Marketing Communications
My biggest learning from marketing is that it is unpredictable. People are unpredictable. Concepts that are unanimously thought of as brilliant in the boardroom sometimes show the opposite in the real world. The only way to make sure something works is by testing it out first on a smaller scale.
Below are examples of projects I primarily conceptualized and designed. Their implementation are always in collaboration with sales, production, and the rest of the marketing team.
Tradeshow Activation
IPSY Live, New York
Ebanel wanted to make its mark as a fun and clean California skincare brand in the IPSY beauty tradeshow so we decided to bring the sunny West Coast to the middle of New York autumn.
Activation 1: Providing California-themed postcards which visitors can dress up with peel-off stickers containing promo codes for their recipients to enjoy. These cards were mailed for free from California.
Activation 2: Photo ops with a handsome lifeguard at the Ebanel backdrop.
Activation 3: Giving away a skincare fridge full of Ebanel products for any Ebanel-related social media post that reach 1,000 likes.
The Results: Over 200 additional leads from the postcards, 400% more engagement on Instagram during the tradeshow weekend, and 5 skincare fridge winners generating over 10,000 likes and hundreds of new followers. Unfortunately, the postcards were mailed late and arrived close to the coupon expiry so the conversion from this was low.
Product Sampling
We wanted more people to know and try Ebanel but had a limited advertising budget. I proposed we used advertising to generate leads (instead of traffic to the website) and give them samples to try. This was the first open-to-the-public sampling event for the brand.
This ad I designed gathered almost 1,000 leads in the span of 3 hours, with each lead costing $0.10.
Each sample mailed came with this product brochure with a discount coupon for a full-sized product, plus a 2nd coupon for an upcoming product.
A few Instagram posts from sample recipients
Remarketing strategies included sending weekly e-newsletters and twice a month SMS sale alerts.
Gamification
For Easter, instead of our typical price-offs via web banner post, I proposed installing an app to our Shopify page to gamify the process. I customized a Treasure Hunt app into an Easter Egg Hunt:
An e-blast invitation
Part of the customized landing page for game mechanics
The game required players to check product pages to look for the eggs. This obviously increased click-through rates. Hundreds of players won discounts over the Easter weekend.
Loyalty Program
When I joined Ebanel, most efforts were on advertising and acquiring new customers. There was no retention strategy except for just good customer service. So I started the conversation on a loyalty program and it later evolved into Ebanel Rewards:
Albeit simple, it has increased spending of some of our regulars and invited more returning customers.
Rewards members also get special e-blasts for exclusive discounts.
Below-the-line Campaign
Everec is a slow-acting, natural version of Viagra. The client wanted a 3-month marketing campaign for its 45-and-above male market to support its retail placement in a national drug store chain. My team focused on communicating The Everec Effect which promises to naturally “improve sexual response” by the body (through strong penile erection) and from their partners.
I suggested gender-targeted guerilla marketing such as washroom & barbershop advertising, mailing samples to the drug store loyalty card holders, and point-of-sale (branch) installations and flyering.
Unfortunately, I already left HDI before it was implemented so I have no data on its results.