear in the men’s hygiene areas of stores along with shaving and shower products.
Concerning social media specifically, we see the message of Happily Ever After Foundation as something that would go “viral” online. By using the hashtag #happilyeverafter, people who receive their product will be encouraged through messaging that is part of the packaging of what “imperfection” they are able to now realize as beautiful and share it on social media. For instance, “I live #happilyeverafter with the size and shape of my eyes.”
NEWS RELEASE
Media Contacts:
Noelle Ike at 917-923-1225 or noelle.ike@happilyeverafter.com
For Release: November 1, 2017
HAPPILY EVER AFTER FOUNDATION REVOLUTIONIZES THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY
One-shade-fits-all foundation adapts to skin color, tone, and type
New York, NY --- Happily Ever After Beauty, a new American makeup and skincare brand, has created a liquid foundation that can detect skin color, undertone and skin type by essentially adapting to an individual’s body chemistry to make skin appear flawless, smooth and natural.
The product, Happily Ever After Foundation, uses microfiber technology developed in partnership with scientists that conduct research on skin regrowth to act as an extension of skin as opposed to a typical liquid foundation that would simply cover up imperfections.
“Not only do the microfibers detect skin color and tone, but they can also adapt to skin type,” said Andrew McManus, associate professor of dermatology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine who was part of formula development for Happily Ever After Foundation. “By reacting to your skins ability to retain moisture or release natural oils, the foundation is able to counteract for example, the negative effects of dryness of the skin such as dry patches or itchiness.”
Happily Ever After Foundation provides a solution to anyone who does not want to spend hours searching for their makeup color match, or for the person who has not been able to find their color match at all. Since Happily Ever After Beauty does not face the limitations of having to create a color shade range like traditional liquid foundations, they take pride in being a brand for anyone and everyone.
“Our brand is based on the idea of innovation and disrupting the status quo of the beauty and makeup industry,” said Nicole Harrison, CEO of Happily Ever After Beauty. “We want to get rid of industry standards of beauty, and the idea that only people with common skin colors can find high-quality makeup that they love.”
Featured on the Happily Ever After Beauty website is a group of models who represent the diverse group of individuals that the brand hopes to appeal to. One of those models is Russell Belio.
“I’m Latino, gay, overweight and I love makeup,” said Belio, a twenty-four year old makeup artist turned YouTuber who now makes a living by recording videos of himself using makeup products in his bedroom. “I grew up never seeing myself represented in media, but with the rise of companies like Happily Ever After Beauty that look for people that are different from traditional and mainstream models, I feel like people like me are becoming more comfortable in being ourselves and feeling good about being ourselves.”
There is also talk of the impact Happily Ever After Foundation may have on the beauty and skincare industry, should its success live up to how well the product is projected to do. Industry expert Sarah Jiro believes that the product could create a large disruption in the U.S. cosmetics industry, estimated by Statista just last year to have revenue of around $62 billion.
“The product could potentially deem all other types of face makeup unnecessary,” said Jiro. “That’s a really scary thought to these huge corporations, who will either have to change what they’re doing or face a real loss.”
Happily Ever After Foundation is available beginning December 1st on the Happily Ever After Beauty online store for $50 a bottle. The brand is expected to expand into beauty and department stores in the upcoming months.
TIMETABLE
The success of Happily Ever After Foundation will rely heavily on the appearance of a low supply of the product through specific timing of our communication with media and influencers in addition to a gradual release of the physical product.
Our release to the general public will take place on December 1, 2017, before the holiday season so people can look forward to purchasing Happily Ever After Foundation as a holiday gift for others or themselves.
Early September 2017:
Have completed research of industry influencers and possible ambassadors and/or models for the product.
Mid-late September 2017:
Have selected models and ambassadors for the product.
First week of October 2017:
Launch of website which will include an overview of the product as well as a product demonstration video.
Throughout October 2017:
Introduction of the models in addition to videos of them speaking about the product.
First two weeks of November 2017:
Pitching to news outlets/media (news release), include in messaging that the Happily Ever After Beauty online store will open on December 1.
Drafting of general advertisements with models.
Last two weeks of November 2017:
Continue pitching to news outlets/media and begin sending out PR boxes to influencers discovered in September. Should also have completed drafts of general advertisements with models.
December 1, 2017:
Grand opening of Happily Ever After Beauty’s online store.
Release a relatively low amount of Happily Ever After Foundation so that at some point in December it will be sold-out.
When the product is sold-out in mid to late December:
Release message on the website but continue sending out limited PR packages to influencers in order to maintain the image of product scarcity.
Throughout December 2017:
Launch of general advertisements (billboard, television, magazine, online) that implement the #happilyeverafter hashtag.
Launch of online campaign that focuses on the #happilyeverafter hashtag.
Mid 2017:
Introduction of brand and product to general beauty/skincare/department stores.
FAQ
Product/Brand Concerns:
What is Happily Ever After Beauty?
Happily Ever After Beauty is an American brand that was launched in December of 2017. We focus on collaboration with scientists to create makeup and skincare products that not only work better than anything else on the market, but also benefit and improve your skin. We are firm believers in universal beauty. We want you to feel happily ever after with your skin, your makeup, and your beauty routine so you can feel like your most beautiful self.
What’s the big deal about Happily Ever After Beauty? I have a good foundation that matches my skin tone.
Happily Ever After Foundation does much more than match your skin tone. Using unique microfiber technology that has been perfected by leading scientists around the country, the foundation essentially detects your skin color, undertone, and skin type and adapts to your individual body chemistry. It also includes vitamins and healthy oils to nourish, rejuvenate, and benefit your skin in the long term.
For those concerned about blemishes, discoloration, or pores, Happily Ever After Foundation detects those irregularities in complexion and blurs them by blending with the skin, as opposed to covering them up like traditional liquid foundations.
For those who are concerned about oily or dry skin, Happily Ever After Foundation can adjust to your skin type by reacting to your skins ability to retain moisture or release oils. It counteracts dry skin by retaining moisture within its formula and is able to counteract oily skin by eliminating shine while still allowing the skin to breathe due to its lightweight formula.
Doesn’t something like this exist already?
Actually, no. There is no liquid foundation on the market that has come close to doing what Happily Ever After Foundation is able to do. Liquid foundations typically cover up imperfections and clog pores on the skin. The formulation of Happily Ever After Foundation has been developed in collaboration with scientists that work on skin regrowth, so Happily Ever After Foundation is essentially an extension of how skin and your body chemistry reacts with makeup products.
Why is Happily Ever After Foundation also being marketed as skincare?
While the product is originally intended to be used in place of a liquid foundation, the fact that it is so lightweight and actually works to benefit skin with vitamins and healthy oils makes it useful as a skincare corrector for anyone.
Can I only purchase Happily Ever After Foundation off the Happily Ever After Beauty website?
As of now, yes. Eventually we hope to expand into beauty, skincare, and department stores.
Why is Happily Ever After Foundation sold out?
Because the product is in such high-demand, we are trying our best to keep up with requests. Please check back in a few days as we are consistently producing more Happily Ever After Foundation!
Communication/PR concerns:
How will we appeal to media/news outlets in the initial pitching phase?
A stated in the memo, Happily Ever After Foundation and our accompanying messaging will be something that is seen by newsworthy in multiple ways.
Concerning science and technology, we have worked with researchers in multiple scientific fields to create a product that is the result of groundbreaking innovation.
In regards to business and economics, this product will make other liquid foundations and foundations all together no longer necessary, as this is the true definition of a one product fits all scenario. This is especially noteworthy as it is estimated by Statista that the revenue of the U.S. cosmetic industry is estimated to amount to about 62.46 billion dollars in 2016.
Concerning social issues, our message is one that will appeal to organizations that like to highlight positivity in brand messaging, and we are doing a conscious and significant effort to do just that.
How will we choose models to represent our brand?
Most of our models will serve as both models and ambassadors for our product, and we will reach out to them during October when we are doing industry research. We hope to gain a wide variety of individuals and will aim mainly for diversity regarding skin color, to highlight what is at the crux of our product and message, that this is a product meant for everyone. It is also important that they show interest in our message and have a their own way of communicating how it is important to them.
How will we manage and maintain our social media presence?
As social media and online communication will be our main way of communicating our brand, product, and story directly to our customers and potential customers, it is of utmost importance that we employ people who understand how proper customer service but additionally understand the brand of our voice. We will aim to be casual and young while maintaining professionalism.