Business Challenge
The brand is not yet established in the spices industry within the US consumer market.
Driver: Stressed Professionals rely heavily on online media to discover new brands, particularly in the realm of online communities, where Just Spices already exists.
Target Insight: The “Stressed Professional” is searching for a sense of community to inform consumer behavior and decision-making, particularly in an online environment.
Primary Communications Goal: Get stressed professionals to engage with the brand and increase followings through social media engagement (likes, comments, reposts, hashtags, etc.).
Strategy Statement: ((build a community around the brand and its products, use template from handout)) “Get (target audience) to (primary communications goal) by (moment of receptivity)”
Get stressed professionals to actively engage with Just Spices on social media on Friday evenings.
Strategy Statement
Our strategy statement is focused on the concept of creating a community centered around the Just Spices brand. One of the business challenges Just Spices faces in the American market is a lack of brand awareness, especially when compared to established competitors like McCormick. However, we see an opportunity for a fast-paced spread of brand awareness due to our target audience’s tendency for brand discovery through online media and their pre-established communities.
23.1% of our "stressed professionals" primarily discover new brands through brand/product websites (96.1i, GWI), while 19.6% look to recommendations from social media and online comments (107i, GWI), and 11.8% read posts or reviews from expert bloggers (126.6i, GWI). When people are uncertain about new products, they often look to others for guidance. If they see that many others have had positive experiences with a product or service, they are more likely to view it positively as well. This creates earned media opportunities through posts and recommendations, as well as subsequent word-of-mouth (which has already been happening for Just Spices in their active markets), and also uses owned media in the form of Just Spices' established brand website.
People are now more conscious and skeptical of ads, as they know that the company is trying to sell them something. Therefore, product reviews are a way to reach our target audience without being too intrusive. The best platforms that produce this sort of media in the most natural environment are platforms like YouTube and TikTok. They produce organic review videos that make consumers believe they are invested in the product for their own curiosity.
Using data from GWI, we’ve found that these "stressed professionals" are mostly on their mobile devices (51.6%, 119.8i) and enjoy watching product review videos (26.1%, 128.5i). They also statistically have a personal interest in physical activity, from the tech-focused side of using health and fitness apps (31.3%, 140.3i) to the socialization of playing sports (48.6%, 176i). Lastly, they largely buy products and services to access the community around them (21.2%, 212i). All data points to the idea that community is a core value for our target audience.
Our stressed professionals hold themselves to high standards, striving for the utmost success in their careers. They tend to be young and ambitious, often spending long periods working in isolation within their offices. This leaves them with limited opportunities to relax and unwind with loved ones, typically only seeing them during major holidays or scheduled gatherings. However, online communities offer a convenient way to connect with friends after work without the pressure of coordinating in-person meetups. By bonding over particular interests in certain grouped online communities, individuals can establish meaningful relationships without the added stress of scheduling face-to-face interactions.
These points, and what they say about our audience, lead us to the conclusion that the "stressed professional" is searching for a sense of community to inform consumer behavior and decision-making, particularly in an online environment. This insight led us to our primary communication goal of wanting consumers to connect with Just Spices through social media engagement, as this helps create a sense of community around the brand. We identified Friday evenings as our best moment of receptivity, as it’s the end of a long work week for our "stressed professionals," and they’ll likely be online looking to unwind and engage with others, while also looking for things to reduce stress in their life, such as making cooking easier with Just Spices.
Twitch: A very community-based platform would be Twitch. Many of its users "buy products and services to access the community built around them" (143 index), which aligns with what our target audience believes as well. Just Spices can also do sponsorships and collaborations with Twitch streamers to help create a more authentic and engaging experience for the target audience. This can include sponsorships of live events, giveaways, and other interactive activities.
Spotify: Spotify has many highly listened-to podcasts with very loyal communities rooted within them. Spotify offers several ad formats for podcast advertising, including host-read ads, pre-roll ads, and mid-roll ads. Host-read ads are the most effective as they sound more natural and are more engaging than other ad formats. There is also an opportunity to partner with influencers or podcast hosts who have established audiences and reach. This can help increase credibility and trust with our target audience.
TikTok: TikTok is another popular, community-based social media platform among the younger generations, which fits well with our target demographic. This platform allows the target audience to create short videos that can be shared and consumed easily. The TikTok algorithm also promotes content that resonates with users' interests, ultimately creating small communities within the platform. There is an opportunity for Just Spices to collaborate with nano, micro, and macro influencers on the app who are known for creating transparent, food/entertainment-related content (Mukbang videos, GRWM, etc.). These influencers can create candid, short, and engaging videos that showcase the benefits and versatility of Just Spices products, while also aligning with the target audience's preferences and interests.
Facebook: Facebook has a huge user base and provides various tools and formats to engage with the target audience. To target the stressed professionals, Facebook can use their targeting options, such as age, interests (gaming, food, spices, etc.), and job titles. Additionally, users who are active on weekends and have shown interest in similar communities or brands can be focused on. Just Spices could also launch recipe contests or weekly gaming tournaments on Facebook, which both encourage a sense of community. A "Behind the Scenes" content page could also be created on Facebook, showcasing how certain products are made and how the team works, creating transparency with the brand and providing a unique insight into Just Spices. Facebook offers carousel ads, video, and collection ads that can be used by Just Spices to promote their content, making this an efficient channel to use.
YouTube: YouTube has a large audience and provides various tools and formats to engage with the stressed professional. Just Spices can use YouTube to create tutorials, featuring their products and showing how they can be used in different recipes or dishes. Just Spices can also collaborate with popular gaming/entertainment influencers on YouTube and create sponsored videos where they feature Just Spices products in their content. This can help reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness among the target audience. Just Spices could also use YouTube to create Q&A sessions where they answer questions related to their products, sourcing, and their overall mission. This can help build trust and transparency with the target audience and provide a unique insight into the brand. Just Spices can also use YouTube’s In-Stream Ads, Discovery ads (that appear in search results or related videos section), and Bumper ads (that appear before a video to show a quick message) to increase brand awareness as well.
Measurement Plan
MEDIA OBJECTIVE
Create recognition that “Just Spices” has endless opportunities to create multiple recipes from their recipes online or by
scanning the QR code on the back of the can and following the recipe.
KPIS
Unique reach
Increase unique customer interaction with “Just Spices” online content by 30% over the course of 4 months.
Measuring CTR
Increase website clicks/visits by 65% over the course of 6 months.
CVP
Increase CVP by 30% over the course of 3 months.
MARKETING OBJECTIVE
Increase conversion among the metropolitan Millennial & Gen Z Audience
Position “Just Spices” as a premium brand that offers superior quality and taste compared to other spices on the market.
KPIS
Customer Satisfaction & Retention
Increase the percentage of returning visitors by 20% over the next 2 months.
Increase online reviews by 50% over the course of 6 months.
2. Customer lifetime value (CVL)
Increase subscriptions by 30% over the course of 6 months.
Increase shares by 35% over the course of 4 months.