Agency #442
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Table of Contents
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Executive Summary
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Brand Overview & Goals
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SWOT Analysis
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Target Audience
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Research
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Media and PR Strategy
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Social Media Strategy
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Creative Strategy
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Creative Executions
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Promotions
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Digital Executions
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Targeted Cities
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Budget and Media Plan
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Gold Tree Agency Directory
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The Millennial woman is tech savvy, brand loyal, educated, and fashion forward. She wants to outearn her male counterparts, set trends, and be independent. She wants to have it all. Simply put, she has a story to tell. Her determination and drive for success make her time and money precious resources. The Millennial woman wants a cosmetics brand to define her look and personality, whether professional, classic, or edgy. Gold Tree believes that Mary Kay can help Millennial women find their story. We want them to know that they and their stories are beautiful. We also want to refute the idea that Mary Kay is a brand for their mothers and grandmothers. Gold Tree wants to show young women that Mary Kay has inspiring values that can help them figure out who they are and what they want to be.
Mary Kay is not like any other cosmetic brand that you can just purchase at a retail store. It has to be bought through an Independent Beauty Consultant (IBC). Mary Kay IBCs provide an interesting opportunity for Gold Tree. The challenge is to turn the Millennial woman into an avid user of Mary Kay products when they are accustomed to purchasing cosmetics at retail stores. At Gold Tree we believe that IBCs can be an amazing resource for Millennial women. IBCs can help these women find what products work best for them and save them time by having products on hand. IBCs eliminate the need for an extra trip to the store.
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Gold Tree started research by analyzing our client and defining its brand characteristics and qualities. Mary Kay is a unique brand with inspiring values. These values include following the Golden Rule, giving back, making others feel important, and balancing life’s priorities. Mary Kay promotes treating others the way you want to be treated, knowing that this spirit creates positive reciprocity.
Part of Mary Kay’s uniqueness is its direct selling approach through IBCs. IBCs host parties and give attendees the opportunity to experience the products before making a purchase. When a client gets an IBC, she finds someone who is focused on her as an extraordinary individual and is always there for any beauty needs.
• Change the perception about Mary Kay’s target audience • Captivate female consumers from the Millennial generation by developing a new campaign • Increase awareness and benefits of an IBC
• Generate interest for Millennial woman to become IBCs • Increase Mary Kay sales and brand loyalty by promoting Mary Kay through different social media and promotions
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Strengths
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Largest seller of skincare Unique approach to selling items--IBCs Quality 100% refund for products that cause an allergic reaction Customer relationships--personal level No specific geographical territory Strong company values Social responsibility--philanthropic work Variety of products and product categories Highest earning percentages in industry for IBCs (50%) You can try it before you buy it Helping women achieve personal success (theme for target audience)
Opportunities • • • • • • • • • •
Skype to meet with IBC instead of in-person Promotional deals Social media--content switch up Provide better ways for IBCs to advertise themselves Advertise benefits and rewards for IBCs More information to IBCs about how to get started ”Product of the week” on Facebook or tweet of the week on Twitter Unify social media accounts Sponsored hashtags College tours
Weaknesses • • • • • • • • • • •
Promoting Mary Kay’s great qualities and social responsibility Time it takes to received ordered products IBC--have to pay for website Lack of retail presence--availability Price--either too high or too low (fixed At Play prices) Image: “grandma’s makeup”--older demographic Lack of traditional advertising--current ad strategy Mary Kay At Play line needs better marketing for our demographic Not prevalent in social media--Facebook specific Not in popular print magazines Products don’t go on sale
Threats • • • • • • • • •
Amway’s Artistry and Avon have similar models Peer influence--they don’t buy it “it’s for their grandma” Economy -- Less disposable income Multitude of competition--direct sell and retail sold Beauty advisors in retail stores Safe cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013 (safecosmetics.org) Hormone disrupters Online world is evolving faster than Mary Kay Licensing issue with Amazon and third party sellers
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Bailey Age: 18
Bailey is in her last semester of high school. She is so excited to be 18 and even more excited for prom in April. All of her friends know her as the beauty expert. She even agreed to do all of her friends’ makeup before taking pictures for prom. Bailey, being up-to-date on the makeup trends, has bought Mary Kay makeup to use for the big night. She is considering putting her expertise to use and becoming an IBC. Bailey believes she can make some extra spending money in college by becoming an IBC.
Tina Age: 20
Tina is currently finishing up her second year in college. While school is her main focus, she is also very passionate about volunteering at the local domestic shelter. She doesn’t have the time to dedicate to becoming a beauty expert with her busy schedule. She never wears makeup but she finds that her over-the-counter skin care products aren’t effective. Her roommate has been trying to convince her for months that she will feel more confident when she finds the right skin care products.
6 Stephanie Age: 22
Stephanie recently graduated from a local university. She has yet to discover a career path that she is truly passionate about. She is currently a waitress while living at home to save money. Her two loves are going to social events and makeup. Her boyfriend has suggested that she look for a way to use her love of makeup and her entrepreneurial spirit to start a career and have consistent income. She hopes to regain her confidence and inspire others.
Aaliyah Age: 25
Aaliyah just finished her MBA and is starting her own business while raising a two-year-old. She is very tech savvy and is constantly on her smartphone to keep up with the current news. She focuses all of her time and energy on making sure her business is going to be a success. In order to ensure success, she attends weekly social events to increase her connections within the corporate world. Wearing makeup to these events makes her feel professional, elegant, and fresh. Her one wish is to learn more about how to apply her makeup so she can feel even more confident at the corporate events.
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After developing campaign goals and defining our target audience, Gold Tree set out to establish research. We needed to see how Millennial women felt about Mary Kay and cosmetic brands in general.
Surveys
We used several surveys, paper and online, and had of over 700 Millennial women respond. Our online surveys helped determine what products females used; how familiar Millennial women are with Mary Kay products; their thoughts on Mary Kay products/brand; where they purchase current products; what brands they currently use; and their thoughts on cosmetic advertisements. In these online and in-person surveys, we learned more about the Millennial woman and her shopping/makeup habits. This helped us form a strong concept of Mary Kay from the eyes of our target audience. We could now see the changes that needed to be implemented in order to change the image of Mary Kay away from “that’s my grandma’s makeup” to “that’s my makeup.”
Focus Groups
We also had several participants in two separate focus groups to help determine media placements, and which creative direction to pursue. Our focus groups helped us decide what types of advertisements and different social promotions Millennial women would respond to. We learned from focus groups that the Millennial women prefer advertisements that are real, even if that means they have a few “imperfections.”
At Play Our research showed that most women between 18-25 years old use mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, and foundation. While looking at the products At Play has to offer, only one of these categories is covered. While Mary Kay is not planning to add to the At Play line, we believe these products should be integrated to the At Play look.
Quality, price and accessibility are ranked as most important when making a decision to purchase cosmetics
48%
52%
Do you know where to find an IBC to purchase Mary Kay products?
48% of women surveyed knew where to find an Independent Beauty Consultant in order to purchase Mary Kay products
75%
25%
Have you ever tried or used Mary Kay products?
25% of women surveyed had already previously tried or used Mary Kay products
For those who were familiar with Mary Kay, quality was one of the top words that came to mind with brand association
45% 37%
55% 63%
Have you ever been to a Mary Kay party?
45% of women surveyed had previously attended a Mary Kay party
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Why haven’t you tried Mary Kay products? 58% I am satisfied with my current products
20% They’re inconvenient to purchase
19% Where do you prefer to buy your cosmetics?
I’ve never heard of Mary Kay
Where do you get your information on cosmetics?
18% They’re too expensive
14%
I don’t know where to get Mary Kay products
3%
Only 11% of women surveyed preferred to buy their cosmetics through a beauty consultant
Official brand website (3%)
Social media (7%)
In store (10%)
Other (16%)
Magazines (17%)
Television (23%)
Which types of advertisements do you prefer? Friends and relatives (24%)
Supermarkets (Target, Wal-Mart, etc) (61%)
Convenience stores (CVS, Walgreens, etc) (54%)
Specialty stores (Sephora, ULTA, etc) (53%)
Online (16%)
Beauty Consultant (11%)
Don’t wear makeup (2%)
I do not like Mary Kay products
Friends & relatives were ranked as the most informative source on cosmetics and skincare
Radio (1%) Direct mail (5%) Print (17%)
Online (28%)
Television (49%)
10 Maybelline: Maybelline has been around since
Revlon: Revlon has been around since 1931. It’s
Covergirl: Covergirl is one of the most popular
Neutrogena: More than just makeup,
1915 and has a very popular tagline. “Maybe She’s Born With It, Maybe It’s Maybelline.” Maybelline places ads in many magazines such as Glamour, Entertainment Weekly, and People. They are very popular on social media with 169K followers on Twitter. Maybelline frequently has commercials airing on TV, especially NBC and VH1. cosmetic brands around. It is sold in drugstores and advertised everywhere. They are extremely popular on social media. They have 368K followers on Twitter. Cover Girl relies heavily on celebrities. Some of the current Covergirls include Pink, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Ellen DeGeneres, Sofia Vegara, and Queen Latifah. They also have endorsement deals with America’s Next Top Model.
sold in drugstores everywhere. They sponsor many philanthropies, the largest of which is Revlon Run/ Walk. They have 120K followers on Twitter. They rely on movie stars in ads, such as Jessica Biel, Olivia Wilde, and Emma Stone. They base their campaigns on more than just physical beauty using the “Selling Hope” campaign. Neutrogena focuses heavily on skincare and acne treatments. It is sold in drugstores. Neutrogena’s ads are placed on stations such as NBC, CBS, ABC, MTV and E! Hayden Panietierre is the current face of Neutrogena.
There are some current obstacles with Mary Kay and its position with the Millennial woman. • • • • •
Mary Kay is seen as “grandmother’s” or “mother’s” makeup, so it does not hold much appeal to younger generations Lack of “convenient” accessibility (in-store) is seen as a downfall of Mary Kay Social media presence is minimal in comparison to competitors Advertisements are not seen by targeted market There is a lack of brand recognition for Mary Kay
We plan to take these obstacles and turn each into an opportunity to reach our campaign goals.
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Through raising brand awareness among young women and explaining the advantages of having a personal beauty consultant, Mary Kay can fully utilize this demographic. To be successful, we must: 1. Promote Mary Kay products to Millennial Women 2. Raise Awareness of the Mary Kay values 3. Push the benefits of having an IBC
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To move forward with our research, we compiled a media and PR strategy to engage our target audience. We focused most of our efforts in digital, per Mary Kay’s request.
Digital
• 15–second Spotify and Pandora ads for Face of Mary Kay contest • Google+ AdWords • Tablet magazine ads in Allure and Glamour • 15–second Youtube Commercials • Facebook ads • Campaign Microsite
Sponsorship:
• Knock Out Abuse Against Women Gala
Print Media: • Cosmopolitan • Allure • Glamour
Promotions
• IBC Social Media Contest: Face of Mary Kay • #AtPlayMK promoted hashtag • IBC Millennial Incentive Program • Mary Kay Pop-Up Shops
13 The goal of Mary Kay’s social media strategy is to encourage active participation and interaction with the IBCs, consumers, and Mary Kay. In order to accomplish this, Mary Kay will promote, interact, and communicate with IBCs and consumers using the #AtPlayMK through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pandora, Spotify, Pinterest, and Google+ platforms. These platforms were picked based on demographic social media trends provided by PEW Research Center’s 2013 Social Media Update Report.
• Encourage IBCs/consumers to participate in Mary Kay Sponsored events • Retweet, reply and favorite consumer tweets actively • Interact with #AtPlayMK hashtag • Promote Mary Kay’s social responsibility projects
• Promote IBC/Pop-Up Shops, partnerships, new products and seasonal looks • Incorporate #AtPlayMK hashtag for related products and #MKCares for partnerships • Actively respond and comment on posts with promoted hashtags from consumers
• Improve interaction and relationship building on platform • Increase repins of IBCs and consumers to show Mary Kay cares about its followers’ posts • Aggressively experiment with new Promoted Pin capabilities for At Play line.
• Post consistently about new events, promotions, and products • Pop-Up Shops and partner events will be announced and promoted through Facebook Events • Youtube videos will be shared through Facebook • Cover photo will change monthly to incorporate season theme
Youtube
• Complete page to have a discussion board so consumers can find relevant information and share their own techniques, etc. • Tutorial videos will also be made to help women learn new tips and tricks • Commercials will be posted to highlight benefits of IBCs and promote Pop-Up Shops
14 We broke down our social media strategy into a monthly guide with content themes options and plans for specific promotions on all platforms.
February ‘15
March ‘15
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• •
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Introduce At Play Line IBC Promotion/Contest with #FaceofMK Promote partnership with LoveisRespect.org Looks #AtPlayMK: - Valentine’s Day
June ‘15 • •
“Feel Beautiful in Your Skin” Month Looks #AtPlayMK: - Fourth of July
October ‘15 • •
•
Pop-Up Shops #MKroadtrips #MKCares: - Domestic Violence Awareness Month - Breast Cancer Awareness Month Looks #AtPlayMK: - Halloween
February ‘16 • •
Promote partnership with LoveisRespect.org Looks #AtPlayMK: - Valentine’s Day - Spring Trends and Looks
•
July ‘15 •
April ‘15
Event: #FaceofMK IBC Contest • Winner Reveal and photo shoot • Mar. 8 - Women’s Day Looks #AtPlayMK: • - Spring - Spring Break
Looks #AtPlayMK: - IBC’s Favorites - HOT Summer Trends
Promote #FaceofMK winner IBC Looks #AtPlayMK: - April Showers Bring May Flowers (makeup forecast) Ask audience to share stories
August ‘15 • •
Promote Pop-Up Shops Looks #AtPlayMK: - Back to School
May ‘15 • •
Promote National Women’s Health Month Looks #AtPlayMK: - Protecting your skin
September ‘15 • •
Promote Pop-Up Shops Looks #AtPlayMK: - Fall Trends
November ‘15
December ‘15
January ‘16
•
•
•
•
•
Promote sharing of stories around the theme of “Thanks” #MKCares: - Knock Out Abuse Against Women Gala Looks #AtPlayMK: - Gameday Looks
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#25DaysofMK: Holiday Promotion Looks #AtPlayMK: - Holiday Looks
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Mary Kay’s Story: We had a great year! (year review) Looks #AtPlayMK: - New Year, New You
15 After completing the research and media strategy, we asked ourselves what our message should be. Cosmetic advertisements tend to tell women who they should be and what they should look like. Recently, attention has been placed on the fact that most advertisements, especially for cosmetics, are grossly altered images of a real model. Millennial women are tired of being told what to be, especially if what they’re being told isn’t possible to attain. Our goal is to make Mary Kay stand out above the crowd by emphasizing its values on empowerment and individuality. We also hope to create an emotional connection with our target by using what makes Mary Kay different—IBCs— as the solution for any and all cosmetic related concerns or questions. This is communicated through Mary Kay Stories. Additionally, we chose a secondary color palette for our campaign to complement Mary Kay’s primary brand colors. These colors are bolder and brighter than Mary Kay’s primary colors and will grab the attention of our Millennial demographic. These colors are also prominent in today’s media targeting the Millennial demographic. Colors shown at right.: Hot pink (C=9, M=98, Y=33, K=0) Turquoise (C=69, M=6, Y=37, K=0) Orange (C=0, M=65, Y=84, K=0)
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Monica S.
SOS Interview @8 . Out of lipstick!
IBC gets a text message SOS needing lipstick for an interview.
Our IBC is determined to beat the clock and get there on time.
She grabs her bag and is on the go. *Music cues to Ferris’s Run (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off )
She leaps over puddles,
7:40 joins a marathon, and grabs a cup of water without stopping.
The clock is gaining.
runs past onlookers shopping in the street,
7:43 She runs past two girls having coffee outside.
But quickly turns back to suggest a lip color and hand out her card.
Our IBC is off again with 17 minutes left.
7:55 She runs through a construction site,
and leaps over a fence.
Just in time she runs in the lobby doors, arm extended with the lipstick.
The clock shows that she has made it just in time.
Client and IBC are happy and confident. Scene closes with voiceover “Tell Your Story. It’s Funny. ” inspiring.”
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Millennial women want to be inspired, have fun and interact with brands that treat them like an individual and provide easy solutions to their problems. With IBCs, every experience with Mary Kay is individualized just for them. Our print ads tell stories using a problem – solution strategy that exemplifies how having an IBC is the solution to many of life’s little problems. The tagline: “Tell your story. It’s _____.”
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19 IBC Social Media Contest:
Mary Kay will host a competition for IBCs in the Millennial demographic. IBCs will tell their Mary Kay Story through video: how they got involved with Mary Kay and how the brand has enhanced and shaped their lives. A small blurb should be included with each video, along with name, age, university if applicable, and area. Videos will be due early February 2015. Applicants will go through two rounds of voting and Mary Kay Executives will choose the winner from the top three online favorites. This winner will be announced March 1st as the new face of Mary Kay. When the winner is announced, she will become the face of Mary Kay’s brand. We will fly this lucky IBC to the Mary Kay headquarters in Texas for a photo shoot. Special ads and commercials will feature her and her Mary Kay Story. Along with becoming the face of Mary Kay, she will also be awarded a $60,000 prize to invest in her education and career. The two runner-ups will both receive $10,000 and a chance to participate in the photo shoots as well.
20 IBC Incentive Program
Mary Kay Pop-Up Shop
The IBC Incentive Program gives Millennial women incentive to become Beauty Consultants. As incentive, each IBC who joins during our running campaign time, February 2015- February 2016, will receive the startup kit free of charge.
In order to increase the awareness of Mary Kay as a cosmetics brand and promote its unique feature of using beauty consultants, we will set up PopUp Shops on college campuses in 13 target cities around the United States. College campuses are comprised of many female students within our target audience demographics; therefore we will be able to reach out to many women through a single event.
Additionally, they will get their own website profile free for three years. This will help alleviate intimidating costs that come with becoming an IBC. Many women in our demographic are college students and recent graduates and the startup costs can be a deterring factor.
These Pop-Up Shops will feature sample products from makeup to skincare to nail polish, which women can physically sample on the spot. Along with sample products, beauty consultants will be available to answer any questions and help with makeup application. The event will allow potential clients to meet with IBCs and get to know them before requesting their own, which will minimize the worry that many women have about not knowing their beauty consultant before getting one. To attract participants, the Mary Kay Pop-Up Shop will feature loud music and decorations that catch the eye of passersby. Using portable vanities and directors chairs as mini makeup stations, women will be able to experience the elegance associated with Mary Kay. The pop-up shop will also have a photo booth that women can use after applying Mary Kay products and promotional Mary Kay Stories compacts for participants to take
home. The photo booth will promote the fun and colorful feel associated with Mary Kay’s At Play line and the compacts will keep Mary Kay on their mind at home.
Logistics of the Pop-Ups
We will purchase three Mary Kay Ford Mustangs to travel to the events carrying promotional materials and reduce individual shipping costs. However, cosmetic samples will be sent to a representative at each campus separately. Within each target city and college campus, we will recruit brand ambassadors as interns for Mary Kay who will be in charge of running the event. At the same time, at every college stop, we will have at least one experienced IBC that can oversee the entire event and make sure everything runs smoothly.
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Spotify and Pandora will be used to play our 15 second commercials featuring the Face of Mary Kay IBC winner in: Mary Kay’s At Play national ad, promotional ad for the Pop-Up Shops, and Mary Kay’s Holiday commercial. Additional ads may be displayed as banners, billboards, or even homepage takeovers. We allotted a large amount of the budget for freedom to take advantage of the advertising options Spotify and Pandora offer.
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To reach our target audience and promote our Mary Kay Stories campaign, we designed a microsite. This webpage will be an extension of the current website but will showcase the At Play products, social media,
the IBC contest winner, and how to find an IBC. The microsite will allow easy access to share Mary Kay Stories, seasonal looks, and tips and tricks guides.
23 Top College Cities:
To gain impressions from the highest percentage of our target audience, we decided to focus on cities with universities that have the highest percentage of female student body. We chose the top thirteen universities and will focus our campaign efforts in these areas.
1) Arizona State University Phoenix, AZ 2) Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 3) Liberty University Lynchburg, VA 4) Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 5) Penn State University State College, PA 6) Texas A&M University College Station, TX 7) The Ohio State University Columbus, OH 8) University of California Berkeley Berkeley, CA 9) University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 10) University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 11) University of Texas Austin, TX 12) University of Wisconsin Madison, WI 13) Washington State University Pullman, WA
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1,156,440 662,216 962,044 545,159 91,654 50,000 3,250,000 408,000 0 0 0 723,687 265,000 265,000 1,580,800 20,000 20,000 10,000,000
25 We will evaluate our campaign based on a series of on-going and periodic qualitative and quantitative methods.
39% Sponsorship/ Promotions 33% Digital Media
Ongoing Evaluation Quantitative: • • • •
28% Print Ads
Observation of new Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram followers/likes Observation of web traffic to Mary Kay homepage and microsite Number of shared stories from our demographic and votes on Face of Mary Kay contest Increased number of sales among At Play and other lines from clientelle in Millennial demographic
Qualitative: • •
Feedback on all digital platforms, including quality of stories told and shared Media buzz around campaign, especially the new Face of Mary Kay
Periodic Evaluation
Quantitative and Qualitative: • •
Budget Summary Category
Spent
Print Ads
$2,780,700
Promotions
$3,936,813
Digital
$3,282,487
Total
$10,000,000
Online surveys through microsite and Mary Kay website Focus groups of target market at end of campaign in targeted cities
Research Resources
(2014). Retrieved from KeywordSpy: http://www.keywordspy.com/member/Biernacki, S. (2013, October 14). Brand Bounce. Retrieved from Educational Marketing Group: http://emgonline. com/blog/2013/10/pandora-and-spotify-what-advertisers-need-to-know/Frost, P. (2014). How to Create a Profitable Google AdWords Campaign (from Scratch). Retrieved from KISS Metrics: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/profitable-google-adwords-campaign/Navak, V. (2013, December 19). Top 10 Creative YouTube Ads In 2013! Creativity Can Empower Paid Media! [REPORT]. Retrieved from Daze Info: http://www.dazeinfo.com/2013/12/19/ top-10-creative-youtube-ads-2013-creativity-can-deploy-paid-media-report/ (2013, December 27). Social Network Fact Sheet. Retrieved from Pew Research: http://www. pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/ (2014, February 10). Three Technology Revolutions. Retrieved from Pew Research: http://www. pewinternet.org/three-technology-revolutions/
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President
Angela Petrie
Research Director
Creative Directors
Media Director
Research Team
Creative Team
Media Team
Samantha Keeley
Rebecca Cravatta
Brian Gunderson
Lauren Damerell
Liming Kang
Allie Bowes Brianna Ruiz
Lindsay Boivin
Tanya Mannosvka
Special Thanks: Jayne Harris
Lorin Reidenbach
Alexa Goodman
Corbin Thoe
David Huhnke Tiffany Nunnally