Blue Bella New Customer Acquisition Report

BA (HONS) FASHION MARKETING SOCIAL AND DIGITAL MARKETING Tony Cooper

London LGBTQIA+ Pride

BLUE BELLA

Blue Bella Customer Acquisition

PRIDE CUSTOMER ACQUISITION PLAN

18004196 Word Count: 1,053

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Blue Bella “Pride is liberation, pride is joy. Pride reminds Founded in 2005 by Emily Brendell, Blue Bella is a fashion-forward

me of the struggles for equality that came

lingerie and nightwear brand designed for the unapologetic and style-

before me and make me feel grateful for those

conscious woman. This brand is an award-winning industry leader,

that have fought for our community and

stocked in ASOS, Selfridges, John Lewis, and Zalando; while wholesaling

reminds me to be proud of just existing”

in over 250 countries.

- Anonymous

Blue Bella started as an at-home party plan business and has also worked in licensing, designing and creating products for the infamous brand Fifty Shades of Grey. In recent years, with the intention to develop into a full e-commerce business In 2016, Blue Bella raised £500,000 essentially placing the brand on a fast trajectory of growth.

(What Does Pride Mean to You?, 2021)

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

17

STRATEGY & TACTICS

27

DIGITAL PORTFOLIO

32

CONTENTS

5

TABLE OF

1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY 4

5

BLUE BELLA

EXECUTIVE

1

PRIDE CUSTOMER ACQUISITION PLAN

SUMMARY

This report outlines the SOSTAC planning model in the context of Blue Bella’s social and digital LGBTQIA+ Pride marketing campaign.

The report begins with Blue Bella’s situational analysis being evaluated including the brand’s current customer segment, social media and digital

marketing

practices,

a

competitor

analysis, and both external and internal analysis.

Following are the strategies and tactics that Blue Bella could potentially use in order to acquire new customers during the pride celebration. This section outlines a social and digital marketing campaign that involves the launch of the Blue Bella m-commerce application that has an integrated function that allows consumers to find pride celebrations, queer-friendly venues and safe spaces within London. Along with the launch of the app, this section outlines digital activities that accompany the campaign including influencer collaborations, an Instagram giveaway, and secret location party collaborations with the queer night club Pxssy Palace.

The aims and objectives of this campaign are to acquire a new customer segment while building online and offline brand awareness.

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4

BLUE BELLA

SITUATIONAL

2

PRIDE CUSTOMER ACQUISITION PLAN

ANALYSIS

S S.T.E.E.P.L.E ANALYSIS

T

ocio-cultural

E

echnological

conomic

The Uk consumer is highly environmentally conscious,

In today’s market of mass technological convergence, it is

Due to the recent Brexit decision, where the UK left the European

with 61% (Euromonitor, 2020) who try to have a positive

important to acknowledge that consumers are increasingly

Union, brands will face paying VAT and customs duties for

impact on the environment. In response to the global

using multiple platforms to make purchases and to access

selling in the European Union. This will cause online retailers to

sustainability crisis, younger consumers are increasingly

digital

omnichannel

charge customers a higher VAT for goods bought in the UK from

holding brands accountable for their detrimental impacts

marketing is crucial for brands to implement within their

customers within the EU. As Blue Bella has a relatively large

on the environment, often boycotting unsustainable

strategies, as customers are now using numerous platforms

customer base within the EU, they will have to consider how this

companies. Furthermore, with the interconnected

and devices to interact with brands and make purchase

will affect their customers.

and global consumption of social media, the collective

decisions.

services.

This

is

essentially

where

social consciousness is increasing; essentially creating

Due to the current COVID-19 Pandemic, the online retail market

a largeer consumer base that is aware of the impacts

has grown exponentially, with the first half of 2020 witnessing

of climate change. Due to this, brands must show that

a five-year growth within a matter of weeks (Retail Trends 2021

they are actively making positive strides towards more

| Deloitte UK, 2021). For an e-commerce brand such as Blue

sustainable models of operation

Bella, this created not only a competitive advantage but an unprecedented opportunity for growth.

E

nvironmental

P

olitical

L

egal

E

thical

This year, 2021, the UK put a ban on single-use plastics (Start of

Due to the Brexit decision by the UK government, brands will

The GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA), protects the

With the rise of ethical consumerism, it is crucial for brands

ban on plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, 2021). As plastic

face the impact of the loss of freedom to move goods between

personal data of consumers and website users. Due to the recent

to develop an authentically ethical supply chain and corporate

is heavily used within retail packaging, many businesses will

the UK and EU. This will essentially go into effect on January

rise in concern around personal data, brands and marketing

social responsibility (CSR) framework. This needs to be across all

have to substitute their current packing for more sustainable

1 2021 (Brexit, 2021), with the EU implementing full border

agencies have to ensure that they are complying with data

sectors of sustainability; environmental, social, and economic.

materials. Along with this, production chains will also have to be

control. Furthermore, due to trading deals being not yet

regulation standards, especially e-commerce brands as they

revised.

negotiated, retailers might have to review their supply chains

access a range of sensitive consumer data.

With a brand such as Blue Bella that was founded with a selling

to avoid disruption. For Blue Bella, as stated previously, which

point that speaks directly to the social aspect of sustainability,

has a secure customer base within the EU, the decision on how

it is still important that the brand is able to tackle the

to approach this without having to increase the price of their

environmental and economic factors. If they are unable to do

products will have to be made.

this, there is a potential that the brand will lose market share by ignoring a large and growing customer base as of ethical consumers.

Current SDM Best Practice Instagram: Blue Bella’s Instagram currently has a following of 583K and an engagement rate of 0.44%. The brand utilities its everyday customer as brand ambassadors instead of macro-influencers, creating a tone and presence of repeatability.

Blog: Blue Bella’s blog Is crucial In building brand awareness and developing SEO while also positioning the brand as an educator within the lingerie Industry. On the Blue Bella blog, they already post content regularly with an underpinning theme of empowering, celebrating, and educating women.

M-commerce

E-commerce

Content Marketing

•

•

Online Website

•

Blog

(BlueBella.com

•

Lookbook

Instagram shop & ads

•

Twitter ads

Wholesale

•

Magazine ads

•

Affiliate

•

ASOS

•

Student

Programme

•

Selfridges

PPC ads

•

Amazon

•

Zalando

•

9

Discounts •

Email List

10

S

W

trengths

eaknesses

O

T

pportunities

hreats

Blue Bella is highly differentiated from its competitors

As the concern around environmental sustainability among

Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and lockdown restrictions,

Due to Covid-19, many consumers are limiting their

when it comes to the brands USP. This also contributes to

consumers has increased, it is crucial for brands to work

there has been a rise in sales of mental and sexual health

spending as fear of the economy going into a recession is

its strong national presence within the UK and the US. Blue

towards an ethical way of production and distribution of

products.

This is an opportunity for intimate brands to

rising. This essentially leads to customers looking for deals

Bella is a brand that is ‘made by women, for women, creating

products. Within the target market of Blue Bella, being

secure their competitive advantage in the market in order

and cheaper products, even if they are lower in quality. On

a narrative of lingerie that exudes self-love rather than

Gen Z and Mellineals, they are the most likely to prioritise

to establish a larger market share.

the other hand, some customers might stop sending on

catering to the pleasure of someone else. This has allowed

how sustainable a brand is before purchasing. Although

the brand to create a community around their products that

Blue Bella does have various statements on their website

New technology developed, such as body scanning AI that

for Blue Bella but, the retail industry as a whole, as it will be

advocate for female liberation.

about the efforts they are making to shift towards a more

measures the perfect bra size, could enable Blue Bella to

harder to persuade consumers to spend money on products

sustainable operations model, this will not be enough for

cater to their customers in an innovative and captivative way.

that are not deemed necessary or that are not on sale.

Another strength within Blue Bella would be its competitive

the eco-conscious consumer as the brand has not directly

Furthermore, if Blue Bella is able to adapt and integrate this

pricing. The brand’s products are priced between £45 and

highlighted actionable efforts put in place to become more

new technology within its structure, the brand would have

£15 while having an outlet section on their website with

environmentally conscious.

an opportunity to establish a secure competitive advantage,

products as low as £5. As price is considered to be one of

unnecessary products altogether. This is not only a threat

while maintaining its position within the industry.

the most important considerations for online shoppers, with

Although Blue Bella does have a relatively large social media

an increase in consumers comparing prices across various

community, it can be stated that they are not using their

Pride Month could be an opportunity for brands to show

websites, this strategy has allowed Blue Bella to maintain its

platforms to their full potential. not utilising Social media

authentic activism around social issues and inequality.

market share within the lingerie industry.

platforms to their full potential

Today, more than ever, consumers can see through performative activism that is only intended to drive sales.

However, this celebration can be an avenue for brands to invest in evergreen campaigns that will extend beyond pride, continuing to support LGBTQ+ causes.

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Customer Audit

Sector Trends •

Size & Skin Inclusivity

The intimates industry has been resilient when it comes to the drop in sales within the retail industry due to the demand for

•

lounge wear increasing. The global lingerie market is valued at

Comfort

42 billion USD in 2021, and is forecasted to reach 78.66 billion USD by 2027 (Mintel, 2020). As Gen Z is now within the age •

range to purchase lingerie, it can be predicted that they will be

Sustainability

the largest intimate consumer by 2027 (Mintel, 2020).

“I see pride as a celebration and liberation, •

•

Gender & Sexual Orientation Inclusivity

Geo-demographics Based on the cross-channel classification system, the Mosaic Geo-

Lingerie as Outerwear

demographic framework, Blue Bella’s current target market falls

a reminder of the progress we’ve made as a community and within society” - Anonymous

within the ‘O - rental hubs’ category. (Mosaic, 2019). This is essentially the youngest demographic within the Mosaic classification system and represents consumers who are young, educated, and privately renting in an urban city. Within the UK, this demographic makes

Consumer Values

up about 7% of the population (Mosaic, 2019).

(What Does Pride Mean to You?, 2021)

79%

Price

Geography: London 72%

Quality

Age: 20-35 (Gen Z & Millennials) Education: In university or recently graduated within the past five years

Convenience

Occupation: Student or entry-level role

48%

Gender: female (Passport, 2020)

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Competitor Analysis High Price

Blue Bella has a wide range of competitors due to the low entry barriers of the lingerie market. Specifically with the rise of e-commerce, the barriers have become even lower, creating an infinite amount of global competitors and

proposition.

Based on the competitor analysis conducted, Blue Bella’s main competitors within the Uk include Savage X, Agent Provocateur, and Anne Summers.

Brand

Products

Savage X

• • • •

Bras Knickers Lingerie Sleepwear

Social Media Instagram: 4.1M Twitter: 212.4K Facebook: 611k

USP

Strengths

“Savage X means making your own rules and expressing your mood, character and style for you—not for someone else.”

• • • •

Weaknesses

Strong social media • Presence Competitive price point Extensive global reach • High press coverage

sustainability

Ann Summers

• • • • • •

Bras Knickers Lingerie Sleepwear Sex Toys Costumes

Instagram: 4.1M Twitter: 212.4K Facebook: 611k

“ Sexual liberation, • experimentation • and mind-blowing • satisfaction”

Medium priced Diverse product range Brick & Mortar Locations

•

Agent Provocateur

• • • • •

Bras Knickers Lingerie Sleepwear Swimwear

Instagram: 4.1M Twitter: 212.4K Facebook: 611k

“Agent Provocateur • gave women – and men – new • permission to explore, embrace • and celebrate sexuality.“

Little online marketing efforts Customer loyalty programme Having access to celebrity influencers

•

• • • •

Bras Knickers Lingerie Sleepwear

Instagram: 4.1M Twitter: 212.4K Facebook: 611k

“Made by women, • for women” • •

Competitive price point • Impactful brand USP Represents the image • of their everyday customer

Blue Bella

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Overly discounted products which can be seen as “cheap” Fast fashion with no efforts of environmental

•

• •

Relatively weak social presence Low international presence

Low international presence Lacking authentic diversity Little online marketing efforts

Low Social Media Engagement

Bella has been able to differentiate itself solely based on the brands value

High Social Media Engagement

a highly saturated market. However, within the social and digital space, Blue

Low Price

Low international presence Weak social media presence compared to competitors

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BLUE BELLA

STRATEGY &

3

PRIDE CUSTOMER ACQUISITION PLAN

TACTICS

CAMPAIGN RATIONAL Pride is a celebration of self-affirmation, equality, and visibility. With Blue Bella being a brand that champions not only the empowerment of women but, the empowerment of all identities; LGBTQ+ Pride will give the brand the opportunity to position itself as a long-term ally while appealing to a new consumer segment in an authentic way.

“Pride is living with authenticity and being able to celebrate individuality and diversity without

During Pride Month, when all Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, there is predicted to be

fear or judgment from society....Pride means

a sweeping return to experiential and digitally integrated retail as consumers will

living a life that is authentic and true to who

be craving physical connections with their favourite brands. With this in mind, the concept of #BlueBellaPride aims to intersect digital and physical brand experiences while creating safe spaces for queer voices to be amplified. This campaign consists

you are inside - without shame.”

- Anonymous

of three main components: an app, two pop-up ‘secret location’ parties, and an integrated social media campaign.

Smart Goals

Increase the amount of user-generated brand mentions on social media by 10% within three months.

Tactics

Users will be encouraged to share their experiences at the Blue Bella pop-up parties, using the hashtag #BlueBellaPride.

(What Does Pride Mean to You?, 2021)

Achieve 2,000 app downloads in three months.

Increase overall Blue Bella sales by 25% within three months after the pride campaign period.

Influencer gifting 2 weeks before the campaign 10% off and one-week early access to pride collection for downloading the Blue Bella app

• •

App Launch

Blue Bella X Pxssy Palace •

Social Media Marketing

Instagram engagement will be measured

Metrics

through follower growth from the beginning of the campaign and how many times the #BlueBellaPride is mentioned

Number of app downloads

Sales growth percentage over three months

Concept Concept: Blue Bella will host two pop-up secret location parties in collaboration with the queer club Pxssy Palace. The location will be revealed to attendees two days before the event; with one being held in East London and the other Soho, as these locations are where Pride celebrations will be centred. Although everyone will have the ability to RSVP for this collaboration event, there will be a limited number of spaces and special invitations will be sent out to queer KOL’s. During this event, Blue Bella will be funding queer DJ’s, catering services, and an exclusive drag queen show.

SUMMARY

BLUE BELLA X PXSSY PALACE

Music & Entertainment Blue Bella X Pxssy Palace- The purpose of the Blue Bella popup parties is to offer consumers an experiential and physical interaction with the brand. Along with this physical experience, there will be direct support for LGBTQ+ community in terms of the amplification of queer voices and the funding of queer services. Blue Bella will use this opportunity to collaborate with the queer club Pxssy Palace in order to host these parties and

Jordss

Nadine

Josh Caffe

Glew

Virgin Xtravaganzah

authentically represent this community.

Catering Big Gay Ice Cream

21

18.21 Bitters

22

Tayce Szura-Radix

Influencer Collabs SUMMARY Instagram being a highly visual application, attracts a younger audience; with 72% of its audience being under 35 years of age ( Hootsuite Social Media Management, 2019). This means that this platform will take precedence within Blue Bella’s social media campaign. Currently Blue Bella’s social media engagement is relatively low so, we aim to increase overall engagement by at least 1% within the four weeks of this campaign by increasing

Char Ellese

Arrows

Jamie Windust

Poetic Drugs

She/Her @ellessechar 49.1k followers

They/Them @angryarrows 38.2k followers

They/Them @ jamie_windust 41.6k followers

He/Him @poeticdrugs 133k followers

the amount of times Blue Bella post a day, amplifying queer voices through Instagram lives and takeovers, and curating a more authentically representative feed.

SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY

Instagram Giveaway

Components

Giveaway Rules: •

Three Instagram takeovers by KOLs within the queer

•

Download the Blue Bella app

community

•

Tag a friend

•

Instagram giveaway of pride collection

•

Write in the comments what pride means to you

•

Posting user-generated content

•

Working with queer influencers in order to expose Blue Bella to new consumer segments

Outcome CURRENT SITUATION

POST-CAMPAIGN

FOLLOWERS: 589K

FOLLOWERS: 800K

AVERAGE POST PER DAY: 2

AVERAGE POST PER DAY: 4

AVERAGE LIKE PER POST: 3.5K

AVERAGE LIKE PER POST: 6K

Instagram Takeover 23

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TARGET CUSTOMER •

London based

•

Identifies as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community or an ally

The intimates industry has been resilient when it comes to the drop in sales within the retail industry due to the demand for loungewear increasing. The global lingerie market is valued at 42 billion USD in

•

Age 18-35

•

VAALS classification of ‘Striver’ & ‘Believer’ (strategicbusinessinsights.com, 2019)

2021 and is forecasted to reach 78.66 billion USD by 2027 (Mintel, 2020).

As Gen Z is now within the age range to purchase lingerie, it can be predicted that they will be the largest intimate consumer by 2027. Due

•

University student - entry-level career

•

Falls within the ‘O - rental hub category’ (Mosaic United Kingdom, 2009)

to this, Gen Z will be the target audience of Blue Bella’s pride campaign.

When it comes to representation within the lingerie industry, there are few brands that advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, this leaves a relatively large gap in the market and a highly ignored consumer 89

segment; which has a buying power of £6 billion in the Uk alone (The

Based on the Hofstede insight, the UK’s highest score is

pink pound’s hidden history, 2021). If Blue Bella is able to carry out this

69 66

campaign successfully and continuously show support for the queer

Individualist and private people. Children are taught from an 51

community post-pride, they will be opening themselves up to a lucrative consumer market.

individualism. This indicates that “The British are a highly

early age to think for themselves and to find out what their 35

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unique purpose in life is and how they uniquely can contribute to society” (Hofstede,2020). With this in mind, the Blue Bella pride campaign will put an emphasis on celebrating and amplifying a

Power Distance

Individualism

Masculinity

Uncertainty Avoidance

Long Term Orientation

Indulgence

(Hofstede,2020)

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diverse range of individual identities.

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BLUE BELLA

DIGITAL

4

PRIDE CUSTOMER ACQUISITION PLAN

PORTFOLIO

Blue Bella Application

YOUR SHOPPING & PARTY NEEDS ON ONE PLATFORM!

The Blue Bella Pride campaign will be centered around the launch of the Blue Bella app. This app will enable users to not only shop Blue Bella products but will have an integration within it for consumers to find pride events within London and RSVP for the Blue Bella X Pxssy Palace events. In order for Blue Bella to continuously show support for the queer community after pride, in order to avoid performative activism, within the event locator integration will be continuously updated and will include queer-friendly venues and safe spaces within London.

The benefit of both mobile shopping and the event finder integration will create convenience for the Blue Bella consumer, potentially creating a loyal customer base.

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DIGITAL MARKETING CALENDAR

Pre-campaign (1 week)

Application

Social

Launch of Blue Bella app

•

Pride campaign announcement • Giveaway begins

Media

PR Initiatives

Blue Bella X Pxssy Palace

Pride products sent to KOL’s and Influencers

•

• RSVP opens Special invitations sent out

Week 1

Week 2

Check number of app registrations

Check number of app registrations

•

•

Post photos from collab event • Post gifted content • First influencer takeover

•

Post photos from collab event • Post gifted content Last two influencer takeovers

Week 3

Post campaign social media audit & KPI analysis

Press release sent out to relevant publications and news outlets

First Pxssy Palace event collaboration

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Second Pxssy Palace event collaboration

Post event analysis and debrief

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Strategicbusinessinsights.com. (2019). VALS™ | VALS™ Types | Experiencers | SBI. [online] Available at: http://www.strategicbusinessinsights.com/vals/ustypes/experiencers.shtml [Accessed 8 April. 2021].

2021. What Does Pride Mean to You?.

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thebritishacademy.ac.uk/blog/pink-pound-hidden-history/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].

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Euromonitor, 2020. Consumer Overview in the United Kingdom. Lifestyles. [online] London: Euromonitor. Available at: <https://www.portal.euromonitor.com/portal/analysis/tab> [Accessed 22 April

Blue Bella, 2021. Model in black Blue Bella pride lingerie. [image] Available at: <https://www.bluebella.

2021].

com/collections/pride> [Accessed 28 April 2021].

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Chromat, 2021. Plus size model in blue and black bodysuit. [image] Available at: <https://www.

<https://www.gov.uk/government/news/start-of-ban-on-plastic-straws-stirrers-and-cotton-

instagram.com/p/CNiGfu9j-TI/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].

buds#:~:text=The%20ban%20on%20supplying%20plastic,and%20clean%20up%20our%20oceans.> [Accessed 22 April 2021].

DapperQ, 2017. Black and white lesbian lingerie. [image] Available at: <https://www.dapperq. com/2017/12/fyidaniread/> [Accessed 28 April 2021].

Hofstede Insights. 2021. Country Comparison - Hofstede Insights. [online] Available at: <https://www. hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/japan/> [Accessed 1 April 2021].

n.d. Plus size model in yellow lingerie. [image] Available at: <https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/co ntent/5442b6cce4b0cf00d1a3bef2/1601590201857-Z91NNVMVK14GX9EIVMLA/best-plus-size-lingerie-

Hootsuite Social Media Management. (2019). 22+ Instagram Statistics That Matter to Marketers in 2019.

underwear-brands-CUUP.jpg?content-type=image%2Fjpeg> [Accessed 28 April 2021].

[online] Available at: https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/ [Accessed 14 April 2021].

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