bbsdigmarket

Assessed Blog Post 3: Macro vs Micro-Influencers. Which adds the most brand value?

Influencer marketing was rated the fastest-growing customer acquisition channel, and can also be one of the cheapest if the right strategies are utilised (Zheng, 2018). According to Zheng (2018) 59% of marketers are planning to increase their influencer marketing budgets over the next 12 months.

What makes an influencer a content amplifier?

The most effective metrics for determining influence is engagement (Patel, 2018). For example, an influencer with an engaged audience list of 2000 can be more help that an influencer with 10,000 social media connections they don’t engage with.

Rayson (2015) identified points of focus to utilise influencer marketing to obtain the most added value for the brand. The influencer should:

  • Have a respect for your work and your content
  • Have a passion about the areas you are focused in
  • Have an audience that is interested in the content you are writing about
  • Have an engaged audience, which means a high level of replies and retweets or an active blog following

Rayson (2015) studied the impact of social media shares by influencers that had an average of more than 2 on a blog post (See Figure 1). The results showed posts that were shared by 5 individuals with a retweet rate of higher than two received nearly 300% more social media shares.

Figure 1. Average shares per post by number of people sharing with a retweet average of above 2 (Rayson, 2015).

Micro vs Macro: Who’s right for your influencer campaign?

1. Engagement

Micro-influencers have much better engagement rates than macro-influencers (Barker, 2018). Though micro-influencers have fewer followers than macro-influencers, their followers are individuals who have a genuine interest in their content. Therefore, followers are more likely to engage with the content they post, even when it’s sponsored. Markerly’s (2016) study found that the engagement rate of influencers decreases as the number of followers increases.

Macro-Influencer @samanthamariaoffical. 567.1k followers, 20,660 likes (Data collected: 18/03/19)

Micro-Influencer @barefootcacker. 1832 followers, 566 likes (Data collected: 18/03/19)

2. Reach

Macro-influencers have a greater reach compared to micro-influencers; although micro-influencers have a significant following, their reach is nothing like that of macro-influencers (Barker, 2018).

There are a few differences in what people consider ‘macro’. According to Gottbrecht (2016), macro refers to individuals with 10,000 – 1 million followers, and micro refers to 500 – 10,000 followers. As their popularity increases, the number of followers a macro-influencer has may equate to over a million. Macro-influencers have the ability to promote a brand’s marketing message to a large audience with a single post.

3. Affordability

Despite the high level of reach macro-influencers offer, the cost of working with them makes them less accessible, especially for start-ups and small businesses with limited budgets (Barker, 2018).

Celebrity endorsement will generally require much higher payment than micro-influencers. One piece of content from a celebrity influencer could cost anywhere from £2000 – £50000, depending on their status and follower count (Hatton, 2018). Endorsements now make up approximately 25% of the Kardashians’ income, with Hatton (2018) estimating the Kardashians being paid £500,000 per post. Influencer posts now contain hashtags such as #ad, #gifted, #sponsored to maintain transparency in their content.

The cost to acquire a micro-influencer is based on more than just reach; higher engagement rates, better quality content, and more relevant audiences are all factors that warrant higher rates. Number of followers should NOT be the only consideration in choosing an influencer — especially with micro-influencers (Lee, 2016).

Figure 2. Micro-influencers cost graph in relation to following on Instagram (Lee, 2016).

Lee’s (2016) data shows 84% of micro-influencers charge less than $250 per branded Instagram post and 97% charge less than $500.

4. Relevance

A benefit of working with micro-influencers is their ability to connect with a highly-relevant audience; this could improve the cost-effectiveness and performance of the campaign significantly (Barker, 2018).

Micro-influencers are usually subject matter experts, so even though they have a smaller audience, followers are actually interested in the subjects. In terms of macro-influencers, in many cases, influencers can be seen promoting products or services completely unrelated to their niche.

5. Trust and Authenticity

According to TapInfluence (2018), the ROI of influencer marketing is 11 x higher than that of traditional advertising. This is due to consumers preferring to learn about products and services from relatable individuals rather than brands; therefore they are more likely to trust promotions and recommendations from an individual.

According to Collective Bias (2016), only 3% of consumers would consider buying a product endorsed by a celebrity, whereas 30% would consider purchasing a product endorsed by a non-celebrity influencer.

Conclusion:

The cost-effectiveness of working with micro-influencers makes up for what the influencer lacks in reach. This approach ensures the brand reaches a more relevant audience, with more authentic content. Furthermore, the content will be more likely to reach an audience which will engage with said content.

References:

Barker, S (2018) ‘How to get the most bang for your buck with influencer marketing’, Barker [online] Available at: https://shanebarker.com/blog/macro-vs-micro-influencer-marketing-campaign/ [Accessed: 18 Mar 2019]

Collective Bias (2016) ‘Peer have influence over consumers, celebrities don’t’, Collective Bias [online] Available at: https://www.collectivebias.com/blog/blog-2016-03-non-celebrity-influencers-drive-store-purchases [Accessed: 18 Mar 2019]

Gottbrecht, L (2016) ‘The three types of influencers all marketers should know’, Mavrck [online] https://www.mavrck.co/the-three-types-of-influencers-all-marketers-should-know-infographic/ [Accessed: 17 Mar 2019]

Hatton, G (2018) ‘Micro influencers vs macro influencers’, Social Media Today [online] Available at: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/micro-influencers-vs-macro-influencers/516896/ [Accessed: 17 Mar 2019]

Lee, K (2016) ‘How much does micro-influencer marketing cost’, Industry Insights [online] Available at: https://influence.bloglovin.com/how-much-does-micro-influencer-marketing-cost-8bace128ca75 [Accessed: 18 Mar 2019]

Markerly (2016) ‘Does influencer size matter’, Markerly [online] Available at: http://markerly.com/blog/instagram-marketing-does-influencer-size-matter/[Accessed: 16 Mar 2019]

Patel, N (2018) ‘How to create content that influencers will link to’, All-In-One [online] Available at: https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-create-content-that-influencers-will-link-to/ [Accessed: 18 Mar 2019]

Rayson, S (2015) ‘How to find influencers to amplify your content marketing’, Buzzsum [online] Available at: https://buzzsumo.com/blog/how-to-find-influencers-to-amplify-your-content-marketing/ [Accessed: 17 Mar 2019]
TapInfluence (2018) ‘Sales Effect Study’, Tap Influence [online] Available at: https://www.tapinfluence.com/tp_resource/nielsen-case-study/[Accessed: 17 Mar 2019]

Zheng, D (2018) ‘How to reach out to influencers so that they can’t say no’, The Daily Egg [online] Available at: https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/influencers-that-cant-say-no/ [Accessed: 16 Mar 2019]

Bibliography:

Chaffey, D; Smith, P.R (2017) Digital Marketing Excellence: Planning, Optimising and Integrating Online Marketing, Routledge, New York: Abingdon, 5th edition

Fuchs, C (2014) Social Media: A Critical Introduction, SAGE: London

Assessed Blog Post 2: Important factors to consider when using influencers to promote a brand.

Influencer marketing is on the rise, with more and more brands realising the power of influential voices, particularly in our increasingly social media driven world (Hutchinson, 2018). A ‘social media campaign’ is a coordinated marketing strategy to assist with the success of a business goal using one or more social platforms; campaigns differ from everyday social media efforts due to their increased focus, targeting and measurability (BigCommerce, 2019).

The Power of Influencer Marketing:

  • When it comes to millennials, only 1% of them trust advertisements. However, 33% trust blog reviews for their purchases.
  • Around 40% of people reported that they purchased a product online after seeing it used by an influencer on YouTube, Instagram or Twitter.
  • 71% of influencers believe that it is an honest and authentic voice that keeps their audience engaged (BigCommerce, 2019).

Campaign Success: ASOS

ASOS’s goal was to communicate with their customers in an authentic manner; they did so through their influencer marketing initiative ‘ASOS Insiders’. Through ‘ASOS Insiders’, the influencers posted images of themselves on Instagram (social media platform) wearing ASOS clothing; the posts included links providing a clear customer journey, enabling followers to ‘buy the look’. The ‘insiders’ were mostly fashion or lifestyle influencers with a strong social media presence (Brown, 2018).

 

Measuring Success:
1. Establish Campaign Reach via Followers, Post Impressions and Referral Traffic.
Measuring an influencer’s reach determines how many consumers saw the brand’s message; to examine influencer reach, measure the key performance indicators (KPIs): followers, impressions and traffic data (De Vivo, 2017).

2. Measure Campaign Engagement via Clicks, Likes, Reactions and Shares.
When the influencer campaign goal relates to engagement, measure not only the number of engagements, but also the cost per engagement (CPE). Influencer engagement indicates the future of brand loyalty among consumers, and can track long-term return on investment (ROI) (De Vivo, 2017).

3. Calculate Target Audience Growth via Google Analytics’ Audience Overview Demographics.
When choosing an influencer relative to the brand’s niche, content produced should be relevant and targeted accordingly. To ensure an influencer fits the brand’s targeted demographic, Google Analytics can determine potential influencers. Measuring the influencer’s grouping in relation to target audience, allows the brand to make crucial changes to the strategy and maximise ROI (De Vivo, 2017).

4. Quantify Social Leads via Google Analytics’ Acquisition Overview Report.
Maximise ROI through the identification of the influencers and marketing channels generating the most leads; this can be determined via Google Analytics (De Vivo, 2017).

The Risks of Influencer Marketing:

Collaborating with an influencer is relative to the selection of a business partner; choosing the right individuals can bring great success, but a poor choice can cause great damage to the brands reputation (SmartInsights, 2017). Many brands and influencers have been put under pressure, due to fears of a decrease in consumer trust as some sponsored posts are not clearly signposted; there is the risk that if influencers abuse the trust gained from their audience, through failing to inform them that a piece of content is sponsored, there is a loss of credibility (Macgougan, 2018).

Key Risks for the Brand:

  • Fake followers/ wasted money
    A ‘fake’ following can be identified through analysing rates of engagement, comments and the account(s) details.
  • Bad reviews from influencers
    Ensure the product is perfect before submitting to influencers; both the influencer’s and the brand’s credibility is at risk if a bad product is recommended.
  • Message not fitting with the brand’s guidelines or standards
    A certain level of creative control should be established with the influencer to ensure the campaign launched is in line with your brand’s values and tone of voice (Macgougan, 2018).

In essence, when carried out correctly, influencer campaigns can be extremely beneficial to a brand or company; the exposure and impressions obtained from a successful influencer campaign are far greater than ‘traditional’ advertising campaigns could achieve.

 

 

References:

BigCommerce (2019) ‘What is a social media campaign? How to increase social sales?’, BigCommerce [online] Available at: https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/ecommerce-answers/what-is-a-social-media-campaign/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]

Brown, B (2018) ‘8 Influencer Marketing Case Studies’, Grin [online] Available at: https://www.grin.co/blog/8-influencer-marketing-case-studies-with-unbelievable-results [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]

Davies, A (2016) ‘Why Asos Insiders is a stroke of influencer marketing genius’, Ometria [online] Available at:

https://blog.ometria.com/why-we-cant-get-enough-of-asos-insiders [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]

De Vivo, M (2017) ‘How to measure influencer marketing campaigns’, Social Media Examiner [online] Available at: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/influencer-marketing-campaigns-5-ways-to-measure/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]

Hutchinson, A (2018) ‘Why influencer marketing is on the rise, and how to maximise your campaigns’, Social Media Today [online] Available at: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/why-influencer-marketing-is-on-the-rise-and-how-to-maximize-your-campaigns/525434/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]

Macgougan, P (2018) ‘What are the biggest risks associated with influencer marketing?’, Go-Mash Marketing [online] Available at: http://go-mashmarketing.com/news/influencer-marketing/biggest-risks-associated-influencer-marketing/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]

SmartInsights (2017) ‘4 influencer marketing risks to be wary of’, Smart Insights [online] Available at: https://www.smartinsights.com/online-pr/influencer-marketing/4-influencer-marketing-risks-wary/ [Accessed: 11 Feb 2019]

 

Assessed Blog Post 1: Audit of a Company Website (Zara UK)

This blog will analyse the functionality of https://www.zara.com/uk/ from a consumer’s perspective. The site is an online platform for individuals to purchase Fast Fashion garments, targeting the young, price-conscious and fashion sensitive (Harbott, 2011). The brand does not define their target by segmenting ages and lifestyles, giving them a much broader market. The product line is segmented into Woman’s (60%), Men’s (25%) and Children’s (15%) departments (Harbott, 2011). The brand’s main competitors are H&M and Mango, as determined by Alexa’s (2018) market analysis (See Appendix A). Relevant Buyer Personas (See Figure 1), will be used to evaluate the site’s functionality, following Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick’s (2016) ‘The Effectiveness of Websites’ model (See Figure 2).

Figure 1. Buyer Personas

Figure 2. The Effectiveness of Websites (Chaffey & Ellis Chadwick, 2016)

Analysis:

The customer journey purchasing experience with Zara is easy to follow. Once items have been added to basket and the customer checks out, payment information is displayed. This also applies to other retailers analysed. Once you have reached the Zara checkout point, the store informs you that they accept multiple payment methods; Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Zara Gift Card and Paypal, covering all platforms for online payment. The site itself feels secure, and after purchase an email receipt is send to your email address to confirm the order. This is the same with both Mango and H&M. Another email is sent confirming dispatch and tracking information is included, making the user feel confident in their decision to purchase.

The fast fashion model works purely on convenience; products from both Zara and H&M can be purchased with next day delivery providing the order is placed before 7pm. Mango does not offer this option, only standard delivery estimated to take 2-5 days. Zara and H&M products can even be delivered on the same day if you’re situated in London and orders are placed before 2pm. All retailers offer delivery to your nearest store, and also CollectPlus.

Post-purchase, an email is sent from the retailer asking for a review of the product, which gives the customer an easy opportunity to provide feedback on the purchase. Mango and H&M have a returns form enclosed in the delivery package, however Zara’s returns system isn’t as obvious. The package arrives with your items and list of the package’s contents. The customer then must go online, to the Returns link, and ‘request a return’ through their order history displayed in their account. This process will be more complicated for those whom have checked out as a guest. Following this, a courier will be sent to collect the items for return from you. Alternatively the items can be returned at the nearest store with the eTicket sent upon purchase.

All retailers analysed do not offer a student discount. Traffic sources show that less than 50% of visitors have directly searched for the page (Alexa, 2018). 6.53% of traffic to the site has been generated through links and social media platforms (See Appendix B). Digital media channels are online communication techniques such as Search Engine Marketing and Online Public Relations (E-PR), E-PR is used to maximise positive mentions of the brand on third-party sites such as social networks or blogs that are likely to be viewed by the target audience (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2016). Through the use of social media platforms, although no discount is provided, Zara’s customer demographic still includes a large proportion of 18-25 year olds (Greenfield, 2016).

Examples of social media posts by Zara.

Following on from the analysis, two customer journey maps have been created based on the Buyer Personas displayed in Figure 1. The first is representative of the consumer making a purchase online, and the second shows the returns process.

Figure 3. Customer Journey Map showing the Buying Process.

Figure 4. Customer Journey Map showing the Return Process.

 

 

References:

Alexa (2018) ‘Zara Market Analysis’, Alexa [online] Available at: https://www.alexa.com/ [Accessed: 3 Dec 2018]

Chaffey, D. and Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2016). Digital marketing. 6th ed. Harlow [etc.]: Pearson.

Greenfield, J (2016) ‘Zara Demographics’, Digital Publishing [online] Available at: http://jessgreenfieldfashionstyling.blogspot.com/2016/01/zara-demographics.html [Accessed: 6 Dec 2018]

Harbott, A (2011) ‘Analysing Zara’s business model’. Harbott [online] Available at: https://harbott.com/analysing-zaras-business-model-6ee755699a70 [Accessed: 6 Dec 2018]

H&M (2018) ‘About’, H&M [online] Available at: https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/index.html [Accessed: 6 Dec 2018]

Mango (2018) ‘About’, Mango [online] Available at: https://shop.mango.com/gb [Accessed: 6 Dec 2018]

Zara (2018) ‘About’, Zara [online] Available at: https://www.zara.com/uk/ [Accessed: 6 Dec 2018]

Appendices:

Appendix A

Appendix B

 

Buyer Personas

I have created Buyer Personas based on my recent analysis of the Zara Website. Following this, I have created a Customer Journey Map to demonstrate their buying process.

Persona Name: Annie
Background:

  • Full time university student studying Fine Art. Part time worker in a cafe.
  • Super conscious about what she spends her money on.
  • Prefers to use credit/ debit cards.

Demographics:

  • Female
  • 22 years old
  • Low income – student loan and part time income.
  • Located in Brighton

Identifiers:

  • High social media presence; active on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Linked In.
  • Prefers to communicate over text and social media  rather than phone.
  • Creative individual, strong personal style.

Goals:

  1. Purchase highly fashion and on trend garments.
  2. Access to deals and coupons to make shopping more afforable.

Challenges:

  1. Not being able to find reasonably priced  garments that are of a good quality.
  2. Lack of coupons available for money off more expensive items of clothing.

What can we do to help our persona achieve their goals and overcome challenges?

  • Offer incentives for loyal customers e.g. money off coupons.
  • Provide high quality products at reasonable prices.

Real quotes:

  • “Most of the time when I buy clothing that’s actually in my price range, it falls apart after a few washes!”
  • “I’m fed up of making the choice between price and quality!”

Common Objections:

If the products are low quality or highly priced this customer wouldn’t purchase products, they’re looking for a combination of the 2.

Marketing Messaging: How should the solution be described to the persona?

“High quality, high fashion products!”

Elevator Pitch:

“Rather than skimping on quality to make the price cheaper, we’ve maintained a good quality throughout all our products and offer money off for our regular customers!”

Persona Name: Marie

Background:

  • Home life is hectic for Marie as she has 2 children (8 & 10) and also works full time as in administation.
  • Married, partner Dave leaves for work early and is home late.
  • No financial pressure as both on mid – high salaries.

Demographics:

  • Female
  • 32 years old
  • Income – mid level
  • South London

Identifiers:

  • Heavy user of the internet, usually uses on the go.
  • Active on Facebook, Linked In and Pintrest

Goals:

  1. Easy and convenient way to shop online for clothing for work.
  2. Be able to pick when items are delivered due to busy schedule

Challenges:

  1. Not being able to find clothes suitable for work in a quick and easy search
  2. Getting far fewer options when selecting smart wear

What can we do to help our persona achieve their goals and overcome challenges?

  • Provide a good selection of clothing suitable for the working woman.
  • Provide clear selection points making search quick and easy.

Real Quotes:

“It’s been hard to find smart yet fashionable clothing to wear to work, everything seems to be either too casual or just boring”

“My deliveries always seem to come when I’m at work and I don’t have time to pick parcels up from the post office”.

Common Objections:

  • If the products available didn’t suit the working woman persona.
  • If there wasn’t a convenient delivery time advertised.

Marketing Messaging: How should the solution be described to the persona?

‘Products delivered at a time that suits you!’

Elevator Pitch:

“Not only can you pick the date of your delivery, you can also pick a time slot that suits you!”

Persona Name: June

Background:

  • Recent retiree from a marketing firm which she’d worked for 35 years.
  • Has 2 children and 4 grandchildren.
  • Living on a reasonable pension and has savings – money not a massive factor.

Demographics:

  • Female
  • 67 years old
  • Pension is only income, but has reasonable savings to live off.
  • South London

Identifiers:

  • Some interest in technology, prefers to speak to people over the phone or in person.
  • Bubbly individual, creative

Goals:

  1. Find clothing that is age appropriate but still fashionable
  2. Shop in a friendly and helpful environment

Challenges:

  1. Most clothing on the market doesn’t for older generation is grey and boring.
  2. Most good purchases online but she doesn’t want to shop online – prefers in store

What can we do to help our persona achieve their goals and overcome challenges?

  • Focus equal attention on high street store presence and maintaining customer service levels, as on the online store.

Real Quotes:

“It’s like as soon as you pass 50, all shops seem to think you want to live in grey and beige clothing!”

“Everything is on the computer nowadays, no one seems to go to shops anymore!”

Common Objections:

  • If the products aren’t exciting to the customer.
  • If all products are only available online and there is no physical store to visit.

Marketing Messaging: How should the solution be described to the persona?

“Clothing shouldn’t be targeted at certain age range, style is for everyone!”

Elevator Pitch:

“Our products will be versatile and full of style! In store and online shopping will take equal importance so all customers are satisfying with their shopping experience.”

Persona Name: Becky

Background:

  • Works full time as a fashion buyer for Topshop
  • Single, no children
  • In rented accommodation, plenty of money to spend on socialising.

Demographics:

  • Female
  • 27 years old
  • Mid level income £30k per year
  • South London

Identifiers:

  • High social media presence, on Facebook, Twitter, Linked in and Instagram.
  • Highly sociable individual
  • Strong interest in fashion and shopping

Goals:

  1. Purchasing versatile on trend outfits that can be worn at work and also outside of work.
  2. Ability for the high street store to keep up with high fashion trends.

Challenges:

  1. Clothing is either too formal or too casual to work for both occasions.
  2. Lack of versatility in smart casual wear

What can we do to help our persona achieve their goals and overcome challenges?

  • Create a collection for the young working woman, looking into their lifestyles and how clothing can be functional for the day to night.

Real Quotes:

“If I’m going for after work drinks in a nearby bar, I don’t want to look as though I’ve just come from the office”

“Work wear doesn’t have to be boring suits. We deserve fashionable clothing for work too!”

Common Objections:

  • Wouldn’t purchase products if they were boring and generic, looking for something more exciting.

Marketing Messaging: How should the solution be described to the persona?

“Outfits leaving you feeling fabulous, all throughout the day!”

Elevator Pitch:

“Why does work wear and evening wear have to be 2 completely different outfits? We’re creating a collection that leaves you feeling great, whatever the day brings! One outfit, taking you through day to night.”

Click below for the Customer Journey Map.

Customer Journey Map

Analysis of the customer experience: Zara Fashion UK

This blog will analyse the functionality of the Zara UK clothing site from a consumer’s perspective. The site itself is an online platform for individuals to purchase Fast Fashion garments. The target consumer is usually within the age range 18 – 40 years, with a mid-range income. As part of his/ her occupation, fashion trends usually demonstrate a high importance.

Customer Profile
The consumer is a single working mum, with 2 children of primary school age. They work as a marketing assistant in a trendy advertising company which is a mid-level paid role.
A day in the life of the consumer begins by dropping off the children at school, and arriving at work for 9am. They finish work at 3pm and pick up the children from school and take to various after-school activities leaving time to catch up of household chores and prepare dinner. After picking up the children from after school activities, they ensure children are fed and bathed. After the children go to bed at approx. 8pm which allows the consumer to scroll through social media, watch reality TV and scroll through online shopping (usually fashion) platforms.
According to the 2009 BSM Media survey, 71% of mums use the Internet to get product information (Linder & LaMotta, 2009). Online shopping, especially for this consumer whos job role requires her to remain on trend, is an essential tool for the single working mother who doesn’t have the time to browse high street stores. The online shopping experience needs to be as streamlined and user-friendly as possible, ensuring that she can find products quickly and easily. She generally frequents sites such as ASOS, BooHoo and Topshop, however for this study will focus on Zara as an online purchaser. The main objectives of this study are to analyse the functionality and user-friendliness of the buying experience, the home delivery options and speed/ frequency of delivery, and the speed/ easiness of their returns policy.

Following Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick (2016) analysis of the Effectiveness of Websites, I will evaluate the functionality of https://www.zara.com/uk/ under the following subject headings: Positioning, Informing, Attracting and Delivery, as shown on the diagram.

Positioning
In terms of discounted price, bar seasonal sales, the brand doesn’t offer any discount on their garments. Products are priced in line with other fast fashion sites, however competitors generally offer a student discount, usually 10% off. The brand does differentiate slightly from other ‘high street’ brands, as Zara follows high fashion trends more closely than say New Look, therefore products appear to be more expensive than the price paid. There is also a wide variety of products advertised on the site for both male and female consumers, however nothing is custom made. The fast fashion model works purely on convenience; products from the site can be purchased with next day delivery providing the order is placed before 7pm. Products can even be delivered on the same day if you’re situated in London and orders are placed before 2pm which works well for the working mother. Items can also be delivered to a store located nearby or multiple pick up points depending on the consumer’s requirements.

Informing
The site isn’t the most user-friendly for a first time visitor. When scrolling through the page, the links on the left hand side disappear whilst scrolling, and the bar at the bottom of the page remains dominant throughout. This is clearly an attempt to encourage visitors to sign up to the brand’s mailing list, however does cause frustration as a user and is something I’d recommend changing to make the experience more pleasurable. Advertisements on the opening site page alternate between collections for both genders, however the first to appear is the Zara Woman A/W campaign which suggests that more products are sold to women rather than men.

In regards to information displayed on the site, there is little. Delivery information can be easily found during the checkout process. This requires users to semi-commit to purchasing before delivery prices are displayed. The search bar at the top of the site page is only useful if you are searching for a specific product/ style. There is obvious point in which the user can ask questions relating to the purchasing process from the main site page. Again, the mailing list bar dominates the section of the page focused on enquires, with users struggling to even reach the ‘Contact Us’ feature before they are cut off. In terms of the visual appeal of the site, colours are minimalistic, mainly monotone, drawing the users attention to photographs of models wearing the latest collections. With the current Autumn/Winter collection’s colour scheme following the same monotone approach, I can’t help but feel the site could use atleast a small amount of colour to draw customers in.


 Attracting
The brand’s name ‘Zara’ suggests that the target market is females, which is suited to the customer profile. With the ‘New In’ section the site located at the top of the page, outfit recommendations draw attention to the latest collection. This encourages multiple purchases as users wish to ‘complete’ the look. Advertisements are singularly the own brand; there are no pop up adds relating to any other even similar brands at any point, which is refreshing as a user focus is purely on shopping the site. The opening page shows a video of models wearing the new collection. This is more engaging than simply a photograph as it enables the user to associate these clothes with functionality and imagine themselves wearing the garments as the model has done.

Delivery
The site’s download time is extremely fast, especially considering the amount of content. Photographs of products load within 30 seconds of visiting the page. Information of payment options is not apparent until the user has already semi-commited to checkout. However once you have reached the checkout point, the store informs you that they accept multiple payment methods; Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Zara Gift Card and Paypal, which covers all platforms for online payment. The site itself feels secure, and after purchase an email receipt is send to your email address to confirm the order. This provides the user with a sense of security, as it is clear the site has received the order and an estimated delivery date is given. Another email is sent confirming dispatch and tracking information is included, which again makes the user feel confident in their decision to purchase. Information regarding the returns policy is finally provided at this point, if the user scrolls to the bottom of the page, a link is provided. There is also a ‘chat’ button in the bottom right corner if the user was to have any queries about purchasing. Although there was no information clearly provided before the checkout point, it is reassuring to know that in the time of purchase, customer support can be given if required.

 

 

 

 

References
Linder, M & LaMotta, L (2009) ‘How to market to the modern mom‘, Forbes [online], Available at: https://www.forbes.com/2009/01/08/mother-marketing-gm-ent-sales-cx_ml_0108marketingtomom.html#ddb966277689 [Accessed: 26 Oct 18]

Chaffey & Ellis Chadwick (2016) ‘Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice’, Pearson: London. (page 24)

 

 

* This is a student blog *

 


How Social Media #broughtdowntheking – Case Study

This blog will analyse how the use of social media and Brandwatch analytics enabled Sky to turn their campaign global.

Background

Game of Thrones, at the time of print, was the world’s most popular and talked about TV show. The recent launch of Season 4 acted as a marketing opportunity for Sky, who held the exclusive broadcasting rights to the show in New Zealand. With Sky in place in approximately 1.6 million households in New Zealand, however, they were only streaming the show for approximately 29.8% of households. By enlisting DDB, the most influential advertising group in the country, they aimed to promote the paid channel SoHo, home of the program, to current Sky subscribers whilst also hopefully enlisting new subscribers to Sky/SoHo.

Through the utilisation of Brandwatch analytics, DDB was able to identify themes throughout the show that watchers most engaged with through chatter on online platforms. The most heavily discussed theme DDB found was King Joffrey and users hatred for the character. From this, DDB constructed a well thought out campaign which demonstrated Sky’s passion regarding their content, beyond the realms of traditional or digital media. A statue of King Joffrey himself was constructed in Aotea Square, Auckland; a large and frequently visited public space in New Zealand. This was live streamed, and users were encouraged to #bringdowntheking through the use of the hashtag. As more users participated, every tweet that included the hashtag would turn the winch, tightening the rope which would eventually execute the ‘King’.

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Bring down this boyking! #got #bringdowntheking

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Examples of Twitter fans involved in #bringdowntheking :

During this process, Brandwatch was used to find opportunities for campaign growth, as well as tracking and analysing the use of the hashtag. By charting the volume of mentions per hour, grouped by country, they were able to examine the engagement rate in each region. Following this, if a country has fallen behind significantly, DDB reached out to local Game of Thrones communities in their native language. This approach showed a much higher engagement rate in Brazillian and French markets which previously the agency had struggled to generate interest. The final statistics showed it had reached 43 million people in 168 countries, with 875,000 individual interactions relating to the campaign.

Examples of impact reached by locals taking photos and posting online:

My takeaway

My take on this case refers to the use of Brandwatch throughout the campaign. Data is revolutionising how companies attain greater customer responsiveness and gain greater customer insights. Brandwatch, in this case, was able to analyse online traffic to discover the most discussed theme of the program which enabled DDB to create a campaign strategy likely to cause the most traction. The hashtag #bringdowntheking has opened a communication channel for individuals with similar interests, whilst also sparking curiousity for those who previously weren’t interested in Game of Thrones. Users will question, “What is Game of Thrones?”, “Who is King Joffrey?”,  and from this engagement has been achieved due to Brandwatch’s original analysis of online chatter.

By adopting an approach beyond the realms of traditional/ digital media through the construction of the King Joffrey statue, further engagement has occured. Passers by Aotea Square, who do not have any knowledge/ interest in the program are likely to take photographs of the new figure. Some will take to social media to ask “Who is this statue of/ why is it here?” or “Why is there a statue of King Joffrey in the Square?” which again is adding more traction to the campaign. With crowds gathered in the square and millions watching online, ready to witness the moment King Joffrey made impact with the pavement, it is safe to say the campaign was a global success.

The reason this campaign was able to have such high interactions and a interactive campaign was due to the specific market research Brandwatch enabled them identify, and with 43 million people in 168 countries reached, the initial analysis definitely seems worthwhile.

 

References:

YouTube. 2017. Everybody hates Joffrey – Game of Thrones – YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgzwkO0nEKY. [Accessed 9 October 2018].