Digital Marketing Strategy and Campaign Creation Converse

Digital Marketing Strategy & Campaign Creation Converse: Flyknit High Tops Converse Overview Ever since Converse began with the original Chuck Taylor sneaker over a century ago, we have strived to create a plethora of sneakers that can define you in numerous ways. Whether it’s through sport, artistic views, or street fashion, we provide the shoes that makes you feel cool and comfortable, as we walk on through this world… together as one. Direct Marketing Overview With converse trying to market to a new generation of youth through various categories: sport, fashion, and art, they want to promote the iconic fashion of the Chuck Taylor sneaker, with the upgrade of materials, styles, and comfortability. To promote our sneakers to this generation of youth, Converse if focusing on increasing their digital presence through social media channels such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Converse has recently release it’s “Forever Chuck” ad which promotes a new generation of “cool”. The ad features current popular ambassadors such as Winnie Harlow, and Millie Bobby Brown. The purpose of this ad was to promote the idea that the iconic Chuck Taylor will always be a brand/shoe for the “cool kids”, and this video depicts the passing of the torch to a new generation of “cool”. Julien Cahn, Chief Marketing Officer at Converse,said in a statement "Through the debut of our Forever Chuck film, we will have officially introduced our collective of exciting people, who share our brand values and are driving the spirit of youth culture forward." Marketing Challenges The major marketing challenge for Converse is promotion of the new and improved Chuck Taylor to the new generation of youth. With the recent merge with Nike, Converse is working to bring a wide-variety of their sneakers to market. The problem with this is the price. With shoes reaching up to the price of 150 USD, they could potentially be losing a huge chunk of their revenue because the new youth generation is looking to wear a inexpensive, convenient shoe that can be worn all day. Proposed Market Research Plan and Insights For our market research plan, we want to connect with this day and age youth generation through the various social media platforms, such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube and ask them what they want to get out of their purchases of Converse sneakers. This includes styles and price points. In addition, using these channels to promote our new ideas for sneakers, as well as concepts will give our audience an idea of what Converse is trying to do with their latest versions of sneakers, which will lead to our audiences voicing their opinions on our ideas, whether it be positive or negative. With our main focus on pleasing the consumers, we value their opinions and want to provide them with numerous shoes that fit the key demographics we want to target. Converses’ Audience Breakdown Our audience focuses on today’s youth generation. This niche market is men and women, ages 14-25. We selected this market because this is the market of people who are up to date with the fashion and style trends in present time. In addition to that, this segment of people, who pride themselves on their sense of fashion, as well as being on a budget, which is why our campaign focuses on the Converse All Star Chuck Taylor Flyknit - a stylish shoe that appeals to various ages and personal styles, while not breaking the bank at a retail of 100 USD. Three Personas 1. Seth Black a. Seth Black is a 16 year old Sophomore in high school who does not own a car. Since he does not have a car, he skateboards to and back from school everyday. He presents himself as a hipster stylish kind of style where he wears old vintage clothing with ironic pieces. In addition, he owns only 2 pairs of shoes: sneakers and dress shoes. He wears his sneakers for everything, so he is looking for a plain, but stylish pair of shoes that he can wear for any activity and do not break the bank, while still getting the comfortability of them. 2. Rachel Adams a. Rachel is a senior at The Pratt Institute in New York. She is studying graphic design, but in her slim free time, she loves to paint. Being a college student, she does not like to spend too much money, especially in New York City. She likes a shoe that she can wear for any occasion and with any outfit because she is always on the move. She likes to wear white sneakers so she can create art pieces on her shoes. This relates really well to the all-white Converse All Star Flyknits, which are all white. 3. Jake Luhrs a. Jake Luhrs is a 25 year old lead singer of the metal band “August Burns Red”. His band tours all around the world, so he is always thinking about what he should wear when he performs. When he performs, he is always moving and bouncing around. He enjoys wearing a shoe that is not too flashy and portrays that certain “rocker” style. He also loves wearing high tops. The Converse All Star Chuck Taylor is a great shoe because it can be plain, but also stylish and portrays the certain street fashion he goes for. The flyknit all star would be a great shoe because it fits the type of shoe he looks for, but also provides some breathability when he is on the stage bouncing around with his band. Target Customer Segments for Campaign Demographics: ● Men and women ages 14-25 ● High school and college students, as well as young professionals ● Since they’re at such a young age, various incomes apply, but targeting people who purchase shoes that are inexpensive ● No specific focus on socio-economic status Geographic ● There is no specific geographical focus. We at Converse want to be able to provide a great shoe for everyone and anywhere Psychographic ● We want to create a shoe for the average youth, student, or young professional who is always on the move that is looking a simple, but stylish sneaker that is multi purposeful Behavioral ● We are targeting the demographic that does not spend excessive money on shoes, but are still looking for that one pair of shoes that looks well with anything they wear, and provides comfortability in all activities. With such a great shoe, we hope this provides us with customer loyalty, so whenever they look to buy a new pair of shoes, they choose from the great options the All Star flyknit provides. Contextual and Situational ● With the youth generation actively scrolling through various social media channels, we want to promote our All Star flyknit sneaker through our various retailers into these channels. This paints a picture of how great this shoe is and potentially leads our target markets into purchasing the shoe, then later on in life becoming loyal to the brand. Proposed Campaign Approach For our campaign “Live Free” for the Converse All Star flyknit, we want to target the youth generation ages 14-25 years old. Our position in sales location is through various social media channels, as well as email and web advertising. With the flyknit retailing at 100 USD, it works well with our target audience because we are targeting the youth who do not spend too much money on sneakers, but still like to keep up with fashion trends. We do not really focus on a specific area. We want our shoe to be promoted to everyone, everywhere. o Customer insight Converses’ customers want comfortable sporty shoes that will last a long time fashionably and physically. Our target customers want authentic and trustworthy brands that can show off their individuality. Converses’ customers like their voice being heard, their diverse product lines for every buyer, and their innovative marketing techniques that show off their sense of adventure and self-expression. o Concept overview Competitor Analysis The biggest direct competitor for Converse are Vans because of their similar style and look. Vans advertising is edgy and displays their sense of living free like their motto “off the wall” suggests. Other competitors for general athletic shoes include Adidas and Puma. These shoes have more of an athletic look and use compared to Converse but are competitors for the flyknit shoe. Adidas and Puma both encourage an active lifestyle while looking fashionable. SWOT Analysis Strengths: ● Converse offers mid premium segment apparels, shoes and other accessories for the youth with good advertising ● Linking together with Nike leads to ventures into different markets, as well as various design upgrades to simulate Nike’s ideas ● Range captures international designs and trends and also special editions are launched for special occasions. ● Famous Brand Ambassadors ○ Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things ○ Jordan Clarkson – LA Lakers ○ Vince Staples – Rapper Weaknesses: ● Failure to create something new to cope with moving trends ● Tough competition with brands willing to adapt to market trends Opportunities: ● Very well known for its classic shoe ● Opportunity to adapt and create new products/shoes to fit consumer needs Threats: ● Failure to adapt off of the classic ● Such a niche market can lead to the demise of the company · Positioning Statement We want men and women ages 14-25 to see the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star X Nike Flyknit High Tops as a fresh, new way to express themselves while living an active life. · Critical Message Elements As we’re focusing our campaign on the Flyknit shoes, we hope to integrate the concept of “flying,” “freedom,” and self expression. All of our advertisements will be geared towards living a life of creativity, breaking free of society’s expectations and living for oneself. The target audience are those who utilize their environment to fulfill themselves, so the message will also include elements of urban exploration, street art, and movement. The shoe itself is the most active form of Converse, and therefore our message will reflect that. · Keywords or key phrases “Live Free” is the key phrase for our campaign. Additionally, keywords that will occur throughout our campaign will include “self expression” and “urban exploration.” Additionally, we will emphasize key qualities of the shoe, which includes breathability and “freshness.” · Creative – Search Engine Ads: New Converse Flyknits - The Ultimate Athlesiure Shoe - Converse.com The perfect combination of comfort and street cool. Flyknits are the perfect sneaker for the individual aiming to live free. Converse X Nike Flyknits - Fresh and Breathable Street Shoes - Converse.com For the self expressive who has a taste for adventure, the new Flyknits are for the rebel, the artist, the athlete ready to live free. Email Example: Write about it and then put image in appendix 2 display ads: Facebook: “Complacency is the enemy of creativity. Be bold - break the norm. Make a statement - get your Converse Chuck Taylor All Star X Nike Flyknit High Tops on Converse.com now. #LiveFree” “Strange is in, just ask @milliebbrown #LiveLifeUpsideDown #LiveFree” These social media posts are directed to our target audience -- the ones looking for a change or a way to stand taller the rest and be different. Each of the post are based off being bold and carefree and peculiar. Converse exemplifies self-expression and we are communicating that in these social media posts. Overview and Treatment for Proposed 30-Second Multichannel Video The video will open with a shot of someone walking, but its low to the ground and you can only see their feet. Its quick and goes through 3 more different shots of the same shoe (Flyknit High Top), but different colors and walking on different floors. Next, someone throws down a skateboard and hops on wearing their Flyknit High Tops, then another set of shoes spinning like they are dancing, then another standing and then sprinting all of the sudden, and lastly another doing footwork on a basketball court. The next 4 shots start to zoom out and you begin to see what’s happening in the various scenes. The screen with then go to white and in black bold letters it will say “BE DIFFERENT”. The next shot will say “LIVE FREE”. The last shot will say “CONVERSE,” “The all new Converse Chuck Taylor All Star x Nike Flyknit High Tops.” The music will be “Tear You Apart” by She Wants Revenge. It will just play the beat for the flashes of the different sneakers then we will cut parts of the song for the rest of the video. It has an angsty, rebellious vibe to it. News Release: Converse Collaborates with Nike for the Ultimate Street Shoe December 6, 2017 This year, shoe moguls Nike and Converse have joined forces to create a shoe that unites comfort, breathability and style. The Flyknit takes the best from Nike’s high tech athletic shoes, molding it with Converse’s classic high top design. The result: a fresh, sporty street shoe that can appeal to everyone. Coinciding with the new release begins a new Converse campaign. The social media and digital marketing campaign will center around the Flyknit, and target young, urban people with a thirst for life and adventure. The campaign will reignite the more “active” aspect of Converse classics, by encouraging customers to “Live Free.” The “Live Free” slogan will be present on all advertising media, and a hashtag campaign will be activated on social media. The significance of the campaign is to refresh and revamp the Converse Chuck Taylor. Taking a classic shoe and giving it a more athletic twist allows the company to target a more urban, trendier market. Additionally, the collaboration of Nike brings another consumer into the mix, as those who are active Nike fans may be encouraged to check out the Flyknit. If you are interested in learning more about the Converse Flyknit, the entire collection can be viewed on the Converse website. Conversion Optimization/A/B Tests Media Objectives and Recommended Media Converse should focus on social media sites where customers can share their style and favorite sneakers with everyone. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are the best channels to show ads because our target customers love social media sites where they can share and comment on others unique style. o Channel strategy Converses’ channel strategy is to cover social networking sites because the target customer loves to use social networks to show off their self expression and get inspiration from others they relate to. Using lots of colorful and eye catching images along with entertaining videos to connect customers to the brand and other people that love the brand. Social media makes it easier for customers to interact with each other as well as for Converse to interact with their customers which is very important to our target customer. o Type of ads Performance Metrics & Dashboard Some metrics that could be used to track the performance of ads are clicks per link, time spent on a site, where customers came from, sales, and how many tags on social media sites they have. KPIs In order to measure the success of our campaign, we will look at various key performance indicators (KPIs). We will do this throughout the campaign, constantly evaluating our successes. We will look at various KPIs starting with how many purchases have been made of the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star X Nike Flyknit High Tops. We will look at time spent on the Flyknit High Tops page and how many consumers put it in their online shopping bag, but did not complete the transaction and check out. These are the most important indicators because they will tell us if our campaign is working and if purchases of the High Tops are being made. If they are not, the other KPIs may explain why, such as indicators from social media, email, and discount codes. This KPI falls in line with that of the Converse website. Here we will evaluate time spent on site, time spent on specific pages of the site, and how long consumers watch our promotional video or if they just scroll past it as it will be on the Homepage of Converse.com. We will look at our performance on social media, especially Instagram with likes and followers gains. We are targeting a more visual generation, this is why Instagram is one of our main focuses. We have to sell the look and the idea of the shoe. We will also look into how many viewers we get on our Instagram live stories and regular stories. We will evaluate our performance on other social media platforms such as Pinterest, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter. Overall we will look at likes, follower increase, retweets and reposts, and click through rate to the website. We will share specific promotional codes on certain posts so we know which ads are working and actually getting the customer to make the purchase. Email, especially for those in our target audience who are in college, will be a key way for us to tell our consumers about exclusive Converse deals. Each email blast will have a different discount code to be used on the Converse website which will indicate which ads are working and convincing consumers to purchase. We will also look at if emails were put in Spam, if they were forwarded, if they were opened or if they were just thrown in the trash without opening. Lastly we will look at unsubscribes. These are people who may not be finding value in the Converse email, so maybe we would need to change up content or subject lines. Percent of sales in the end is the most important KPI that will really tell us what is working and what isn’t. How you plan to leverage the data to make adjustments? We will constantly be evaluating throughout the campaign, making changes where and when we see fit from looking at the data. For example, everyone is deleting our promotional emails without evening opening them, we likely need to change our subject line. If people are putting the Flyknit High Tops in their online shopping basket, but then not checking out, maybe we need to add an overlay or a pop-up reminding customers the check out, pushing them to the point of purchase and avoiding cart abandonment. If not many consumers have signed up to receive emails, we may need to add a pop-up on the Homepage of Converse.com offering 15% off a customer's first purchase if they supply their email. This will guarantee an increase in our email database. If we aren’t getting shares or likes on social media, we need to make our content more shareable and relatable to our followers. There are many tweeks we can make throughout our campaign process and we will use the data we collect from our KPIs throughout the campaign to determine where these changes need to be made.