UNMASKD: Creative Strategy and Promotion Document by Aimee Willis by Northumbria University

The Community CREATIVE STRATEGY AND PROMOTION DOCUMENT

Aimee Willis 18017364 BA(Hons) Fashion Communication Final Major Project

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The Concept Rationale Research and Analysis Survey Results Swot Analysis Target Audience Objectives Strategy Promotional Tactics Timeline Costs and Budget References 3

BRAND MOOD

The Concept Unmaskd is an membership-based community focused on creating a safe space for those needing escape from social media. Our world is one that is fuelled by a social media movement, however this can be daunting for some. Platforms such as Instagram can put a pressure on people to feel they have to live and present themselves to suit the online world. Unmaskd are opposed to this. We feel that to feel comfortable online, we should let it all hang out, our personalities, our feelings and our true selves. We like to think of ourselves as a Caremongering Community, where you can escape and divulge in content that feels a little bit more up to your own speed. We are passionate about creating a safe, warming and friendly environment to welcome people of all ages, genders and backgrounds. Our current platforms and products include, a membership-based app, a monthly zine and a monthly community subscription box to help care for our members and make their online experience more calm and stress-free. 4

The Unmaskd app The app is where Unmaskd began; a safe space to escape the restraints of social media. The app platform engages members with honest and real content, allowing them to explore more relatable information. Unmaskd content takes a creative and homemade standpoint to help the brand feel as natural as possible. We want people to want to be a part of our community, not because they have to. The app is the touch-point for all the other content for the brand. The monthly membership box and zine will both be available from this. Development for members to interact with each other is also possible with the app, which is the direction this will be going in the future.

The Zine The Unmaskd zine allows for members to have collectable content within the community. As a brand that takes on a creative standpoint, the zine allows for artistic content in a more physical format from the app. The zine will work individually and also as an insert within the membership box. The zine will be in an A5 format and printed on recycled uncoated card-stock. It will be a monthly zine which will be available within the app. The zine will also in the future, be able to work collaboratively with both members and artists to help contribute to content within the edit. 8

The Community Box The Unmaskd community box aims to give members the sense of community in a box in their own, personal spaces. With carefully curated and ethical products, the box essentially is a way to keep members connected and involved in the community. Some of the products will embrace a QR code which will link to a specific page on the app where members can find other members’ take on that item whether it be recipes they have created with the herbs they have grown or letters they have wrote. The community box can be paid month-to-month and is an optional purchase within the app. To help promote these boxes, there is scope and opportunity to work alongside and collaborate with small businesses and ethical companies to provide products which will then lead to more advertising of the box and also Unmaskd as a whole.

Rationale The role that social media plays in our day to day life is enormous and reaps a wave of negative, positive and neutral feelings towards. Unmaskd aims to target those that feel overwhelmed with this and need a break. With more and more negative feelings towards several platforms, and the mental health crisis associated to this soaring, it has never been more relevant and essential for a platform such as Unmaskd to exist. “Social media addiction is a behavioral addiction that is characterized as being overly concerned about social media, driven by an uncontrollable urge to log on to or use social media, and devoting so much time and effort to social media that it impairs other important life areas.” (Addiction Centre, 2021) In result of this, more social media users are feeling the need to take a hiatus or break from the platforms to prevent further issues mentally. Over the past year, we have recognised how essential social media has become in terms of communication and being able to feel a sense of community. If we can offer a service that can offer these two key motivations but without the harmful effects on mental and physical health, then we feel we have a successful brand. Due to COVID-19 there has been a noticeable shift from Instagram to Tik Tok, with the platform championing authenticity. Authenticity is a trait that Instagram has lost over the past years with feeds riddled with advertisements and collaborations. Tik Tok’s user engagement doubled from February to March. (Cnet.com, 2020) This evidently shows the need for my authentic platforms for users to engage with which is essentially driving Unmaskd.

“People are really looking for a more significant distraction. T hey want to be entertained.” Bart Andrews, VP, Behavioral Health Response

Research & Analysis

Community Over the years, the word community has been thrown around in many different contexts. From Facebook groups to social media followers, we have begun to lose the true nature of what a community really means. To Unmaskd, community means a group of people who care for each other and feel a sense of belonging. Over the past year, the challenges that we have faced as humans and as a country have been unimaginable, and through this crisis the ideology of community as a belonging has come back into the forefront and become more essential to our lives. As WGSN states, ‘[companies want to] reassure customers and demonstrate the importance of care and community. Consumers want brands to seem more human, and will look to businesses that step up to support people during this difficult time.’ (2020). Through COVID-19 we have discovered how essential communication is with one another through the isolation and loneliness that some of us have suffered over the past year. To help people through this, a rise in community spirit has emerged and taken over; People now seek out fulfilment from online platforms. ‘Community is critical for us to thrive, especially for someone with mental illness who is already experiencing the common symptoms of loneliness and isolation.’ (NAMI, 2019) Community is now not just a group of followers or a fan base, it has become something much more; a place for people to feel safe, fulfilled and supported.

Caremongering

‘#Caremongering’ is a new socially-charged movement driven by communities across the world. Originating in Canada, the Facebook movement has created a lasting effect on the use of caremongering within community health and social needs. It has emerged as a ‘positive way to tackle coronavirus-related anxiety’ and to help ‘encourage small acts of kindness within communities’ (WGSN, 2020) The movement also provides an insight into how social media can be used as a platform for such movements, and spreading messages at the speed it does. The movement surrounds the notion of being able to help provide small communities with essential needs such as food and housing but caremongering is much more than this; it is a human emotion. As a word that has derived from the opposite of ‘scaremongering’, something that is seen on a daily through news reporting, particularly throughout COVID times. It is clear that caremongering is a movement that the world has needed to adopt after the lasting effects of the storm we have suffered over the past year and a half. 18

60% report having a

online. feel it is important to speak up about important issues on social media. of respondents use social media to connect with friends and family. of respondents have felt the need to take a break/hiatus from social media when things have become too much.

52%

52% said

that ‘current image standards currently set in society are created by unrealistic goals that are set on social media.’

to posting something and later regretting it.

Survey Results

have a negative attitude towards social media.

54% agree with the statement that ‘social media can harm your mental health.’

*Survey conducted on Online Surveys with 44 respondents.

Notable Quotes

Swot Analysis Strengths The rise in community spirit over the past year has created more interest in more caring communities that offer fulfilment to consumers. With such a large shift in social media opinions, and the need for more authentic platforms, Unmaskd is the perfect platform to be placed within this. The booming subscription box market makes this aspect of the proposal direct a successful brand. The use of an app instead of a website targets those who are regular social media users on their phones and tablets. Using a zine instead of a full publication creates a physical collectors item which targets the creative audience.

Weaknesses Because Unmaskd uses online platforms it could put off those who are seeking a way out of social media. Finding ways to promote the product without using social media, which is a primary marketing technique for the target audience. Some members may not want to engage with certain aspects of the platform (some may want the app but not the box or zine).

Trying to keep all members happy and engaged may be difficult due to differing interests that are being targeted with this platform.

Opportunities From the past year, we have entered a social isolation that we have never been in before. This gives the opportunity to offer a better safe space for people that wasn’t there before to aid in a crisis as such. Many anti-social media brands and campaigns focus on overly positive branding. Unmaskd aims to be as real and authentic as possible which would work better in this instance. The opportunity to utilise online social spaces to become more positive and have a lasting effect on mental health. Opportunity within the membership box to collaborate with brands and create an income and awareness that they may not have had before.

Threats Social media platforms are continuously adapting their spaces to target new audiences. This could bring people back to the addiction that Unmaskd aims to rid. Financial risks if the membership box does not receive well with members. To not let the box become too commercialised and to remain community based but still aiming to make a profit.

Above: Belinda Kou, Choose What you Consume

Alternate social media platforms are on the rise, Unmaskd must continuously stick to the community message to stay as authentic and true to the brand as possible.

Above: Belinda Kou, Choose What you Consume

GENDER

Primarily female but not exclusive to this gender only.

INTERESTS

This audience have interests in the creative arts, e.g. painting, calligraphy, poetry, writing. They also take an interest in real-life stories which coincides with their values.

They enjoy being a part of a group and in a social situation. They sometimes feel lonely when going long periods of time without seeing people. They are loving and caring people who like to find a creative outlet.

HABITS

Below: Saskia Wilson for Marie Claire

Find themselves on social media without realising. Their interests have been heavily influenced by social media as with their purchases.

Follow and engage with positive accounts on social media. Tries to not take influence from popular accounts but rather more real, honest accounts. Likes to interact with groups of similar people with similar interests.

LIKES & DISLIKES

INTERACTIONS

PERSONALITY

VALUES

AGE

Target Audience

They like feeling like they belong, and feeling they have a purpose with everything they do. They want to feel happy but don’t all the time. They dislike dishonesty and artificial posts online. They also dislike seeing online abuse.

18-30 but not limited to this age bracket.

This audience values being an empathetic and caring person. Ensuring they support others when needed and are passionate about their interests. They also value being truthful and honest.

Objectives

Unmaskd want to raise awareness and become a recognised brand and alternative space to social media. The main platform being the app will aid this and awareness will be spread through the optional extras that are available. We want to become a place that when things get too much, members can feel they can come to us and be able to breathe.

One of the main objectives for Unmaskd, is to create a community and safe space for people. Our main goal is to bring a group of similar individuals from our target together and be able to read and discover others in similar situations and with similar stories. Through the app, zine and membership box, we hope to give people an online community that is communicated with physical products as well. Our community stands for honesty, realness, kindness and authenticity.

We want to continuously make ourselves the best platform we can be. As Unmaskd is a community based on audience direction, we want to take the opinion of our members and use it to our advantage and make the most comforting and successful space we can imagine. This will help to create the community, become recognisable and help to change others.

Essentially, our job as a brand is to help to change the lives of others. If we can help just an inch to make our members’ online lives that bit easier then we’re onto something. With the mental health crisis at an all time high due to COVID, we want to help those that are feeling the worst effects of social isolation and give them somewhere to connect with others.

Strategy

The strategy for Unmaskd aims to help make us a household name. We want to be the go-to community to escape the restraints of social media. This chapter will detail the steps Unmaskd will take in the short-term to get to this long-term goal. It will also explore possible strategies that can be explored after the immediate set-up of the community.

The App The Unmaskd app is the main touch-point of the platform. This app will be the starting point of gaining a start up amount of members before other aspects of the platform are released. Because we aim for this to be an alternative choice to social media, the app will be maintained daily with content and updates to help engage and motivate members to become more involved with the community. The app’s design exudes Unmaskd’s branding, creating a warm and inviting space for members. To the left is the log in page which immediately sets the tone of the community being an exclusive space where you must sign up. This gives off the message that Unmaskd is a place where people want to be and don’t feel they have to be, unlike other social media platforms.

The mock-ups to the left include the About page, the Features page and the Useful Links page. The About page contains a manifesto of what Unmaskd values are as a brand. The Features page includes all the editorial content that will be regulated and updated regularly. The Useful Links page was created to help with the aiding objective. To become a safe space we want to provide our members with as much useful information and direction if and when it is needed. This will help secure Unmaskd to be a trusting and welcoming environment with anyone from any background being able to become a member with no judgement.

Membership Box The monthly ‘Unmaskd Membership Box’ will be an optional extra of the platform and be offered within the Unmaskd app. The contents of the box will relate to content that is posted on the app within the editorial features. It will also have a QR code that can be scanned to reveal a zone within the app that is a creative space for those who have received their boxes and shared what they have done with the items they have received. The aim for the box is to be as inclusive and productive as possible. The items will be hand-crafted with the opportunity to work with ethically driven small businesses to help promote and provide income.

Packaging The packaging for the membership box will consist of custom mailer boxes with Unmaskd branding. This is to create an excitement and instant recognition of the brand when the box arrives at members homes’. The dimensions of the box are 25 x 20 x 7 cm.

The Products

The products that have been chosen in the first proposed membership box have been curated around what the target audience would like and what Unmaskd is aiming to do as a brand. Everything will be branded with the opportunity in the long run to work with small business to help their own business and reach grow as well as our own. The products used will help promote the idea of coming off online and being able to enjoy doing psychical activities again, particularly creative ones such as writing and cooking. 45

QR Code By encorporating the QR code aspect to our boxes and app, we are hoping to encourage a bigger sense of community for our members. Once the code has been scanned on the app, members will be redirected to a specific page where members can share their creativity with the products they have received monthly. They will have the ability to like and comment on eachother’s posts to encourage communication with one another in a more positive way to what sometimes social media platforms can promote. 46

Monthly Zine The Monthly Unmaskd Zine will begin as an insert for the Membership Box and eventually become a separate available item. The Zine aims to target the creative audience that wish to have collectable and physical content from the community. The Zine will cost £2.50 (not including postage). The Zine will also be A5 in size to ensure it can fit in the membership box and be printed on 170gsm natural recycled card-stock. The orientation will be portrait and the binding stapled. This is to help give the zine a natural look and feel to it. As a brand that champions sustainability, it is important these values are carried across in all products that Unmaskd produces.

TACTICS

The following pages will outline Unmaskd’s chosen tactics to successfully aid the strategy. They have been chosen specifically to help target our chosen audience and to still stay within Unmaskd’s brand values.

Social Media Adverts

Using the AIDA model, using social media will be vital in helping redirect our audience to Unmaskd’s platform. Awareness will begin by using targeted ads to consumers that would be interested in our platform. By grabbing their attention on the feed with something like ‘Ridding social media anxiety’ will help scrollers to stop and think. Interest will be created by using the carousel feature on Instagram to switch between slides which will reveal more information. Desire will come mainly from the second and third slide which explains what Unmaskd can do to aid people. From using direct and calming language this will help build a trust between us and the consumer. The final slide will help to cause action to redirect people to the app and hopefully for the audience to sign up to the community.

Opti-Channel Because Unmaskd aims to sway people away from social media as much, this opens the opportunity to become a more exclusive platform for a community and using opti-channel methods. Rather than using every possible marketing platform, Unmaskd will curate the places our ads are seen and specifically where our target audience would reside. Gathering consumer insight will be vital for this to know where to place the ads and ensure we gain traffic from these. From current research, it is likely our consumer uses Instagram, engages is printed creative content and enjoys physical spaces. This gives us an insight and a starting point as to where to direct our attention to ultimately gain members.

Above: Design by Travis McHenry

Print Media Promotion

The message of Unmaskd is clear; positivity in the light of a currently negative world. In terms of finding places to promote our brand, print media promotion is a method that work well in our favour. With a publication such as Positive News, we are able to target our audience who are seeking out a more real, honest but also positive news space. Those who are taking the steps to read a publication as such, hold the values and personality traits that Unmaskd aims to recruit. By buying printed and/or digital ad space within this publication, Unmaskd looks to have an influx of ideal consumers for our platform. As Positive News states, ‘Through our #OwnTheMedia crowdfunding campaign, in 2015 Positive News became a community benefit society (a form of co-op) invested in by more than 1,500 people in 33 countries, age 18-89, who each have equal influence. Our directors are elected by and from our community of co-owners.’ (Positive News, 2021)

Unmaskd Workshops Another way that Unmaskd aims to target consumers seeking a creative community, is by hosting a pop up workshop day. This would help promote an environment where our audience can find like-minded people while helping to improve their creative and mindful instincts. It also helps to promote having hobbies and interests that are outside of the online world. The workshop would help promote the community while creating a profit for the brand. The running of the event would include finding a venue to host the event, promotion of the event online and within the app, sale of tickets and the negotiation of workshop hosts. This would be one of the main opportunities to help market the brand and our values whilst also helping to fund the other products of Unmaskd, such as the membership box. Participants will be given lanyards listing them as ‘members’ and will receive exclusive merchandise for the event only. This will help promote the sense of exclusivity and community that Unmaskd wishes to offer.

Emily Brinnand - Matter of Mind Coaching “I’ve always had a natural urge to support and empower other people. Throughout my life I’ve helped people feel good, understood, listened to, inspired and really believe they can get through difficult times and make positive change.” From working with Missguided to We Feel Good Club, Emily would make the perfect choice for the mindfullness session. She works with creatives, the media and the LGBTQ+ community and works with issues such as the pressures society puts on us and the effects on mental health. Her expertise will be perfect for our audience and their needs.

Kerry Ryan - Write Like A Grrrl “Kerry was so approachable, generous and real with us. She created an atmosphere that allowed us to dive in and not feel judged. She also encouraged us to build community between ourselves.”

Kerry is the founder of WLAG, a creative company that offers creative writing courses across the UK. WLAG’s values coincide with our values and we feel Kerry would be the right host for the Writing workshop from the testimonials she has received.

Megan Stallworthy - Perfect Bindings “Drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of paper, linen and leather, I like simplicity in both form and design so that the materials can speak for themselves. I aim to make books that feel calm and subtle, enlivened by areas of colour, pattern or texture.”

Workshop Hosts

To the left shows the brands and people that we would like to work with for our workshop. The people we chose are people that we feel that would connect well to our audience and that hold the same values of us at Unmaskd.

Megan teaches traditional bookbinding, with the most traditional techniques through workshops around the UK. From how experienced she is and the passion she holds for her craft, Unmaskd would be happy for her to host the Bookbinding class to give our audience a taster into a skilled, traditional skill.

Aimee Willis - Unmaskd As the founder of Unmaskd, I find it important to introduce myself to our potential members, to create a connection. Therefore, alongside doing this I will also host the hand lettering and calligraphy workshop. As someone who has taught myself the craft in-depth and is the designer of all Unmaskd materials and aspects I will be skilled enough to lead the end of day workshop. It also gives me the opportunity to have the last word of the day and promote the platform just before people leave.

'Positive power' scheme Another way to help spread the message of Unmaskd is the ‘Positive Power’ scheme. This is where a member of our community can nominate someone they know to receive a box. They can expect a note within the box and as an incentive of doing so they will receive 50% off their next box and so will the person they have nominated. This will help introduce Unmaskd to prospective members that may not of heard of the community. It helps to spread the message of the brand while staying true to the caring and welcoming nature of the community.

MAY

JUNE - Seek out designers and developers to create the app. - Begin to produce and collate the app. - Curate content for the features. -Begin to plan the promotional materials.

- Outline Unmaskd’s community values and ethos. - Publish strategy and promotional planning document. - Begin planning the content of the app. - Create a full wire-frame of the app.

JULY - Launch of the Unmaskd app. - Online marketing methods go live on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. - Print advertisements will go live in those like Positive News.

AUGUST - Begin to source the products for the box and the zine. - Begin to cost up and order products for the box. - Prep for the launch of the community box. - Workshops begin for the month of August only. -Promotion of the box.

SEPTEMBER - Launch of the box and the zine. - Assess the number of sales and members in the community to help plan the next steps of Unmaskd.

TIMELINE

We wish to launch Unmaskd in July 2021. This gives a matter of months to quality control products and to ensure all digital platforms will run smoothly and to fine tune them to our community standard. July has also been chosen as a time where those who are coming into a post-COVID world still have the support and guidance there for them.

Costs & Budget

Above: Leaving Social Media by Irene Rinaldi

Product Costs PRODUCT

DESCRIPTION

COSTS

The costs to create the app and develop it on both Apple Store and Google Play.

OOZOU - For an app with features such as search, in-app purchases and activity feed: £22,350

THE APP

THE MEMBERSHIP BOX

Promotion Costs PRODUCT

POP UP WORKSHOP

Cost to license on Apple Store and Google Play: £89.00 Total: £22,439 The costs including packaging and products and also shipping costs. With an average of 1000 members startup, boxes are estimated at around 400 out of those buying the box.

Printed mailer boxes (x400): £580.00

These costs oversee the costs of the zine to be printed.

MIXAM - 400 copies of the zine on A5 170gsm Recycled Uncoated cardstock: £287.00

MERCHANDISE

Products (at unit cost for 400 products): £1,760.00 Shipping costs for a small parcel with DHL at £2.69 each: £1,076.00 Total: £3,416.00

AD SPACE COSTING

SOCIAL ADS COSTING

THE ZINE

Total: £26,142

DESCRIPTION

COSTS

The costs to host a day long pop up workshop with several events with creatives. (40 per day over 5 days = 200 tickets)

BISCUIT FACTORY - For a days hire of their glass house and drawing room: £240.00 x 5 days = £1,200.00

This will be the cost of the merchandise which will be given at the workshop events but also double up as rewards for crowdfunding.

Lanyards (x200): £186.00 Tote Bags (x200): £124.00 Masks (x200): £182.00

These are the costs that would be for printed ad space and in this instance a rough quote for the likes of Positive News.

Publications with a readership of 5,000+: Average of £200+ for a full page ad. (Price increases for the size of the publication).

The costs to have regular ads on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to help redirect traffic to the Unmaskd platform.

Facebook and Instagram ads: £5 per CPM (Cost per thousand). Unmaskd will aim to target 5000 a week therefore £50 x 5 weeks = £250 a month.

Total: £492.00

Total: £2,142

TOTAL: £28,284 68

Funding and Grants

To help raise start up costs to be able to produce the app, Unmaskd aims to raise £20,000 from new business grants or loans and crowd-funding. From crowd-funding, we aim to raise half of the funds, £10,000. Through this it could be possible to work with a charity to help promote this. From the positivity, community aspect of this, crowd-funding donaters will be rewarded with the likes of boxes, merchandise and app subscriptions for their generous donations. To the left is a number of companies that it is possible to move towards and apply for to help make up the remaining £10,000 start up cost. 70

Yearly Income PRODUCT

THE APP

THE MEMBERSHIP BOX

WORKSHOPS

DESCRIPTION

INCOME

The income made off the app which will have a subscription fee of £2.99 a month on the basis of having 1000 start-up members for 6 months and 2000 for the remaining 6 months.

£2.99 x 1000 = £2,990 x 6 = £17,940 £2.99 x 2000 = £5,980 x6 = £35,880

The income that will be made off the membership boxes which will be sold at £14.99 at a unit cost of £4.40 per box. (not including shipping) This is under 400 boxes being sold over the year.

£14.99 x 400 = £5,996 (-Costs excluding shipping: £2,627) = £3,369

This is the profits that will be made from the promotional workshops that will help spread the word about Unmaskd. This will be over 5 days with 40 tickets a day selling at £35.00

£35.00 x 40 = £1,400 x 5 = £7,000 (-Costs: £1,692) = £5,308

Total: £53,820 (-Costs: £22,439) = £31,381

Total: £40,058 - (Advertising costs at £6000) = £34,058

2020. [Online] Available at: <https://www.wgsn.com/fashion/ article/86880#page_1> [Accessed 8 May 2021]. Al-Heeti, A., 2020. Move over, Instagram influencers: The magic of TikTok is authenticity. [Online] CNET. Available at: <https://www. cnet.com/news/move-over-instagram-influencers-the-magic-of-tiktokis-authenticity/> [Accessed 3 May 2021]. Gilbert, S., 2019. The Importance of Community and Mental Health | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. [Online] Nami.org. Available at: <https://nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/November-2019/ The-Importance-of-Community-and-Mental-Health> [Accessed 7 May 2021]. Hilliard, J., 2020. Social Media Addiction - Addiction Center. [Online] Addiction Center. Available at: <https://www. addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/> [Accessed 1 April 2021]. Matterofmindcoaching.com. 2021. [Online] Available at: <https:// www.matterofmindcoaching.com> [Accessed 13 May 2021].

References

Perfect Bindings. 2021. Bookbinder Megan Stallworthy. [Online] Available at: <https://perfectbindings.co.uk/pages/about-bookbindermegan-stallworthy> [Accessed 13 May 2021]. WLAG. 2021. WLAG. [Online] Available at: <https://writelikeagrrrl. com> [Accessed 13 May 2021].