instinct 3 in 1 integrated marketing communication report prepared for the body shop

The new product objectives will be to raise awareness of The Body Shop’s men’s range by 45% by 2019, increase men’s products by 62% between October 2018 - May 2019, improve male percepti

Instinct 3-in-1 Integrated MarketingCommunication Report

Prepared for- The Body Shop

Produced

by-Matthew Terry (101 095 311)Word Count- 3,892

Pages- 28

1 Executive Summary

This IMC plan will outline the most effective way to market the product correctly over multiple platforms A situational analysis will analyse the external environment, which provides The Body Shop’s current competitors and changes the cosmetic industry has undergone Internal analysis will highlight the stores main principles and how they maintain such principles as a business SWOT analysis of The Body Shop identifies its strengths are social and environmental protection and large social media presence Its weaknesses are no awareness of male products and scarce advertising Opportunities are people are spending more money on cosmetics, and growing interest into male beauty products The threats are strong, international competitors, and higher interest in boutique brands The target demographic for the new product will be a 20-35 year old male who care about their appearance and the environment The new product will be a 3-in-1-hair care system that works in the shower The new product objectives will be to raise awareness of The Body Shop’s men’s range by 45% by 2019, increase men’s products by 62% between October 2018 - May 2019, improve male perception of the brand by January 2019, increase online and foot traffic by 20% by October 2019, and achieve repeat purchase by 10%of the target audience by October 2019 The IMC strategy will look into, public relations, events, sales promotion, and various forms of advertising It will analyse their objectives, strategy, and benefits for using each form of marketing The creative strategy will then suggest the positioning statement that it is an all-in-one hair care system aimed at men aged between 20-35 years old and wish to maintain a sleek appearance, without impacting the environment or time to get ready Its USP will suggest it is the only product on the market that is capable of what it does The message strategy will promote how simple the product is and how well it works Using Olympic Gold medallist Kyle Chalmers as the celebrity endorsers will be key factor in the messaging strategy The campaign shows how Chalmers uses the product and how well it works for him It draws parallels between his swimming and how quickly someone can style their hair This message will be executed with celebrity endorsement, a connection to the Spring Carnival races, social media adverts, and in-store promotion with Kyle Chalmers This will be implemented a month before the Spring Races and then run through and after the races It allows awareness to build before the races but also carry over into Christmas Finally, the media plan will outline our vehicle selection, media schedule, budget, and evaluation of the IMC plan.

2 Situational Analysis2.1 External Environment

In the cosmetics industry there are no major players (Lo 2017) =There are many competitors in the market with wide ranges of specialty stores, department stores/pharmacies and supermarkets The specialty stores make up majority of the industry with 61.5% of market share held by stores such as Lush and The Body Shop (Lo 2017) Players in the industry have been able to increase profits over the past 5 years This is due to factors such as increasing environmental consciousness and increased online spending The industry’s wider margins is also thanks to success of manufacturers and distributors in conveying the health benefits of purchasing and using organic products This increase is expected to grow at an annual 11.3% over 5 years from 2017-18, for Gross revenue to reach $345 million It is also predicted to rise in the current year with households becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of natural and organic products

A wide range of products have been released by cosmetics companies over the past 5 years attempting to target an increasingly image conscious male population Such companies include L’Oreal, Clinique, Clarins, Nivea and Lush (Richardson 2017) In creating men’s grooming products many have created grooming ranges that include multi step-skincare regime products The concentration of the industry is low with a high density of competitors A perceptual map of the brands can be found on appendix 1.

2.2 Internal Environment

The Body Shop is a brand that attempts to maintain a good “reputation of sociallyand environmentally responsible company” (Mennen, 2003, p 3) The company focuses its strategies around its five core principles of- protecting the planet, defending human rights, support human trading, activate self-esteem, and fight animal testing (Mennen, 2003, p 3) The Body Shop has actively maintained strong financial performance as a skincare and beauty store that still manages to align with its core principles The Body Shop identifies that it dedicates its business to social and environmental change, finding a creative balance between financial and human needs of stakeholders, business is ecologically sustainable, contribute to local, national, and international communities, protection of the environment, and also narrowing the gap between principle and practice (Mennen, 2003, p 4) Although The Body Shop does not have an overall vision, the brand has identified that its main focus is on being a world-class retailer, thatprovide prestigious products at understandable prices with simple and friendly service (Mennen, 2003, p 5)

Dedicated to social and environmental change, which is what consumers are increasingly looking for (The Body Shop 2012)

Strong Social Media presenceOrganic Ingredients, which is supported by a trend towards natural and healthy living (Lo 2017)

Very little advertisingLack of CRM systems (The Body Shop 2012)

Lack of awareness and demand of the male products

Increase Social Media presence and increase co-creative strategies as 82% of people now believe Social Media drives beauty trends (Sena 2017)

Growing interest for Male beauty products, so there should be a focus on introducing more male products and targeting men with advertising (Pennelli Faro 2017)

Emergence of large international Cosmetic brands in Australia, such as Sephora and Lush

2.5 Target Audience

Overall Target Audience Description: The target audience for this product are

clean, sleek, busy, working men, aged 20-35 who care about their appearance

Persona 1DemographicsGender: MaleAge: 22

Marital Status : SingleChildren: NoneIncome group: Moderate Location: Australia, Metropolitan

Purchasing history: Limited purchasing history, but

willing to spend ‘acceptable’ amounts to try productsoccasionally

Personal product preferences: Easy to use and holisticInternet access: Frequent

in appendices 3.

David spends half of his time during the week in the HR department of BHP Billiton Ltd =and the other half at Deakin University studying He stresses because this leaves him no time to do anything else, and he is scared he will no longer have a social life after his studies complete He plays AFL on Saturdays and is an avid St Kilda supporter He also goes to the gym whenever he can after work =He lives in a three-bedroom town house in Camberwell with his parents and sister and likes to blow off steam on the weekends by hitting up Chapel Street and meeting some ladies He likes to look good and takes care of his appearance but with his busy life doesn’t have a lot of time to put into this so tends to choose simple and well-known products David feels guilty for working for a mining company, as his parents are both environmental scientists, and so he eases this guilt by trying to choose natural products and reducing his use of plastic bags and containers He is looking to get into a stable relationship soon, and wants to make himself appear more mature.

Persona 2DemographicsGender: MaleAge: 27

Relationship Status : Long Term Relationship.Children: None

Income group: Moderate - HighLocation: Australia, Metropolitan

Purchasing history: willing to spend money to maintain

current look.

Personal product preferences: Efficient and fast to use,

does the job.

Internet access: Frequent.

For further demographic, psychographic and purchasing habits, view table belowin appendices 4.

Harley works full time for the head office of an australian retail fashion company,and manages the environmental impact of the products they produce He has achieved a healthy work life balance but is often caught out by last minute meetings after work He spends his weekends with his long term partner, in theirsearch to find the best hidden coffee gem in melbourne He also goes to the gym 3 days a week after work which leaves him getting home at 7-8 pm He lives in a two bedroom apartment in South yarra with his partner, and enjoys cooking when he has the time He likes to look good and takes care of his appearance but with his busy life doesn’t have a lot of time to put into choosing products or usingthem, so usually chooses his already favorited products Harley has a passion for keeping the environment healthy, so opts to choose natural products when he can He thinks he has found ‘the one’ and is hoping to ask the question soon, but wants to maintain his clean appearance in order to do so.

DemographicsGender: MaleAge: 35

Relationship Status: Married.Children: 2

Income group: High

Location: Australia, Metropolitan

Purchasing history: Has bought a lot of these products

Personal product preferences: Efficient and fast to use, does the job.Internet access: Assumed.

For further demographic, psychographic and purchasing habits, view table belowin appendices 5.

Will works as a world renown chef for vue de monde, a 3 michelin star restaurant located in the CBD of melbourne The work life style of a high profile chef is full of stress as well as hard to manage and demanding work hours However it's all worth it, as long as he can come home to his wife and kids at the end of the day He is an avid golfer and spends his weekends doing so, in between playing with his kids and wife He lives in a five -bedroom house in toorak, with his family He likes to look good and takes care of his appearance but knows spending time on his kids and lifestyle is more important Will knows the cost of not treating the environment right, through the produce that he is used to dealing with, and thus does his part to make sure he does all he can, including choosing only natural products

He has been buying products for a while now and knows what is best, very few sources will change this

3 New Product Proposal

As can be seen from the target audience analysis, the new product developed for the Body Shop will be targeting young males aged 20-35 of middle to upper class.The product looks to appeal to young males who take pride and passion in their appearance and levels of self-care

The proposed new product is a tea-tree, mint and citrus scented/flavoured shampoo/conditioner and hair styling product named “Instinct 3 in 1”.The product looks to position itself as being quick and easy to use appealing to the busy modern man With the new product tripling as shampoo/conditioner and styling gel the product can save the consumer time and effort Its simplicity of use and multipurpose makes it extremely attractive to a busy modern men and also men who are not motivated to purchase niche grooming products due to complexities By being multipurpose the product separates itself from traditional views of femininity of grooming products while maintaining perceptions of quality The product also encompasses the core values of the bodyshop, bringing their messages of being “against animal testing, supports community fair trade, activate self esteem, defend human rights, protect our planet”

Featured above is a mock draw up of the product The product will be an easy to use gel that comes in a 400ml bottle This is a larger amount than normal Men’s body shop products as being multipurpose will be used frequently by consumer warranting the extra amount.

The product name is “Instinct 3 in 1”.

Price of the product will be $24.99, with consumers willing to pay extra for the convenience and superior product.

The proposed new product still aligns itself with the overarching values of The Body Shop as mentioned above, however separates itself from current men’s products by being multipurpose The current lines of products are highly segmented as they target a wide range of consumers Current men’s products place emphasis on the natural ingredients used in the product, and identifying the purpose of the product and what it actually is in very small text The proposed product converges currently segmented products, increasing simplicity and usability whilst aligning with body shop’s core values

- To achieve repeat purchase among 10% of the target audience by October2019

Align with Kyle Chalmers and receive him as an ambassador for The Body Shop for men

Have him present for the execution of the event strategy

Include him in the advertising, as well as in the in-store promotionsObjectives:

Improve perception of the Body Shop men’s product

Increase sales of The Body Shop’s men’s products

Increase awareness of the new men’s product

5 IMC Strategy: 5.1 Public Relations

The use of celebrity endorsement in marketing creates hype and attention and is able to effectively increase awareness of a brand or product (Arora & Sahu 2013, p 29) By using a celebrity who reflects the look and lifestyle of the target audience this use of endorsement will allow the audience to connect further withthe brand and relate to it more It is essential to select a celebrity who is appropriate for the brand and product that is being promoted (Arora & Sahu 2013, p 29) The target audience for this product are clean, sleek, busy, working men, aged 20-35 who care about their appearance In selecting Kyle Chalmers it was decided that it was necessary to select a celebrity who is within this age bracket, is clean, sleek and busy himself but also one who is not involved in manyother endorsements, and does not pose a risk to damaging the brand name through inappropriate behaviour or image This decision is extremely important as it has been found that when a celebrity links itself to a brand, they push their own personality and personal image onto this brand or product, which will affecthow the consumer perceives the brand (Dwivedi, Johnson & McDonald 2015, p 450) It was therefore decided that a sporting celebrity with positive associationsto him would be an appropriate choice, as men typically look up to sports stars and thus will feel a more positive connection with the brand and be more inclined to purchase the products (Dwivedi, Johnson & McDonald 2015, p.456).

5.2 Events

Purchase a tent at the Melbourne Spring Racing carnival labelled ‘Body Shop for men’, to ensure target audience is reached

Kyle Chalmers present at the tent for meet and greets and to encourage men to try the product

Use ‘Branded Instagram frame’ to encourage attendees to interact with the brand and upload photos to their social accounts to increase awareness and improve brand connectionProvide free samples of the product to any man that enters the tentObjectives:

Increase awareness of The Body Shop brand, and the new Men’s all-in-one hair product

Improve perception of The Body Shop for men

Increase connection to target market through personal on-site interaction

Promotion at sporting events is anextremely effective marketing tool,especially if the target audience of the

product includes younger, active people (Nicholls et al 1994, p 35) On-site promotion at these events allow for consumers to interact personally with the brand and product It is therefore essential that samples and experiences are provided at the event, as this will be more effective in creating a connection with the consumers and consequently inciting sales (Nicholls et al 1994, p 39) The benefits of on-site promotion at a sporting event is not limited to the exposure topatrons attending the event, but the various forms of earned and paid media thatare present will also provide a platform to extend this presence to audiences who did not attend the event (Nicholls et al 1994, p 40) The constant use of mobile devices and social media will provide further opportunities for exposure, thus the use of a cut-out or personalised, branded instagram frame that people can take photos with, as well as the opportunity for people to meet and take photos with Kyle Chalmers to upload on their various channels will also increase awareness of The Body Shop and the new Men’s hair product.

5.3 Sales Promotion:

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Increase awareness of new productTo promote repeat purchase amongst target audience

Each visitor will also be offered a free test of the product, whereby a Body Shop professional will style their hair with the product to target patrons who want to look their best for the whole day and by allowing them to see the benefits of the product

Increase awareness of the new men’s hair care product in the target audience

Increase awareness of The Body Shop brand

Improve perceptions of the brand for males

Increase purchase intent of the new product being advertised

They will also be presented as ads before videos and as static ads that will appear on newsfeeds on each of these channels to reach people that don’t follow the brand itself

Providing free samples of a new product can both increase the rate of purchase, by people who may have tried the product without a sample, as well as expand the group of people purchasing the product, by inducing those who would not have purchased without a sample (Bawa & Shoemaker 2004, p.345) It can therefore be an extremely effective marketing tactic as they have the ability to initiate communication about the brand, as well as improving the perception andincreasing awareness of a brand Most notably, it incites repeat purchase of a product, which is its main purpose (Bawa & Shoemaker 2004, p.347) By providing free samples at the race day it will allow for more men to try the product, who previously might not have before, which in turn will lead to increased sales and awareness of this new product.

5.4 Advertising:Social Media