VEJA MARK 4450: Final Report
Thomas McMullen
Table of Contents Executive Summary.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Campaign Objective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Brand Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Digital Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Competitive Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Competitive Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Target Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Segmentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Personas.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Insight.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10 11 12 13
Campaign Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Campaign Messaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Campaign Execution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Implementation Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mockups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editorial Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16 17 18 20
Budget. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Monitoring and Returns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
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Executive Summary The worldwide fashion industry has come under increased scrutiny regarding its environmental impact and unfair practices. Footwear is no exception. Consumers increasingly expect a tailored and unique style from their shoes, in addition to an ethical production process. VEJA is a French footwear brand focused on producing fair-trade sneakers using sustainable materials. The following report details a plan for the brand’s first ever marketing campaign, with major goals being website visits and pairs of shoes sold. It begins by highlighting VEJA’s opportunity for gains amongst its competition – versatility in style. Then, it thoroughly establishes a target market through the use of three segments and three fictional personas: young professionals in their 20s to 30s who live in a large, U.S. city. From this, the campaign arrives at a key insight: modern workplaces are increasingly flexible with dress code. The campaign messaging is then built out across each segment, producing the tagline: “VEJA does both” and corresponding advertisement mockups. From here, the plan details message placement across three key categories: paid social media, paid out-of-home, and owned brand domains. Each channel drives users to the VEJA online shoe store. At the end, all media is budgeted for a total cost of $205,000. The metrics and returns for each level of the consumer journey are estimated, with return on ad spend equaling roughly 5:1 and all goals being exceeded.
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Campaign Objective Increase VEJA market share among young professionals in the U.S. Goals See 250,000 users visit the online store during the campaign. See 5000 pairs of shoes sold online during the campaign.
Strategies Provide calls to visit the shop via digital and social platforms. Provide a physical encounter with the brand via media placement.
Tactics Utilize Facebook and Instagram ads to reach desired audience. Utilize out-of-home advertising to prime customer consideration. Utilize user-generated content to spark customer interaction.
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Brand Introduction 100% fair trade and sustainably sourced footwear designed in France. VEJA aims to make a positive impact at all stages of product production. Every unisex sneaker is sourced directly in partnership with Brazilian farmers, making production costs over 5x higher than average – but at a much lower environmental cost.
They currently spend $0 on paid advertising. Most merchandise sells through the online store. Additionally, there are 26 brick-and-mortar retailers in the U.S. which sell VEJA sneakers at an average price of $150. These are located in cities like New York, Boston, and Los Angeles.
“Top 10 Instagram accounts of 2018” – Refinery29 VEJA boasts a recognizable aesthetic on both their Instagram and Website. They frequently collaborate with designers to produce special edition shoes and product look-books for each season. The brand’s site also tells of their founding, ethos, and mission.
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Digital Review Followers: 408,000 Cadence: 3 per day Engagement: 0.73%
Followers: 95,000 Cadence: 3 per day Engagement: .08%
Followers: 8,100 Tweets: 6,200 Engagement: .06%
Subscribers: 805 Videos: 45 Views: 89,000
VEJA has a significant listening presence on social media; not just reposting user generated content, but also responding to comments and questions. Both the Instagram and Facebook shopping features link to merchandise on VEJA’s online store. They currently rely solely on owned digital media, with the occasional bit of earned media thrown into the mix. VEJA – 7
Competitive Introduction Allbirds Watch out for this new sneaker brand focused on sustainability. Where VEJA opts for style, Allbirds differentiates itself based on comfortability. They have several locations in large U.S. cities, and also sell online.
Toms Respect this established brand, which has recently expanded into the sneaker market. Toms are sold in a much wider range of retail locations across the U.S. and have significant name recognition.
Adidas With the greatest market share of casual sneakers, this internationally recognized brand poses a real threat to VEJA’s growth. However, Adidas has historically positioned itself to be more of an active shoe.
VEJA has an opportunity to leverage their shoe’s adaptable, upscale style. VEJA – 8
Competitive Review Allbirds Followers: 342,000 Cadence: 1 per day Engagement: 0.82%
Followers: 198,000 Cadence: 4 per week Engagement: .09%
This brand currently utilizes paid social advertisements that focus heavily on the product materials and sustainability.
Toms Followers: 939,000 Cadence: 1 per day Engagement: 0.32%
Followers: 4,200,000 Cadence: 1 per day Engagement: .01%
As a brand with a mission, the majority of Tom’s marketing hinges on their “get on, give one” message. They utilize paid social and spot TV.
Adidas Followers: 25,500,000 Cadence: 3 per week Engagement: 0.59%
Followers: 37,000,000 Cadence: none Engagement: none
Adidas advertises on virtually all channels. From sponsorships to native ads, this brand has significant share of voice.
VEJA has an opportunity to target users who may not know they even exist. VEJA – 9
Target Audience The VEJA core consumers are 21-30 year olds who live in a large city. They buy for style first, sustainability second.
Creative
Educated
Balanced
Diverse
Minimal
Open-Minded
They view clothing as a reflection of one’s personality.
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Segmentation The core audience is segmented to focus on the following groups during this campaign. Sixth Year Seniors Nothing scares them more than the word “graduation.” Sixth Year Seniors are putting off the professional world as long as possible, but have an increased need for business casual networking outfits. They never compromise on style and see shoes as an affordable luxury. Sixth Years are far more likely than average to share their ‘fit on social media, and their favorite accounts repost consumer content.
All-Star Coffee Runners The only thing that’s on their mind – making it to the top. Coffee runners have been in their career for just over a year and are starting to get the hang of things. They pride themselves on being the most fashion-forward individuals in the office and often seek affirmation from co-workers regarding the dress code. This audience is always looking for versatility in clothing purchases to save money.
Side Hustlers to the Extreme Seven years in the corporate world were too much – this group is starting their own business. As entrepreneurs, they are more likely than average to hold meetings at coffee shops or co-working spaces. Side hustlers are married and have at least one child, meaning that their clothing purchases come secondary to those of their children. They value creative expression and often find themselves challenging societal norms.
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Personas Follow Sam on Instagram
Work Next to Alex
They are a sixth year senior majoring in design at NYU. Sam is 24, wants to move to Los Angeles after graduation, and plans to interview at Urban Outfitters this Spring. They always try clothes on first, then look at the price tag.
He is an all-star coffee runner at Chicago’s newest tech startup. At 21 years old, Alex is often underestimated in his work and is constantly trying to prove himself. He uses public transport to help cut down on his carbon footprint.
Chat & Sip with Hai
She is a side hustler to the extreme, constantly focused on growing her events planning business. Hai hopes to stay 27 years old forever, and loves photographing her twin boys. Facebook quizzes and double shots of espresso are what keeps her sane. VEJA – 12
Insight The modern work environment is becoming increasingly casual and flexible.
“I want a shoe that’s cute of course, but its also gotta be “VEJA’s are so simple, they comfortable at work.” go with everything” “I won’t be caught dead in “It’s so much easier to buy a heel on the subway” sustainably once you’re making that big corporate money.” “Their mission makes them 10x more attractive”
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Campaign Overview
VEJA’s debut marketing campaign has three parts: paid outdoor advertising, paid social advertising, and organic digital advertising. Each of these components work together to drive traffic to the e-commerce site and increase sneaker sales.
Positioning This campaign aims to position VEJA differentially from the other sneaker brand’s in the category. It emphasizes the shoe’s fashionable wearability in a variety of different settings.
Appeal All three of the established personas are looking for a shoe that lets them express their personality, while also remaining in dress code and professional. VEJA can build brand equity through this campaign and potentially expand it into other markets as well.
April 1, 2020
May 1, 2020
Timing The strongest time of year for sneaker sales is Spring. This, coupled with favorable outdoor weather, decided the campaign’s dates.
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Campaign Messaging Tagline: “VEJA does both.” This campaign conveys that VEJA sneakers are the perfect way to express one’s creative style, while still remaining within a young, professional dress code. It appeals to an audience that is seeking versatility in their clothing purchases. The “does both” copy will juxtapose two starkly different scenarios in the audience’s life, and demonstrate how VEJA sneakers bridge that gap.
Sixth-Year Senior: “From the sorority social, to the second round interview.”
All-Star Coffee Runner: “For the B-Train and the boardroom.”
Side Hustler to the Extreme: “From picking up children, to picking up coffee”
All messaging, whether digital or out-of-home, will be accompanied by the copy #MyVejaBoth. This hashtag allows for the campaign to be monitored on social media, and allows for users to share their own content regarding the different scenarios in which they wear their own VEJA sneakers.
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Campaign Execution The “VEJA does both” campaign should be carried out across multiple channels in hopes of dynamically integrating into the working lives of the target audience. Out-of-home advertisements should be placed in metro tunnels and public transportation shelters. They feature a QR code that links to the brand’s online store, prompting interested viewers to continue down the funnel.
Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Pittsburgh Digital advertisements on Instagram and Facebook should be placed in the newsfeed. These remind the audience of the campaign messaging they have already seen in their daily commute, and offer ways to click through to the online store.
Target ads based on gender, age, DMA, and income level. Facebook and Instagram should be monitored for user-generated content by the hashtag #MyVejaBoth. These captured posts should be collected to create a lookbook for release at the campaign’s sunset, offering yet another reason for users to visit VEJA’s site and make a purchase.
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Implementation Plan Pre-Launch A) Create all digital marketing content needed for the campaign. B) Negotiate out-of-home media buys in major cities.
Phase 1: Prime A) Install advertisements in public transportation tunnels and shelters. B) Add the campaign hashtag to Instagram and Facebook bios. C) Update online store to feature the campaign’s messaging.
Phase 2: Call to Action A) Launch targeted advertisements on Instagram and Facebook. B) Monitor hashtag on social channels to collect users’ photos. C) Repost user-generated content on owned social channels.
Sunset B) Upload curated lookbook onto brand’s website. C) Pull all outdoor and paid social advertisements.
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Out-of-Home Mockup
These advertisements feature VEJA sneakers paired with fashion-forward professional wear. The copy cleverly juxtaposes the viewers current location with their likely destination – work. A QR code offers the audience a chance to instantly shop for the shoes online, moving them through the purchase funnel and allowing for digital retargeting throughout the campaign. VEJA – 18
Digital Mockup Digital advertisements feature young professionals in their 20’s to 30’s modeling VEJA sneakers, along with business casual outfits. The copy should emphasize the stories of each “target model” and explain how VEJA sneakers perfectly adapt into their work and life. Every version contains a call to action right on the post, offering viewers the ability to instantly click through to VEJA’s mobile store.
Facebook allows for these ads to be targeted to this campaign’s exact audience, even retargeting those who have previously visited the site. They will only be served in the campaign’s designated markets.
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Editorial Calendar Owned media should be posted to VEJA’s Facebook, Instagram, and Website. #MyVejaBoth should be monitored on Facebook and Instagram for usergenerated content between April 1st, 2020 and May 31st, 2020. This content can then be reposted to VEJA’s story or news feed, expanding the marketing campaign to all of the brand’s current followers. They should blend with the current feed’s aesthetic and tag all users.
Cadence: 3x per week
A curated book of all user-generated content from “VEJA does both” should be designed and posted to the brand’s website. This will be released only once, at the end of the campaign on May 31st, 2020. It acts as a summary of the marketing efforts, and a resource for VEJA customers in the future. VEJA – 20
Budget Advertising: $115,000 Content Development: $10,000 Management: $80,000 Total: $205,000
Media Mix OOH
Social Media
Digital Advertising
OOH Advertising
Average CPM: $11.20 Blocks: 7,589 Impressions: 7,589,000 Total: $85,000
Cost: $600 per month Timing: 2 months Number: 5 Markets: 5 Total: $30,000
Content Development
Management
Cost Per Post: $200 Posts Needed: 40 Lookbook: $2,000 Total: $10,000
Salary: Months: Total:
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$40,000 2 $80,000
Monitoring and Returns The following represent key performance indicators at each level of the VEJA campaign’s funnel. All percentages are based on industry averages and are approximations.
Awareness -Number of Facebook and Instagram impressions -Outdoor estimated impressions from traffic flow = 8,000,000
Consideration -Number of website visitors -Link & QR interactions 5% = 400,000
Purchase -Number of shoes sold -E-commerce source 2% = 8000 pairs
Total Ad Spend: $115,000 + $90,000 = $205,000 Estimated Revenue: 8000 x $130 a pair = $1,040,000 Return on Ad Spend: 5.07 : 1.00 VEJA – 22
Thomas McMullen | Dr. Jennifer Osbon
