Birchbox CSR Proposal: Final Report

CSR CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL FOR BIRCHBOX

Elena Drobova

Micayla Jacobs

Rui Li

HAPPINESS BEYOND THE BOX CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL FOR BIRCHBOX

Elena Drobova Micayla Jacobs Rui Li

PDGM 5120, Managing Creative Projects and Teams Professor Rhea Alexander Fall 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS Summary 7 Project Background 9 The Opportunity 10 Design Intent 11 Field Research and Interviews

12

Consumer State of Mind

15

Women and (Low) Self-Esteem

17

Fem-Vertising 19 A Formula For Happiness 21 Do Well By Doing Good 23 Personas 24 Journey Map 25 Brainstorm Workshop 26 Synthesis 27 Design Criteria 28 Solution 29 Assumptions 32 Prototyping and Findings

33

CSR Campaign Proposal

34

Conclusion 45 The Team 46 Acknowledgements 47 References 48

SUMMARY Project Overview: This report is about an exciting opportunity to leverage the innovative subscription

model of Birchbox to develop a corporate social responsibility campaign, which will make Birchbox a

leader in the beauty community. Through secondary research, user insights and hands on prototyping we have developed a campaign proposal that is strongly positioned to have a positive impact on Birchbox customers and community, as well as society at large.

Opportunity: With a reach of over 800,000 subscribers, Birchbox is in a unique position to be a force for good in the lives of their direct customers and women in general. Rather than simply delivering

curated content and beauty tips to their captive audience, Birchbox can lead the conversation about what true beauty, and true happiness really mean.

Findings: A growing number of girls and young women say they are unhappy with the way they look

and feel less positive about life in general. Media and social media contribute to the low self-esteem in some women. Interestingly enough, happiness is a skill that you can develop. Ones thoughts, actions, and behaviors, as well as nurturing relationships and giving to others, has a huge positive effect on ones happiness. We also found that many young adults have a strong desire to give back to their communities yet don’t know how or where to give.

Proposal: Research shows that 40% of ones happiness is in ones hands. This is where Birchbox

comes in. Birchbox can go beyond the box to be a positive force promoting happiness for its customers

and the community. Through sending inspiring messages to their customers, fostering a community of sharing and support among subscribers, as well as enabling customers to give back to causes they care about, we believe, Birchbox will make a strong positive contribution to the lives of many.

Business Case: Marketing campaigns that empower women and girls rather than perpetuating

stereotypes are proving to be hits with consumers and highly effective at generating sales and cultivating a loyal customer base.

Conclusion: Throughout our research, customer interviews and prototyping sessions we have seen the positive effects that this campaign can yield to our target audience. Based on this evidence we

believe that this campaign would have a strong and lasting positive social effect, anchoring Birchbox as a leader in the conversation surrounding the importance of happiness, self-esteem, inner beauty and community giving.

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PROJECT BACKGROUND Birchbox is a New York City-based online subscription service that delivers a box of curated beauty samples on a monthly basis. In just a few years Birchbox has been able to capture the hearts of over 800,000 monthly subscribers and was valued at a reported $485 million in April 2014, when it received $60 million in second round venture capital.[1] Birchbox was named one of the most innovative companies of 2014 by Mashable Inc. Its demographic is strongly tailored to women who make up 70% of their customer base.

Birchbox is part curated content, part community, and part a glossy beauty catalog. It has built an engaged community of like-minded Birchboxers that flock to company’s site and social media channels for curated content, events, beauty tips and tutorials.

Though success brought in a number of copy cats and immitators, the founders were only motivated to push further. “It can be really healthy to have competition, but most importantly, keep your head down and focus on your brand and your service or your product and what makes it unique and special. Don’t take too much time obsessing over what somebody else is, versus what you really saw and started, because nobody can copy your vision,” Katia Beauchamp, one of the founders says.[2] The wide reach of Birchbox customer base, as well as strong, visionary ethos of the company represents an amazing opportunity to reach women across the US and make a positive impact beyond the box.

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DESIGN INTENT Our design goal was to create a Corporate Social Responsibility campaign for Birchbox that would provide added value and meaning to the subscripition

With over 800,000 monthly subscribers Birchbox is in a perfect position to reach women across the US and make a positive social impact, as well as to help those in need.

A

strong

Corporate

Social

With those goals in mind we defined our scope as follows:

Responsibility

campaign aligns the company values with a greater good and promotes actions that will

• Understand the brand and business model • Understand customers - what attracts people to Birchbox, what do they care about, customer pain points • Create an initial campaign idea that adds value to existing customers, addresses their concerns and pain points, and is capable of attracting new customers

bring about a positive effect.

To truly resonate with the consumer, it was important for us to develop a campaign that reflects the values of Birchbox as well as speaks to the needs of their customers.

Lastly, our goal was also to ensure that this is a sustainable campaign that positively affects the business strategy of Birchbox, and can continue to run while contributing to, rather than detracting from the bottom line.

Expected outcomes We hope to improve the brand experience for Birchbox users as well as create a stronger, more loyal customer base.

We also plan to create a positive social identity for the brand that will add meaning to the current offering and attract new customers.

Our design goals were: • bring extra happiness and meaning to customers • empower women • cultivate social awareness • add a positive spin on consumerism • improve brand experience • increase customer base and Birchbox community

Finally, we plan to raise social awareness about causes important to the Birchbox community.

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FIELD RESEARCH & INTERVIEWS In 2014 Birchbox opened its first brick and mortar store in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City at 433 West Broadway. The store has brought the entire Birchbox experience to life - customers can shop for beauty, grooming and lifestyle products, build their own Birchbox as well as get their hair, makeup and nails done. The store also hosts regular events featuring style and makeup personas as well as food and drinks for a party like atmosphere in order to further bolster the New York Birchbox community.

BIRCHBOX CSR CAMPAIGN USER INTERVIEW GUIDE

2) There was also some concern about accumulating too many products and therefore generating waste.

(N.B. This interview guide is intended as a ‘checklist’ for the interview. The guide is thus a springboard for discussion. Participants’ responses may lead the discussion in new directions or change the order of topics. Some questions or techniques may be skipped if issues have already been sufficiently covered at an earlier stage.)

“It is fun but I am not sure if I need it.

It is easy to subscribe to many things.”

- Carolyn

Hello, my name is xxx. I am a graduate student in Strategic Design at Parsons. We are conducting a research for Birchbox to help it provide better services and raise awareness of social responsibilities. Could I ask you several questions? It will take several minutes. Your time and help is highly appreciated.

“I am not crazy about all the products.

I don’t use that many products. I dont need it each month.”- Talie

We went to the Birchbox store and were able to conduct interviews with ten people (two employees and eight customers). These were in depth interviews that focused on qualitative design research to collect insights rather than quantitative data. We felt this was more valuable as our design goals focus strongly on emotions and therefore we wanted to really get a sense of the needs and feelings of the Birchbox customer.

There are three key insights that we gained from the interviews:

“Birchbox is great, it’s like a gift

1) Getting a Birchbox each month was a source of happiness for the customer. They described it as if they were receiving a gift from themselves. The box delivers surprise and delight.

to myself each month. Makes me happy.” - Marina “It’s like it’s your birthday every month. It’s a surprise each time, you

“I just like not knowing what I am

don’t know what you gonna get. It

going to get every month. I am a

makes me happy.”- Sashom

product junkie. I like trying new

1. Are you a Birchbox subscriber? (if yes, go to question 2; if no, go to question 9) 2. How long have you been a subscriber to Birchbox?

3. Could you please tell me what made you decide to join Birthbox?

4. How do you like Birchbox so far? Why? (probe) 5. How do you feel when you get your Birchbox each month? (probe) 6. Do you and your friends share your Birchbox experiences?

7. Do you think $10 for each box is a reasonable price? Or do you feel it is too expensive or too cheap?

8. What else do you wish to get in your Birchbox besides makeup and skincare products, if it could be anything?

9. Have you ever heard of Birchbox? Would you consider subscribing to Birchbox? Why/Why not?

3) We also found that many Birchbox customers cared not only about physical beauty but also inner beauty.

Questions below are for all respondents: 10. Could you tell me three things you value the most in your life?

11. When was the last time you felt beautiful about yourself? Why did you feel that way? (probe) 12. Are you involved with any social or charitable cause or work? (if yes, go to question 13a; if no, go to question 13b) 13. (a) What is your favorite part in your involvement with the cause or work? (b) If you were going to donate to or volunteer for a social cause or organization tomorrow, what cause or organization would it be?

14. Could you describe an ideal Saturday for me? (lifestyle question)

“To be happy and confident and feel beautiful on the inside - thats what everyone should aim for” - Shashom (Birchbox Store Manager)

“We need to celebrate each other more. Women don’t compliment

things.” - Fiona

each other enough” - Diddy 12

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“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.

Walt Disney

CONSUMER STATE OF MIND We hoped that Birchbox, as a beauty company, could be a positive voice for women within the industry. However, we needed to better understand the issues at play and test our assumptions to verify our conclusions. We also needed to better understand happiness if this was to be our desired end goal in order to focus on what we could do to influence the happiness of our target audience. We also looked into campaigns that we found inspiring within the space in order to learn from their example.

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WOMEN & (LOW) SELF-ESTEEM A growing number of girls and young women say they are unhappy with the way they look and feel less positive about life in general.

Media, social media and even biology are some of the factors that contribute to low self esteem.

33% of young women are dissatisfied with their looks, up from 26% in 2012.

their 298 participants said that their “use of social networks like Facebook and Twitter makes their lives worse”.[4]

A women’s lifestyle website SheKnows polled 628 women and found that 91% of respondents believe how women are portrayed in advertising has a direct impact on girls’ selfesteem, and 94% agree that portraying women as sex symbols in advertisements is harmful.[3]

The reason could also be rooted in biology.

Wired for responsiveness to the needs of a nonverbal infant, female brain makes a woman more sensitive to emotional nuance, such as disapproval or rejection, according to Louann Brizendine, MD, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco, and the author of The Female Brain.[5]

The University of Salford in the UK did a study last year on social media’s effects on selfesteem and anxiety, and reported that 50% of

Girls’ Attitude Survey, Girlguiding

One of the slides presented at Advertising Week panel on “fem-vertising”, slide courtesy of SheKnows 17

FEM-VERTISING Marketing campaigns that empower women and girls rather than perpetuating stereotypes are proving to be hits with consumers and highly effective at generating sales.

“You are beautiful” project

“There’s a pay gap, a leadership gap and visual gender gap. You can’t be what you can’t see.”

Jessica Bennett, Journalist and Contributing Editor at LeanIn.org

You Are Beautiful is more than a little sticker, it’s an idea.

It’s a way to brighten someone’s day, a way to remind ourselves that even when things aren’t going great, it’s ok. It began simply with 100 stickers in 2002 in Chicago, and has since evolved into block-long murals, public installations, and exhibitions at cultural institutions involving thousands of artists. The community has rallied around the message, and people from around the world have started adding their voice. you-are-beautiful.com

Dove Real Beauty Campaign This year marks ten years since Dove launched its revolutionary “Campaign for Real Beauty” that celebrates the natural physical differences personified by all women and encourages them to have the confidence to be comfortable and happy with themselves. The campaign was extremely successful and contributed to significant increase in confidence among women and young girls. It was also a home run in terms of sales, which increased to $4 billion today from $2.5 billion in its opening campaign year. dove.us/Our-Mission/Real-Beauty/default.aspx

Under Armour: I Will What I Want Under Armour’s “I WILL WHAT I WANT” campaign speaks to women who do not wait for permission, advice or affirmation from others in order to go after what they want. The campaign features female athletes using their will to tune out society’s standards to achieve their dreams. https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/iwillwhatiwant IWILLWHATIWANT.com

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A FORMULA FOR HAPPINESS Since happiness is what everyone is ultimately searching for, we took a deeper look into what makes people happy.

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.�

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, suggests that 50% of happiness is genetically predetermined, while 10% is due to life circumstances, and 40% is the result of your own personal outlook.[6]

The recently emerged field of positive psychology argues that harnessing the 40% can make a significant difference in both your day-to-day life and in your long-term feeling of fulfillment and contentment.

Practicing gratitude, helping others, focusing on new experiences and nurturing relationships make the foundation of a lasting happiness.

Her theory about how much genes influence happiness comes in part from studies that show identical twins raised apart are closer in happiness levels than fraternal twins who were raised together. Fraternal twins share only half their genes, as opposed to identical twins who share 100% of their genetic material.[7]

In your control: thoughts, actions, and behaviors

The level of happiness can be increased further by learning to savor experiences through the use of all senses (sight, smell, sound), sharing with someone else, paying attention to details and dwelling on the moment.[8]

genetics

40%

50%

10% circumstances 21

DO WELL BY DOING GOOD Millennials are driving an ever-growing trend of capitalism-with-a-conscience through their collective buying power of more than $200 billion annually and their deep-rooted desire to do good.[9]

The most frequently reported motivations for making donations are feeling compassion for those in need (90%), wanting to help a cause in which the donor personally believes (86%) and wanting to make a contribution to the community (80%).[10]

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”

Mark Twain

create and shape the giving behaviors of the brands they love.”[13] They don’t just want to give to a brand selected cause but have a hand in choosing the causes that brands they care about contribute to. It is important to include ones customers when deciding what causes your brand should focus their efforts on in order to ensure they feel included and invested in the process.

A number of the barriers to giving are related to the ways in which organizations make their requests for donations. 34% of donors indicated they did not give because they did not like the way in which the request for donations was made, 24% indicated that they did not give because they were not asked and 12% did not know where to make a contribution.[11]

Millennials also have an affinity towards brands that have a social component - choosing to put their money where their mouth is and strongly support brands that demonstrate a social commitment.[14] This is not a niche perspective, more than 85% of millennials correlate their purchasing decisions as well as how willing they are to recommend a brand with the brands social efforts.[15] Birchbox provides a perfect platform to encourage charitable giving amongst its community. Not only is it a way to connect with their customers by supporting causes they care about but it also provides a seamless opportunity for their customers to give back.

Not having a convenient place to donate was also commonly cited as an important reason for not giving, inconvenience being a very high barrier to donation.[12] However, young women have a strong inclination to give back to their community.

In fact, “Millennials demand a ‘participation’ economy that allows them to contribute, co-

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PERSONAS

JOURNEY MAP

Through the insights gleaned from our research including interviews and desk research we were able to define three clear personas. These personas helped us understand what our customer cares about and how to cater the offering to her.

Jamie, 25 “OMG! I love Birchbox. I love not knowing what I am going to get every month. I am a product junkie. I like trying new things.”

PERSONAL PROFILE

Jamie is a self-professed shopaholic. Being in fashion PR it’s part of her job to know of everything new on the market.

She justifies her shopping expenditures as ‘research’. She takes shopping as a competitive sport and is keen to impress her friends with something they’ve never heard of.

As our campaign focuses on the personal experience and the connected emotions - how we feel about ourselves and others - the journey map with a pivotal phase for the development of this campaign and for focusing our insights into where we could make the biggest positive impact.

By mapping the highs and lows of the customer and their Birchbox experience we were able to pinpoint where we could intervene to create the most effective change. We found this to be at the point of receiving the box as well as after the high of receiving a box is depleting. We also wanted to find a way to tackle the concern some customers had about over-accumulation and waste while not deviating from Birchbox’s business model which is predicated on sending monthly samples. Through workshops we were able to further clarify exactly where and how these interventions should take place.

She the ‘taste-maker’ image she created and knows that her opinion and recommendations are valued within her circle.

PERSONAL INFORMATION • Location: NYC • Profession: Fashion PR • Education: BA • Income: 70K • Home Life: in a relationship, no kids

MOTIVATION

FRUSTRATION

Jamie likes to stay ahead of the curve and is open to collaborating a brand in exchange for earning an insider status.

Jamie doesn’t have a lot of time and usually disregards any brand participation if she doesn’t see a benefit for herself.

BIRCHBOX BEHAVIOR • Subscriber: yes, 2 years • Familiar with the brand: yes

USER GOALS

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

DIGITAL BEHAVIOR • Internet Experience: Savvy • Primary Uses: Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, Pinterest, LinkedIn

Jamie wants to…

• Be the first to know about latest products • Get the tools or information that would help her maintain her taste-maker status among friends

We want Jamie to…

• Use her network power to help spread positive message • Want Jamie to endorse Birchbox CSR agenda

CHARITABLE BEHAVIOR • n/a

JOURNEY MAP 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

AWARENESS

CONSIDERATION

SIGN-UP

FILL PROFILE

WAIT/WONDER

RECEIVE BOX

USE PRODUCTS

WAIT/WONDER

- Research - Recommendation - Visited Birchbox store

- Check out website - Checkout Reviews - Facebook /Youtube page - Talk to friends

- Create an account - Choose subscription type - Sign up for newsletter

- Open the box - Look up product information on site

- Try Products - Share with friends - follow Birchbox on Facebook - Watch makup tutorials on Youtube - Deal with unused samples

- Receive Birchbox emails

Instagram Post

“My Novemner Box! I heart Birchbox”

Delighted “The sign up is pretty quick! Appreciate sites that do that...”

Carrie, 27

Carolyn, 36

PERSONAL INFORMATION • Location: Westchester, NY • Profession: Brand manager, Estee Lauder • Education: BA • Income: 150K • Home Life: married, new mom

- Go through the questionnaire

“Birchbox is a neat concept, and they do have nice products. For $10/mo it’s a great deal. Now that I am staying at home with a baby, it’s fun to get this burst of surprise each month.”

“I’ve heard of Birchbox, a bunch of my friends are using it. I am thinking about it, but haven’t decided yet. It is fun but I am not sure if I need it. It is easy to subscribe to many things.”

PERSONAL PROFILE

PERSONAL PROFILE

Carolyn has a 3 month old daughter. With a birth of her child she feels her outlook on life and her priorities changed.

She subconsciously wants to create a better, more secure world for her child to live in, and tries to find a way to achieve this through her daily activities, be it the products she buys, her interactions with other people or her own actions.

Carrie is an enthusiastic shopper and is always on a lookout for the latest and greatest. With no children, or major commitments she can usually afford to buy anything she wants. Her friends are much the same way. They often share their latest discoveries among each other.

FRUSTRATION

Carolyn likes to shop, and being in the beauty industry spends a lot on different products, both for research as well as for personal use.

As a new mom, she is now more selective about what she buys, preferring to give her money and time to something she values.

As a new parent Carolyn is starting to think more of the bigger bigger picture of consumerism, and the values that each brand stands for. She wants to contribute to the causes she believes in through the brands she affiliates with.

BIRCHBOX BEHAVIOR • Subscriber: yes, 6 months • Familiar with the brand: yes

USER GOALS

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

DIGITAL BEHAVIOR • Internet Experience: Savvy • Primary Uses: Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn

Carolyn wants to…

• Get a personalized product sampler • Get something more out of the interaction with the brand than just products

We want Carolyn to…

• Support Birchbox CSR initiative and become an advocate for the campaign • Tell her friends about the campaign

“Just $10 a month for a whole bunch of samples...”

Facebook Post

“The wait is killing me!!

What will I get?!”

“OMG! THIS IS HILLARIOUS: THE BOX SAYS: TO THE DELIGHTFUL CARRIE!:)”

Birchbox tutorials are the best!

“VERY COOL! I LOVE ALL THESE SAMPLES, EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED”

“You know that thing when you see someone cute and he smiles and your heart kind of goes like warm butter sliding down hot toast? Well that's what it's like when I see a store. Only it's better.”

So true! BUT the joy wears off too soon!”

“Hmm... When is my Birchbox coming?!”

Carrie is not a heavy cosmetics user and usually invests into a few tried and true quality products. She does follow the latest trends and can every now and then try something new.

Being health and wellness conscious, she is mindful of the things she brings into her life, and looks for value, craftsmanship, and meaning in products and services she spends money on.

As a born and raised city girl, she loves the fun of shopping. But she now tries to be more selective about things that she spends her money on.

MOTIVATION

“OMG! Everyone is using Birchbox, I should try..”

“This profiler is fun!

Can they really personalize this much?:)”

PERSONAL INFORMATION • Location: NYC • Profession: Media Executive • Education: BA • Income: 80K • Home Life: in a relationship, no kids BIRCHBOX BEHAVIOR • Subscriber: no • Familiar with the brand: yes DIGITAL BEHAVIOR • Internet Experience: Savvy • Primary Uses: Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn CHARITABLE BEHAVIOR • Donates money to causes, but no specific affiliations

CHARITABLE BEHAVIOR • Various charities through her husband’s fund

MOTIVATION

FRUSTRATION

Carrie is open to trying new things and likes discovering new brands. At this stage in her life she is looking for value and good quality, she doesn’t mind spending more for things she believes in or see good value in.

Carrie doesn’t see the value in accumulating stuff for the sake of it.

She is not a heavy product user and is afraid monthly samples will be a waste.

USER GOALS

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

Carrie wants to…

• Give Birchbox a try without feeling guilty for wasting a lot of products • She wants to experience the suprise and delight that her friends tell her Birchbox brings • Feel there is a bigger reason other than receiving samples, to commit to the brand

We want Carrie to…

• Know that Birchbox is doing more than just introducing more products to peoples lives • Subscribe so that she sees the value of the collective effort

Neutral

“Not sure what it’s all about...”

“I don’t really use much product, do I really need this??”

“MEH... I DON’T THINK I’LL USE ANY OF THESE...KIND OF A WASTE....”

While we were able to capture three distinct personas, for the purpose of this campaign we chose to create the journey map on the next page based on two of them - Jamie and Carrie, who have the most dramatic emotional experiences during the journey.

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Disappointed

25

“SO THAT’S IT?!? NOW JUST USE THE SAMPLES AND WAIT FOR ANOTHER BOX...”

“Should I give it another month or cancel now???”

BRAINSTORM WORKSHOP

SYNTHESIS

Our first workshop focused on the personas and journey map that we created and were able to gain a lot of insight from the group. Our workshop focused on maximizing the high-high emotions and minimizing the low-low emotions during the journey for our personas.

Through the feedback received from the workshop we were able to come up with 6 key themes around which to develop our ideas.

We split the group into two, with one group brainstorming the ‘highs’ and the other the ‘lows’ of the journey:

• Quotes, inspirational messages

SAMPLE SWAP/ COMMUNITY

• Tailored lifestyle recommendations

• #sampleswapNYC.

INSPIRE

• Surprise and delight • Hyper personalization (links to your calendar)

Highs:

• “Happy Day” meetup / store events

• How can we make the recipient feel extra special/ happy through the monthly box?

• What can we do to deliver maximum surprise and happiness without any additional expense?

• Trade in unwanted products for other things

SEND A MESSAGE

REDISTRIBUTE/ DONATE

• Community advocates: those who love Birchbox send messages to those who hate it

• Charity donation

TAILOR SHIPMENT

• How can we address the waste concern that some customers might have?

• Let users preview samples before they ship • Monthly satisfaction survey to tailor the offering

• How can we capitalize on the unused samples to turn that into a positive experience?

• “Swap samples” parties/events

• Makeover Surprize

• Art sculpture out of packaging to be auctioned off, donated to a cause

Lows:

• Meet other Birchbox users in your community

• 1 for 1 deal like Warby Parker or Toms. Buy one full size product and we’ll donate hygiene items to those in need.

• Share samples with a friend

RETURN UNUSED SAMPLES FOR A CREDIT • Return what you don’t want • Get store credit • Earn points • Minimize waste

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DESIGN CRITERIA Keeping these 6 themes in mind we set about creating a design criteria to further narrow down and focus our ideas.

USER PERCEPTIONS • Easy to understand and to use • Feel good about oneself • Communal value • Contributing to society

FUNCTIONAL ATTRIBUTES • Enable customers to take social responsibility • Create communities • Delivery happiness and meaning • Address concerns

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES • Any physical means used for this campaign must be: • Delightful and green

CONSTRAINTS

SOLUTION Taking into account our design criteria, the needs of the Birchbox community, Birchbox’s values and business model and looking at that in the context of the 6 themes that emerged from our workshop we were able to focus our ideas.

We focused on sending a message and inspiring the community as well as a donation component. These themes fit in with the values of the brand while not disrupting their current business model. They would also have maximum impact on the customer and fulfill their needs.

• Financial and time budget • Logistical arrangement

• Consistent with Birchbox brand identity • Financially and logistically feasible

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CONCEPT 1:

CONCEPT 2:

INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGES

GIVING BACK

NEED

APPROACH

• Customers like to feel good and special about themselves

• Include one well-designed, inspiring message in each box

• Women can use more self-esteem and empowerment • Desire to feel beautiful on the outside and inside

• Message sticks can be kept and made into a collection

CONSTRAINTS

BENEFIT

• Customers feel empowered

• Content generation

• More surprises in the box

APPROACH

NEED

• Birchbox can establish partnership with social or charitable causes

• Desire for more meaning in consumerism

• Customers can choose to donate their “boxes” to causes for points

• Concerns about accumulating stuff at home

• Birchbox can convert the box donation to % money value or full-size products and donate to the causes

• Want to help others but there is no easy way in

CONSTRAINTS

BENEFIT

• Enable customers to give back in an easy way

• A new sub-system design • Logistical arrangement

• Raise social responsibility and help people in need

• More motivation to subscribe and to stay

• No extra product accumulation at home • Customers find more meaning in helping •

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others

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ASSUMPTIONS

PROTOTYOPING AND FINDINGS

Based on our final ideas we had to test our assumptions to make sure that our research and brainstorming had really led us to a viable campaign.

We were able to test these assumptions through a number of hands on prototyping activities.

1. We tested the impact of positive messaging

The main assumptions to be tested for our final ideas were:

by giving a personalized message to each member of the class. 100% of the class responded positively to the messaging, rating the happiness factor at 8/10 or higher.

1. Could messaging actually have a

positive impact on ones happiness?

2. We tested the value in building a positive

2. Was there value in building a

community through Birchbox by having class members contribute their own inspiring quotes to a live Happiness wall. We then observed the positive interactions amongst class members through their response to the quotes on the wall.

positive community through Birchbox beyond makeup tutorials?

3. Were people interested in giving to

causes through Birchbox inspired by different members of the community?

3. We prototyped the act of giving through Birchbox by simulating a donation page with a cause important to a Birchbox subscriber and had class members interact with the page.

They all indicated the personal story made them feel connected and inspired to give to the cause. They also appreciated the ease of giving through Birchbox and knowing that even a small gift made a difference.

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Birchbox’s Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign will be about delivering a more lasting happiness. Hapiness is a skill that can be cultivated and Birchbox’s mission will be to inspire its currect customers, the Birchbox community, and contribute to betterment of society at large.

Society

o x C o m mu b h c ni t B ir y Customer

CSR CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL

From surprise and delight to inspiration and motivation Focus

Current Birchbox Subscribers

How it works

B*HAPPY MESSAGES

B*HAPPY are messages that will be included in the box in order to bring inspiration to Birchbox subscribers every month.

These messages will be beautifully designed to appeal to all senses and will be crafted to provide inspiration and motivation. They can also provide a daily reminder that we all have something to be grateful for. These messages will focus on thought processes proven to promote happiness.

Furthermore, due to the beautiful design and tactile experience of these messages Birchbox customers will be inspired to collect and share their messages every month to further inspire others.

Strategic alignment with the CSR campaign

• A daily reminder of something to be grateful for • Experiential treat • A thought processes that promotes happiness

Happier Customer

Society chb r i B

o x C o m mu

Customer

ni t

y

Customer Value

Unexpected inspiration, a feeling of being cared for, like a warm hug from a distant friend, B*HAPPY messages will inspire, lift the mood, and become a source to turn to in times of troubles.

Business Value

Establishing a more personal, emotional relationship with the customer develops loyalty. Well-tailored messages will ignite sharing and word-of-mouth advertising.

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Focus

Let’s talk happy!

Birchbox Community

How it works

Birchbox will promote community interaction by establishing an online platform to share inspirational and motivational messages. #BHappy Wall section that will be integrated to the website will use hashtag “#BHappy” to aggregate user generated happy, inspirational, and empowering messages through Instagram and Twitter. Users will also be able to add an inspirational message directly through the site as well as share and Pin messages they like.

#BHappy

INSPIRATION WALL o x C o m mu

Customer

• • • •

ni t

Opportunity to share and interact Daily inspiration Power in numbers Nurturing relationships within the community

Customer Value

Happier Birchbox Community

Society chb r i B

Strategic alignment with the CSR campaign

In today’s hyper-connected, online world people are longing for connection to community. Those within the Birchbox community already have something in common that connects them. By adding the #behappy wall the community building can expand from beauty tips to positive self-image and happiness for the community, by the community.

y

Business Value

Happier Birchbox Community is a stronger customer base, and an ever-growing conversation with Birchbox as an anchor.

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Giving feels great!

Focus

Society

How it works

Each month Birchbox will feature a cause important to a different member of the Birchbox community. The community member will share a personal story about why the cause matters and how Birchbox community can help support through donations.

B CAUSE INITIATIVE

Birchbox will make a corporate contribution to the cause. Birchbox community members can contribute as follows: 1) by donating the value of their box that month or 2) by donating an amount above and beyond, or 3) by writing a message of hope and inspiration related to the cause. For every message Birchbox will make an additional contribution towards the cause.

Birchbox donation program removes many of the barriers to giving by aligning the cause with what customers care about, and making the giving experience seamless by integrating it into the existing shopping process.

Happier Society

Society chb r i B

o x C o m mu

Customer

ni t

y

Strategic alignment with the CSR campaign

• Giving and gratitude are natural ways to boost happiness • Supporting customer by supporting causes they care about • Opportunity to share and interact

Customer Value

Opportunity to give and contribute and feel better about themselves by helping others.

Business Value

Happier community = a more fulfilled society + an example for other companies to follow.

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CONCLUSION Birchbox has an opportunity to position itself as a leader within their industry as a company who promotes the happiness of its community through positive social impact. Responding to growing concerns within the media of how women view themselves, attaching their brand to a campaign focused on happiness, community building and charitable giving will set Birchbox apart.

“Happiness is like a kiss.

You must share it to enjoy it.�

Bernard Meltzer

With 40% of happiness open to influence, Birchbox has an exciting opportunity to take the brand experience beyond the box. With engaging positive content, community building, and supporting causes their customers care about Birchbox will attract millennials who look for a brands commitment to social impact when choosing where to spend their money.

Throughout our research, customer interviews and prototyping sessions we have seen the positive effects that this campaign can yield to our target audience. Based on this evidence we believe that this campaign would have a strong and lasting positive social effect while contributing to the bottom line. It will anchor Birchbox as a leader in the conversation surrounding the importance of happiness, self-esteem, inner beauty and community giving and will hopefully promote a trend towards more positive branding within the industry as a whole.

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THE TEAM Elena Drobova is a UX designer and brand strategist with a passion for all things digital. Currently a Creative Director at RDA International, a branding and marketing agency, she leads creative concept development, user experience planning, design and implementation of cross channel digital campaigns for Sony Electronics and Starwood brands. Her prior experience spans across a number of marketing agencies in New York and Toronto, where she led UX and creative development for Dove, Nissan, Sunsilk, LG, Infinity, Ben & Jerry’s, PayPal, and more.

THANK YOU

Micayla Jacobs is currently a graduate student in Strategic Design & Management

at Parsons. Prior to arriving in New York, she completed her undergraduate degree in International Development Studies at McGill University. Following her time at McGill she channeled her ideals of giving back to the community through work at a b-corporation, FlipGive. FlipGive is a technology start-up that developed a platform to facilitate grassroots fundraising online. In her role as account manager working with major brands such as Lowe’s, Aldo and Costco, Micayla was able to gain insight into corporate social responsibility and how brands can connect with customers through positive social impact, which she is now able to apply to BirchBox.

Rui Li is currently a graduate student in Strategic Design at Parsons. Previously, she

was a freelance strategist in Chicago involved with various business and social design

challenges as well as startups while working full-time as a senior consultant managing spend analytics projects for Fortune 500 companies. After that, she worked at a leading design agency in Shanghai on clients’ design research and strategy projects as well as on the firm’s own transformation into an innovation consultancy. She holds a bachelors in Management and a masters in Finance. She also studied graphic design at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Team Values, 8 principles: optimistic, collaborative, nourishing, resilient, human-centered, meaning-oriented, open-minded, self-initiated.

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Thank you to our Professor Rhea Alexander and the rest of our class for your invaluable contributions through our brainstorming workshops and prototyping testing sessions.

REFERENCES Citations [1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/hollieslade/2014/06/02/the-pitch-that-launched-birchbox-the-485mstuff-in-a-box-business [2] http://www.fastcompany.com/3030433/bottom-line/how-birchbox-used-a-threat-to-their-businessas-motivation [3] http://girlsattitudes.girlguiding.org.uk/video/girls_attitudes_video.aspx [4] http://thesocialu101.com/the-relationship-between-social-media-and-self-worth/ [5] http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Why-Women-Have-Low-Self-Esteem-How-to-Feel-MoreConfident [6], [7] http://www.medhelp.org/mental-health/articles/How-to-Cultivate-Happiness-That-Lasts/87 [8] http://my.happify.com/hd/science-of-happiness-infographic/ [9] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237243 [10] http://www.redbirdonline.com/blog/understanding-donor-psychology-motivations-and-barrierscharitable-giving [11], [12] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16584430 [13], [14], [15] http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237243 Books Designing for Growth: A Design Thinking Tool Kit for Managers, Liedtka, Jeanne, and Tim Ogilvie. New York: Columbia Business School Pub., Columbia UP, 2011 Business Model Generation, Alexander Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, 2010 Videos Martin Seligman on Positive Psychology: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology.html Barbara Fredrickson on Positive Emotions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds_9Df6dK7c Mihalye Csikszentmihalyi on Flow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXIeFJCqsPs Images Workshop images: Rhea Alexander, Elena Drobova, Rui Li, Micayla Jacobs p. 8, p.12: Birchbox.com

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ARISTOTLE