Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen
Creative Strategy and Promotion Document
Zara Butler w18001586 BA (Hons) Fashion Communication Final Major Project
1
Concept
6
The Four Characters
8
Rationale
9
Target Audience
14
Market Analysis
15
Competitor Analysis
17
SWOT Analysis
18
PEST Analysis
22
Primary Research
27
Secondary Research
Content Strategy
29
Costs and Budget
35
Social and Ethical
42
Responsibility
Risk Assessment
43
Promotion Strategy
44
Timeline
56
The Future
57
One and Three Year Plans
58
References
59
Appendix
61
Confessions referred
to
of as
a
Nostalgia
Queen
Confessions)
is
a
(also
website
where users can delve into a world of 90s and 00s chick flick nostalgia. The site allows users to explore the world of Cher Horowitz and her top fashion tips, discover how to get what
you
how
to
want
like
develop
Regina
a
George,
‘couldn’t
learn
care
less’
attitude like Kat Stratford, or how to get a girly glow-up like Laney Boggs.
The website is for everyone, but it is aimed specifically towards 18-25 year-olds as they are
the
age
nostalgia. bringing
group
Our
totally
platform
people
obsessed is
together
with
focused through
on their
mutual love of nostalgia. We want to create a
space
that
is
safe
our
website
and
uplifting
for
all
users.
Through
you'll
find
pages
dedicated to each of the four characters, featuring
original
imagery,
video
edits,
Spotify playlists and more. As well as the character pages, you'll be able to sign up for our
four-month
subscription
box.
Each
month's box will be inspired by one of the characters. Not only that but you'll also be able to delve into our collaboration edit with ASOS, titled The Confessions Edit. Discover looks that will turn you into the most stylish nostalgia queen!
1
The website is the home of Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen and will act as a fun and positive realm to the past where everything is carefree.
There will be an explore page where you can pick one of the four characters and delve into their world. Each character's page will feature original imagery, video edits, blog posts, Spotify playlists and more all inspired by the character. As well as the character pages, there will be a merchandise section of the website where users can purchase character-inspired merchandise in the form of phone cases, notebooks, tote bags, and stickers all at a reasonable price. Alongside that, there will be a chatroom section of the website where users can chat and interact with their fellow chick flick lovers so they can form a fun and positive community.
URL: https://zarabutler09.wixsite.com/confessionsnostalgia
2
Confessions
of
a
Nostalgia
Queen
is
partnering
with
ASOS
to
create
a
collection of ASOS Edits titled The Confessions Edit. Each edit will feature ASOS clothing items, accessories, and shoes inspired by the fashion sense, personality, tastes and aesthetic of the four characters. On the Confessions website, there will be a page dedicated to the edit where it will explain what it is and display mockups and images from the edit.
3
4
A four-month, or one-off subscription box service which offers the audience a physical part of the chick flick nostalgia. The subscription service is over a fourmonth period as the website is dedicated to four characters. Each box will be inspired by one of the characters, starting with Cher and ending with Kat. Users will have the option of purchasing one of the boxes of their choice if they don't want to subscribe to the full four months. The contents of the boxes will be materialistic items that radiate 90s and 00s energy, such as lipgloss, scrunchies 90s shoulder bags etc. Each box will include a disposable camera, then the other items will be inspired by the character of that particular box.
The items
will all be sourced from small businesses such as Etsy stores to help support these independent businesses.
5
Cher Horowitz
Regina George
Cher Horowitz is the main protagonist
Regina George is the main antagonist
in the iconic 1995 film, 'Clueless.' She is
and
a sweet, fashionable, ditzy teenager. A
iconic 2004 film, 'Mean Girls.'
lot of people find comfort in this film
is known as the queen bee and is the
and character as 'Clueless' and Cher
leader of the mean girl group named
radiate
Cher
'The Plastics.' She is bitchy, rich, and
also has an amazing sense of style that
high maintenance. Despite all of this,
is beloved by many people. Her style
she
has been used to inspire many fashion
target
trends.
iconic her character is. Everyone loves
Grande
6
warm
Two and
and
fun
famous Iggy
energy.
singers;
Azalia
Ariana
have
even
her
'head
is
bitch
in
charge'
of
Regina
extremely
popular
with
audience
because
of
hilarious pink
one-liners,
used her looks as inspiration for their
personality,
aesthetic
music videos.
power that she holds.
the
the how
bitchy and
the
Laney Boggs Laney Boggs is the main protagonist in
Kat
the
characters
1999
premise
7
Kat Stratford
film, of
'She's film
The
in
one
the
of
the
main
popular
1999
chick
flick, '10 Things I Hate About You.' She
outdated now but it remains iconic for
is strong-minded, anti-social and is a
its extreme 90s aesthetic. Laney isn't
nonconforming
your
especially
main
is
That.'
is
extremely
typical
the
All
Stratford
character,
she's
feminist.
popular
with
Kat the
is
target
presented as an awkward and clumsy
audience because of how badass she
artsy student. She is smart, kind and
is and the 'couldn't care less' attitude
strong-minded but she is seen as being
that she has. A lot of people relate to
unattractive until she has a so-called
her
magical makeover, which is a classic
perfect girl, she's misunderstood and
90s trope. Laney is popular with the
more
target audience because she is very
ground and doesn't change who she is
relatable, she isn't popular or rich and
or what she believes unless she wants
the audience often relates to that.
to.
because
realistic
she
and
isn't
she
your
typical
stands
her
Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen is a fun, positive and uplifting platform where you can escape reality and transport yourself to the nostalgic warmth of the past.
As a society, we are becoming more and more addicted to social media, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Social media has been found to detrimentally affect one’s mental health and self-esteem and this issue is getting increasingly worse as the digital age continues to grow. Research by Primak et al (2017) demonstrates the association between consistent social media use, and increased symptoms of depression and anxiety in
young
adults,
proving
its
impact
on
the
newer
generation.
The
reality
of
our
dependency on social media revolves around our desire to constantly keep up with the lives of our friends, family and public figures, and this can be incredibly draining for some. The negative impact this can have on our mood often leads people to seek alternative forms of comfort, such as reminiscing on the past, as "People become nostalgic in response
to
adversity
or
psychologically
negative
states."
(Sadie
Dingfelder,
2019).
Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen is an online platform that provides an escape from the negativity of social media, by allowing you to immerse yourself in a positive and nostalgic world of chick flick heaven. The platform allows users to consume digital media without the negativity, creating a platform that is online also allows users all across the world to access it. Feeling nostalgic has been shown to have positive effects on our mental health - it has demonstrated significant benefits on self-esteem, social connectedness and attitudes towards life (Tim Wildschut, 2016).
8
Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen is a platform that will appeal to all of the nostalgia and chick flick lovers of the world. These people feel joy whilst rewatching shows and films from the 1990s and early 2000s and love that trends from those decades are coming back into fashion.
The approximate age range for Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen is 18-25year-olds, the generations that fall into this age range are Generation Z and the beginning of the Millennial generation. They are the age groups that are steering the '90s and '00s comebacks which makes them the perfect audience for
Confessions
generation
as
of
they
a
Nostalgia
are
the
only
Queen.
Gen
generation
Z
to
is
known
completely
as
the
grow
digital
up
in
a
technological world. Almost everything that they do is based online, according to Aimee Hughes (2021), members of Gen Z typically spend 10.6 hours a day engaging with online content.
9
Target Persona
Name: Lily Jackson
Hobbies/Interests: Making TikTok videos, going out with friends and
Age: 21, Gen Z
family, meditating, fashion, music, travelling
Gender: Female Brands Preferences: Motel Rocks, Location: London, UK
House of Sunny, ASOS
Occupation: Fashion Marketing
Lifestyle: Colourful and fun fashion
(Styling) student @ Regent's University
sense, loves 90s trends, loves going
London/part-time Stylist at AllSaints
out for food and drinks, drives a Mini Cooper
Relationship Status: Single Values: Has a carefree and Social Status: Skilled Working Class
adventurous personality, votes leftwing, believes that everyone should
Annual Income: £5,6k 10
have equal rights and equal pay
Target Persona
Name: Harry Wilson
Hobbies/Interests: Creating content for social media, going
Age: 25, Millennial
out with friends, watching chick flicks and reality tv, listening to
Gender: Male
music, keeping up with the latest trends
Location: Manchester, UK Brands Preferences: Zara Man, Occupation: Social Media
boohooMAN, ASOS
Assistant at boohooMAN
Lifestyle: Basic and trendy sense Relationship Status: Single
of style, is a social butterfly, loves to cook
Social Status: Skilled Working Class
Values: Strongly supports the LGBTQ+ Community, votes left-
Annual Income: £20k 11
wing, has a positive mentality
Target Persona
Name: Lauren Robertson
Hobbies/Interests: Going out with friends, online shopping,
Age: 23, Gen Z
binge-watching tv shows and movies, listening to 90s/00s
Gender: Female
music, following fashion trends
Location: Newcastle, UK
Brands Preferences: ASOS, Juicy Couture, Motel Rocks
Occupation: Business and Management student @ Northumbria
Lifestyle: 90s/Y2K inspired style,
University/part-time Sales Assistant at
enjoys watching chick flicks from
New Look
the 90s and 00s, drives a Fiat 500
Relationship Status: In a relationship Values: Isn't afraid to speak her Social Status: Skilled Working Class
mind on important issues such as women's rights and racial
Annual Income: £4,9k 12
equality, votes left-wing
13
"Generation Z (born after 1995) spend a whopping
10.6 hours engaging with online content every single day." (Aimee Hughes, n.d.)
"88% of Gen-Z prefers omnichannel branded experiences." (Morning Consult).
"61% of Gen-Z is willing to pay more for products that are produced ethically and sustainably" (Facebook, IQ).
"54% of Gen-Z says social media influences them more than any other marketing channel."
"25% of Gen Z consumers in the UK have bought products they saw advertised by an influencer." (Joseph Johnson, 2020)
14
PRODUCT Capsule
TOUCHPOINTS
98
podcast.
is
nostalgia-based
website
Capsule
98
use
a
variety
of
touchpoints
to
pieces about pop culture events and trends from
their website, their podcast and their Instagram
the 90s and the 00s. It also features a series
account; which has 51.3k followers.
different
Diaries'
creatives
where
about
their
many
and
market their brand. Their three biggest ones are
'Bedroom
features
website
written
titled
The
a
they lives
interview and
their
childhoods.
STRENGTHS Their
website
well-known
features
or
up
several
and
interviews
coming
people.
with The
ABOUT
website
The platform was created by writer/editor Randi
meaning
Bergman
They also have a professional photographer on
in
2017
after
she
discovered
a
time
capsule that she had made in 1998. She originally started
documenting
the
items
from
her
was
created
by
the
articles
are
a
professional
all
very
writer,
well-written.
the team.
time
capsule onto an Instagram account, this inspired
WEAKNESSES
the idea of creating a website platform.
-
Their
content
isn't
overly
visual
even
though
nostalgic content usually is
AUDIENCE
- There is nowhere for their audience to interact,
Their audience is particularly millennials as the
e.g. a forum or chatroom
creator is one herself but the platform is there
- There is no product being sold or promoted on
for anyone to visit.
their platforms
15
PRODUCT
TOUCHPOINTS
Skinnydip London are a phone case, accessories,
Skinnydip London use a variety of touchpoints to
clothing and lifestyle brand. A big part of their
market their brand. Their two main ones are their
brand is collaborating, they have collaborated
website and their Instagram account; which has
with Disney, Spongebob, CareBears, Barbie and
673k followers.
more. Their products all incorporate a theme of
STRENGTHS
nostalgia.
- Their website has very strong engagement, with
ABOUT The
633.8k total visits over the last 6 months.
company
was
created
by
brothers
James
-
Their
SEO
is
strong,
with
46.27%
of
traffic
and Richard Gold and their friend Lewis Blitz. In
coming from web searches (SimilarWeb, 2021).
2011,
- Their products are very eyecatching and match
shortly
iPhone,
they
after
Apple
realised
launched
that
fun
the
phone
first case
the interests of their target audience well.
designs were very limited and that's where the
WEAKNESSES
Skinnydip London idea came from.
- They are very popular in the UK, with 75.27% of
AUDIENCE Skinnydip's
their brand
but
they
don't
website traffic comes from the USA and all other
Their product collaborations are always centred
countries is less than 2% (SimilarWeb, 2021).
around
- Although their Instagram account has a large
the
nostalgia and nostalgic brands.
Gen
there
consumers but it also appeals towards Millenials.
and
towards
from
have a strong global reach. Only 6.46% of their
trends
aimed
coming
Z
current
is
traffic
popularity
of
following, only 2.17% of their traffic comes from Instagram (SimilarWeb, 2021).
16
The recent uprising of nostalgia marketing has become popular, especially with Generation Z and Millennials. This shows that Confessions of a
Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen has the possibility of becoming a FAD as the current revival of nostalgia in pop culture might not last for a long time.
Nostalgia Queen will be popular with that audience. The platform is completely digital, if any technical Social media has been seen to detrimentally affect our mental health, this is causing people to look backwards for comfort, this platform is centred
issues occur this could have a big impact on the success and engagement of Confessions of a Nostalgia Quee
around the feelgood nature of nostalgia meaning that many people would be interested in the platform.
If the promotion isn't effective enough, the website might not gain much of an audience and would therefore be unsuccessful.
There aren’t any platforms specifically dedicated to chick flick nostalgia, meaning there is room for Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen to flourish.
The subscription box industry is extremely popular at the minute which could make it difficult for Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen's boxes
As social media continues to grow, our mental health will continue to decrease, so there will be an opportunity to create an escape and a distraction from that and create a more positive digital space for everyone.
The collaboration with a brand as big as ASOS will bring more traffic to the site and increase website engagement. It could also create interest from other brands to collaborate with Confessions.
There is already another existing successful nostalgiabased website platform named Capsule 98’, this platform could be competition for Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen.
There is the threat of the platform becoming a trend as the current popularity of nostalgia may not last and has the
The market for 90s and y2k fashion is continuing to
possibility of fading out.
grow, with an interest in y2k fashion increasing by 190% in the last five years (Ashley Rose, 2020). This presents an opportunity for Confessions to create a 90s/00s character inspired fashion line.
As the target audience gets older, a new decade of nostalgia will become popular, which is a risk Confessions as our site is tailored towards 90s and 00s nostalgia.
In 2020, there was a total of 15.6 million podcast listeners in the UK (Statista, 2020). Creating a podcast would greatly increase and expand Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen’s audience and increase future revenue.
17
Due to the new Brexit deal, international shipping
The website offers easily accessible content,
and customs have changed. If Confessions of a
free of charge.
Nostalgia Queen grew to an international audience, this could make sending the subscription boxes and merchandise difficult.
The subscription box industry is set to "grow by 77% to be worth over
£1 billion by 2022." (Finder, 2021). This shows
that there is a strong interest in this service, meaning it will “From 1 April 2020, the government will introduce a
be successful for Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen.
new 2% tax on the revenues of search engines, social media services and online marketplaces which
The UK’s Consumer Confidence index had the highest
derive value from UK users” (Gov UK, 2021). This
reading in April 2021 since March 2020, as the vaccines
could affect Confessions are we are an online-
rapidly roll out and set a promising path for fully reopening
based platform.
the economy (Trading Economics, 2021). This shows that the current situation and resulting retail closures will
Covid-19 is still an extremely pressing issue, with new variants being discovered, we don’t know what
increase audiences desire to spend due to reduced opportunity to do in previous months.
effect that will have on shipping international supplies.
Gen Z account for around 40% of global consumers in 2021, indicating that they’re the most beneficial target group.
The rise in social media use since the Covid-19 pandemic began has caused people to look back for comfort by watching and listening to old films/shows/music via streaming services. This is
Technology is advancing daily with many forms of media moving online, this presents a large market for Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen to succeed in.
beneficial for Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen as it shows there is a stronger consumer base for the platform.
"73% of marketers believe social media marketing has been "somewhat effective" or "very effective" for their business." This shows that Confessions' promotion
Gen Z are a very environmentally conscious
strategy will be a success.
audience, ensuring that Confessions is an environmentally friendly business is essential. This will be done by using recyclable packaging for the products.
"According to statistics, worldwide eretail sales are expected to grow to $4.8 trillion by 2021" (Nicole Ferriera, 2019) This presents a huge market for Confessions to enter and at the perfect time.
18
19
The overall product is the whole service that Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen provides to its target audience of 18-30-year-olds. Through a website platform, consumers can explore the world of iconic female characters from four 90s and 00s chick flick films. There is a page dedicated to each of the four characters where consumers can experience a variety of content including, photography, video edits, collages, blog posts and Spotify playlists. As well as a four-month subscription box service that offers consumers a slice of chick flick heaven delivered to them monthly or on a one-off occasion. “Nostalgia has been shown to counteract loneliness, boredom and anxiety” (John Tierney, 2013). Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen aims to hone into the positive effects of nostalgia by creating a space where people can escape the negativity of social media but in a digital and accessible way.
The website is a free and easily accessible platform, there will be merchandise available to purchase on the site to help generate income for the site, but they are all reasonably priced. The subscription box will be priced at
£25; our subscription box is cheaper than the ones
that are currently on the market, to make it appeal to the target audience more as many of them don’t have a large amount of disposable income. If the box was priced too high, people would be less likely to purchase it. Creating a subscription box also allows people to have their own part of the chick flick nostalgia.
20
Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen will be located online which makes it globally accessible to anyone who has access to an internet connection. A benefit of creating a digital platform is that it will be available to a large audience which allows the platform to gain a large amount of engagement. However, promotion is key in driving traffic to a website platform so ensuring that Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen is promoted across multiple touchpoints is essential. The subscription box will be available the week after the website is launched to ensure that there is enough website traffic to promote the box towards. It will be a fourmonth subscription, each monthly box will be inspired by one of the four characters, starting will a Cher inspired box and ending with a Laney inspired box. Consumers will have the option of signing up for the full four-month subscription or signing up for a one time purchase of a box of their choice.
Promotion is the key element of making a product or service a success. As a website platform, Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen essentially promotes itself but to initially get the word out about the website, it will be promoted on social media platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok. Further promotion will be put in place for the subscription box to help increase sales and bring more attention to the website. There will be a Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen Instagram account created where the subscription box will be promoted via grid posts, story posts and sponsored ads. The first month’s subscription box will be sent to a selection of influencers that are popular with the target audience of Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen as their large reach and followings will help increase subscription box sales and website engagement.
21
I conducted an Instagram poll survey to see whether the concept of Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen and the idea of chick flick nostalgia would appeal to the target audience.
According to my Instagram insights, my audience consists of 86.3% of 18-24year-olds, 9.8% of 25-34-year-olds, 1% of 35-44-year-olds and 2.2% of 4554-year-olds. The audience is made up of 69.3% women and 30.7% men. I asked my audience which age range they fit in and a large 92% selected the 16-24 age range, meaning that they fit into Generation Z. This shows that the following answers match the beliefs of Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen's intended target audience.
22
“When people are stressed, or anxious, or feeling out of control, nostalgia helps calm them down. It’s comforting." (Krystine Batcho, 2019). I asked the audience whether watching 90s and 00s movies brought them comfort. 89% answered yes, with only 11% answering no, this shows that the research is true and that people often turn back to the past to feel better and happier.
I asked whether the audience view nostalgic content as a form of escapism such as old films/show, old music, nostalgia instagram accounts etc. 92% said yes, with only 8% saying no. This highlights the opportunity to launch a platform like Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen as the audience consume this type of content a lot.
23
74% of respondents voted that social media does negatively affect their mental health. This reiterates my earlier research of social media having negative effects on our mental health. These results show that a fun and carefree platform like Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen is very much needed.
"Literally nothing's real, have to remind myself that everything is edited daily." Female, 16-24
"I rely on likes to feel good about myself." Female, 16-24
"Looking at others bodies and wishing I looked like them." Female, 16-24 24
"I don't really follow or keep up with things that would have adverse affects." Female, 16-24
"Seeing skinny girls all the time." Female, 16-24
"Unrealistic goals - body types, editing, filters, natural features are shown as ugly." Female, 16-24 "Feel like you have to live up to it and the standards are too high." Female, 16-24
"Distracting and makes you compare yourself to others." Female, 16-24
25
"Judge my own personal progression based on how other people are doing in life." Female, 16-24
"Comparison, not everyone is authetic online." Female, 16-24
81% of respondents said that they would be interested in visiting a nostalgia/chick flick based website, only 19% said they would not. This is great for Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen as it supports the idea of a website and the concept of the website. It also shows that the website platform already has an audience that is willing to use it.
84% of respondents said that they'd be interested in purchasing clothing inspired by 90s/00s film characters, with only 16% saying they wouldn't. This shows that the ASOS Edits collections have the potential of being very successful, as it shows that there is a strong intended market.
26
Over recent years, the power of nostalgia for building brands is becoming more prominent. According to a study by YouGov, 55% of people said that if they had the opportunity to time travel that they’d choose to return to the past rather than visit the future. Everyone has felt nostalgic or felt a longing for the past in one way or another which shows how much of a big nostalgia market there is for brands to target.
“The more frantic, complex and responsibility filled our lives become, the more we yearn for simpler times.” (Kate Everett, 2020) The warmth and comfort we experience whilst feeling nostalgic help distract us from the uncertainty of the future. Nostalgia forms an emotional response in people, when brands use this in marketing it creates a connection between the consumer and the brand. This connection often leads to the consumers purchasing from that brand.
Generation Z has a deep love for nostalgia and reviving 90s/00s trend and they are extremely mindful when it comes to choosing a brand to purchase from. Creating a platform around the idea of nostalgia appeals to the target audience’s interests whilst also creating a trustworthy brand.
27
As a society, we are addicted to social media, with “the average Brit checking their phone as much as 28 times a day” (Sabrina Barr, 2020). Social media can have many benefits but using it too often can cause detrimental effects to your mental and physical
health.
Many
studies
have
shown
that
there
is
a
correlation
between
symptoms of anxiety and depression and time spent on social media (Elina Mir et al, n.d.).
Many
aspects
of
social
media
can
be
a
cause
for
mental
health
problems,
one
significant one is the lack of reality. I conducted a survey and asked respondents whether social media negatively affects them, to which 74% responded yes. I then asked them to explain why it does/doesn’t negatively affect them, the responses were all very similar. The most common answer was that social media is only a highlight reel of someone’s life, they only post about the good things that happen which can cause us to doubt ourselves and our progress. Another common answer was that social media
makes
you
compare
yourself
to
others
in
achievements and so on.
Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen aims to tackle this by creating a fun and positive space for all of its
users.
Nostalgia
has
been
seen
to
positively
affect our mental health as people often look to the
past
to
Confessions
find
steps
comfort in.
The
so
this
platform
is
is
where
digital
to
allow users all across the world to access it but it doesn’t come with the negativity that social media brings to its audience.
28
terms
of
body
image,
lifestyle,
The website is the main platform for Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen. It is a digital platform that acts as a fun and positive escape to the nostalgic past of iconic chick flicks. The website will feature a variety of sections and content, such as blog posts, imagery, video, Spotify playlists and more. The website will be updated with new content every month, such as new blog posts.
29
The explore page is the landing page for Confessions. This is where the audience can initially learn a little bit about what this site does, and they can also select one of the four characters and explore those individual pages. There is a menu bar underneath the header that allows users to navigate the different sections of the website. The whole site follows a consistent graphic design theme and colour scheme that was inspired by Myspace profiles from the 90s/00s. The bright colours represent the fun energy that Confessions wants to provide users with. It is also very on-brand as the colour scheme matches the aesthetic of 90s and 00s chick flicks.
Four characters from four different 90s/00s chick flicks were chosen as inspiration for this site. On the website, underneath the explore tab on the menu is a drop-down to each character’s page. Each character page follows the same layout and contains the same variety of content. The pages feature video edits and imagery of the characters, and Spotify inspired playlists. As well as this, the pages feature original photoshoots and collages of Gen Z members inspired by the four characters.
30
The about us section explains what Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen is and what the audience can expect to see on the site. It also explains why the site was created and needed.
This page explains and shows a sneak peek into the collaboration between Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen and ASOS for The Confessions Edit. The page will be divided into four sections, each section will show the different mini edits. Each mini edit will be inspired by the characters, for example, ‘The Cher Edit.’ The different sections will show photographs and mock-ups of the edit.
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This page features four blog posts for the users to enjoy. Each blog post is written from the perspective of each of the characters about the run-up to prom and how they all feel about it. These posts are a fun way of getting an insight into the minds of these four iconic characters.
This page is where users can purchase character inspired merchandise and the subscription box. The subscription box is available to purchase as the full four-month subscription or as a one-off purchase, if the user chooses the one-off purchase, they can choose whichever of the four boxes they want. There are four different merchandise products available for purchase, a notebook, a phone case, a tote bag and a sticker. Each item has four designs available, which are inspired by the characters.
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The four subscription boxes are an extra addition to the website that will be a physical product that represents Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen, giving users a physical part of the fun. The box will be aimed towards Confessions’ target audience of 18-25-year-olds as they are the audience that is latching onto the current uprising of nostalgia.
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As well as the subscription box, there will be character inspired merchandise available for purchase on the website. There will be four different products available,
including
a
notebook,
phone
case,
tote
bag
and
product will have four different designs, one for each character.
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stickers.
Each
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As a start-up platform, Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen doesn’t have funding or consistent income. Crowdfunding is a great way of raising funds to help new platforms, Confessions will use the company, Crowdfunder, to help with initial costs to ensure that the launch is a success. The target amount Confessions would like to raise would be
£10,000. The crowdfunding page will be promoted
across social media to maximise reach and help meet the target. The money raised will go towards the costs of the website, the subscription boxes, the merchandise and promotion.
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Ensuring
that
your
brand
or
business
is
socially
and
ethically
responsible
is
essential for creating a strong and meaningful brand. Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen stand strongly with being completely transparent to its audience and making sure we are ethical. The target audience of Generation Z believes that “brands have an obligation to take a stand on environmental issues.” This is another reason why being ethically and socially conscious is so important.
Non Recyclable packaging has a huge negative impact on the environment. “In 2017, the UK generated 9.3 million tonnes of packaging waste” (Ribble, n.d.) Confessions feel very strongly about doing good for the environment, to do our part we are using completely eco-friendly packaging for the subscription boxes and goody bags. The packaging will be made from 90% recycled material and will be fully recyclable.
To ensure that we are being completely transparent, we thoroughly research into brands before supporting or working with them. We want to ensure that we don't work with a brand that has bad morals or one that doesn't actively help the environment. ASOS is a brand that actively works to make its brand more ethical and that is one of the reasons we wanted to work with them. 10% of the profits made from the ASOS Edit collaboration will be donated to Mind, the mental health charity. Our website was created as an escape from the negativity that social media causes to our mental health and donating to Mind will help many people.
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Creating engagement and receiving enough website traffic is essential for any digital
Not Creating
platform. To do this I will create a planned
Enough Website
strategy to promote the platform across a
Traffic
variety of mediums including physical and
High
digital advertisements and social media marketing.
Making enough profit within the first year or
Not Making Enough
launching a platform or business can be
Merchandise Profit
difficult. Investing more money into advertising
Medium
and influencer marketing would help this.
The platform is completely digital, if any technical issues were to occur with the website, it could
Technical Issues
cause the platform to lose sales and not be a success. Investing in having a professional
High
technician on the team would help quickly solve any technical issues that may occur.
Subscription Box Not Containing Items Suited Towards Target
Ensuring that the subscription boxes are tailored to what the target audience is interested in is essential. To make sure this
Low
happens I will analyse my target audience
Audience
thoroughly.
Launching a new platform can be difficult when
Going Over the Budget
it comes to sticking to a set budget. Creating a monthly budget plan and making sure that the
Low
budget is balanced out over the different areas will help.
Some of the merchandise items were going to feature
Copyright Issues
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images of the characters, using these images could cause copyright issues. To prevent this I could use quotes from the characters rather than images.
Medium
Social media is a vital part of promoting Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen as the target audience spends more than 10.6 hours of their daily lives using it. The social media promotion will be primarily through Instagram’s platform as “1 billion+ people use Instagram every month.” (Christina Newberry, 2021). There will be a Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen Instagram account created where a variety of visual and interactive grid posts and story posts will be created. The posts will encourage the audience to engage with the website and purchase the merchandise and subscription box. Furthermore, Instagram has a feature where you can pay to promote your posts, this helps further increase audience reach, this will be a great tool to utilise to gain more interaction.
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I will further promote Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen through the social media platform, Facebook. Although Facebook doesn’t seem to be as popular with the target audience compared with Instagram, “of the total population of the UK, 66 percent of people are Facebook users” (H. Tankovska, 2021). This presents a big market to tailor the promotion towards. The small businesses that are providing the
contents
promotion
for
will
also
promotional posts.
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the
subscription include
boxes
teasers
of
will
be
promoted
the
subscription
on
Facebook.
boxes
and
The
general
One important factor in social media strategy is using hashtags. Social media users will be encouraged to use the #Confessionsnostalgia and post their stories and memories relating to chick flicks and nostalgia. The top 3 stories will be sent a free item from the merchandise. The hashtag will also be used to promote our account's
posts
to
increase
our
audience
reach.
The
hashtag
will
primarily on Instagram as hashtags are used most effectively on there.
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be
used
There will be a giveaway competition created to promote the Confessions of Nostalgia promote
Queen the
website
ASOS
and
Confessions
to Edit
collaboration. The competition will be posted
on
the
pages
of
Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen and ASOS.
To
consumers accounts
enter will
and
the
need
competition,
to
repost
follow
the
both
giveaway
post from their account on their story with the hashtag #ASOSxConfessions. There
will
drawn
be
who
one
will
winner
receive
randomly the
entire
ASOS Confessions Edit and one of the Confessions subscription boxes of their choice.
The
extremely as
it
will
competition
beneficial increase
for the
will
be
Confessions number
of
followers the account has, as well as widening its audience reach by being exposed to ASOS’s large following of 11.5m.
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There
has
been
a
huge
uprising
of
influencer
marketing
over
recent
years,
according to Influencer Marketing Hub, in 2021 it is expected to reach $13.8 billion. This shows that involving influencers in the promotion of Confessions will be extremely beneficial for building an audience and creating a strong income. This will be even more beneficial as influencer marketing is very popular with Confessions’ influencer
target
audience
recommendations.”
of
Gen
Several
Z,
with
micro
“50% and
reporting
that
they
macro-influencers
trust
will
be
selected by Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen to be sent the subscription box and they will be asked to do an unboxing on their Instagram stories. This would influence their audience to visit the Confessions website and sign up for the subscription box service.
@chloefraterr
@cinziabayliszullo
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Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen will have a launch party to promote the website launch, where media, influencers, friends and family will be invited. It will take place at 6 pm on the 12th July 2021, which is the same day as the website launch. There will be twenty macro and micro-influencers invited to the launch. As well as three media companies and three fashion brands. It will be held at the bar and restaurant, “Sunset by Australasia” in Manchester. This establishment fits the theme of Confessions very well, with its fun but classy pink colour scheme. The launch party will be sponsored by ASOS to promote The ASOS Confessions Edit. The party will have a chick flick nostalgic theme, with
five
Confessions
of
a
Nostalgia
Queen
inspired
cocktails,
90s/y2k
decorations, themed cupcakes, throwback music, fun chick flick trivia quizzes and a photobooth for guests to enjoy. Guests will leave with a complimentary goody bag, the bag will include a lip gloss, ASOS discount code, a Confessions merchandise item, retro 90s/y2k sweets and a scrunchie.
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There will be a selection of press/media companies and brands invited to the launch party of Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen. They will all be sent an evite asking them to attend the launch event. The companies chosen will all be brands that either has a strong and varied audience, match the website's nostalgia theme, is popular with the target audience or has the potential to collaborate with Confessions in the future.
Cosmopolitan is a fashion and entertainment
The Guardian is a British newspaper and
magazine and digital platform for women. Cosmo
media company that has a large and
is particularly popular with Confessions of a
varied audience. Their wide audience will
Nostalgia Queen's target audience, making them
help bring attention to Confessions.
a great match to invite to the launch.
ELLE is a worldwide lifestyle magazine that focuses on fashion, health, beauty and more. ELLE's audience is women aged between 18-49, making them a great brand to invite as their readership matches the target audience of Confessions.
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ASOS is a British online fashion and cosmetic
Skinnydip London is a British phone case,
retailer. They are extremely popular with the
lifestyle and accessories brand that is very
target audience due to their clothing always
popular with the target audience. They are
being on-trend and at affordable prices. Their
very big on collaborations, especially
social media strategy is also very strong.
nostalgic ones, e.g. their CareBears,
ASOS is partnering with Confessions of a
PowerPuff Girls collections etc. Inviting them
Nostalgia Queen to create an ASOS Edit,
gives Confessions the opportunity to network
titled The Confessions Edit. They will be
and increase the potential of working with
sponsoring the launch party to help promote
them in the future.
the edit and our site.
Pretty Little Thing is a UK-based fashion retailer that is extremely popular worldwide. PLT is one of the top most popular fast-fashion brands with the target audience. Inviting them to the launch would help promote Confessions as PLT has a large social following. Their brand's aesthetic also matches Confessions very well and would be a great choice for a potential future collaboration.
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I will place an order for the subscription box packaging and the launch event goody bag packaging from Packhelp. This will allow plenty of time for them to be created and sent out. This also allows the packages to be
Confessions will be in contact with
checked with time to replace them if any
ASOS to ensure that the edits will
errors occur.
be ready and on their website in time for the launch
The organisation of the launch party event will be finalised and the e-vites will be sent out to the media companies, brands and influencers
Social media promotion of
that we want to attend.
Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen will start to be posted frequently. With teasers and interactive games posted to get the audience excited.
The contents for the subscription boxes and the launch event goody bags will arrive and will be packed and ready to be sent out when the launch happens
More social media promotion will continue, with countdown posts and story games to engage with the followers.
The website will be finalised to
The giveaway competition to win the full
give it even time to test run
ASOS Edit will be posted to ASOS and
before the official launch.
Confessions’ Instagram accounts. More promotional posts and story games will be posted to both Instagram accounts to engage and excite the followers.
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There are a lot of plans set out for the future of Confessions, three months after the initial launch of the website on 12th July 2021, there will be new features introduced to the website. These features will include user generated content in the form of a yearbook style page where users can write their stories about nostalgia and stories, they have about chick flicks. Creating a
section
where
users
can
post
their
own
content
allows
for
a
more
interactive
site.
Confessions is also hoping to collaborate with another brand, such as Skinnydip London, where they would create a campaign video featuring all of the user generated stories. This would allow Confessions’ audience to feel like a truly special part of the website. All of this is taking place three months after the launch to allow Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen to establish a strong audience and to make sure that more people can get involved in the fun.
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One year after the initial launch of Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen, we plan to have established a strong and consistent audience. This brings on the opportunity to further expand Confessions over other mediums. One of these mediums will be in the form of a podcast. Podcasts are becoming an extremely popular form of entertainment, with over “15 million podcast listeners in the United Kingdom” (Statista, 2021) in 2020. This shows that there is a huge market for podcasting and Confessions would be a great addition to that. The Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen podcast will be a place where I and a weekly special guest will discuss chick flicks, nostalgia, our childhoods and what movie characters raised us. The podcast will have a segment where users can send us their stories, questions and topics to discuss.
Three years after the initial launch of Confessions, it will have a complete revamp. The website's colour scheme will be updated to suit new trends and at this point, there will be a lot
more
chick
flick
characters
incorporated
into
the
concept.
There
will
also
be
a
Confessions of a Nostalgia Queen app created to go alongside the existing and thriving website. The main feature of the app will be the Confessions Clothing line. The clothing line features
original
clothing
and
accessory
designs
inspired
by
a
variety
of
chick
flick
characters. This allows users to live out their chick flick dreams dressed just like their favourite characters. There will also be a section where users can send us their ideas and designs for new products to the line. This is beneficial for Confessions as a survey showed that 75% of Gen Z said they're more likely to buy a product if they can customize it (
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