Social media campaigns can help small players enter competitive markets
Such a campaign is perfect for relatively small players such as Lexli coming into very competitive marketplaces, explained Nick Kinports from innovation agency Maddock Douglas which designed the campaign.
“Without a million dollar advertising budget it is difficult to compete with the Dove’s and Aveda’s of the industry in terms of print and TV advertising,” Kinports told CosmeticsDesign.com.
In addition, there is a lot of consumer misunderstanding within the skin care industry and a social media campaign can help get the message across, he said.
Although social media is not the only strategy open to smaller players, for Kinports it is one of the best available right now.
“With a proper strategy and a good understanding of the online behaviour of the target audience you can make inroads quickly and find advocates for the brand willing to spread the word,” he said.
Integrates blog, online store and microsite
The Lexli campaign includes a traditional website that acts as the online store for the brand with product information and the possibility to purchase products.
In addition, Lexli has taken on aesthetician Jessica O’Dair as a brand ambassador who writes a blog entitled Real Skin Care Solutions with links to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
According to Kinports, Jessica is a more credible figure than a celebrity brand ambassador as she is a skin care professional. “She isn’t just a mouthpiece for Lexli. The Real Skin Care blog allows her to continue what she has been doing but through a new medium.”
For Kinports, transparency is the way to retain credibility alongside the knowledge that Jessica is working for Lexli.
“If it is handled correctly there isn’t a problem and transparency is the key. Yes, she works for Lexli, but if people can see she does more than just say ‘Buy Lexli, Buy Lexli,’ we expect a return on the time investment,” he said.
The campaign will also include a microsite that will go live later in the week. Unlike the corporate site and the blog, the microsite will not live on indefinitely. It is designed to tell the story of the brand in an entertaining way and is more of a campaign piece, according to Kinports.
Gaining popularity
At present the number of companies embarking on campaigns integrating social media does not reflect their potential, he said.
“In the next year such campaigns will become more mainstream as people recognize them as necessary rather than as an optional extra.”
