(DISCLAIMER: This is a piece of fiction. It is an idea generated for my Intro to Social Media class. Athleta has no knowledge of this or endorsement of it to my knowledge)

The #IWill Campaign

OBJECTIVES:

There are two specific objectives for this campaign:

• Increase followers on Pinterest by 15%  (approximately 2250)
• Increase followers on Instagram by 15%  (approximately 4800)

The two specific objectives of this campaign align with our key long-term goals of increasing brand awareness in our target market, expanding brand awareness to a younger demographic and converting brand awareness into purchase.

THE #IWill CAMPAIGN:

Athleta proudly states the values of their brand as

1. Inspiring an active lifestyle

2. Motivating others

3. Tapping into our collective power as a group (women)

In the spirit of those values, I propose the #IWill campaign. There’s always that voice inside us saying “I can do better” or “I can do more”. It may keep us awake some nights. It may talk to us when we are on the mat, out for a run or swimming. It may creep in while we work. Whatever It is ~ Athleta is calling on you to harness the Power to the She.  Make the commitment.  Take a personal pledge and promise yourself this is the year it happens. This is the year you say “I Will”:

• #IWill get stronger
• #IWill dive the Great Barrier Reef
• #IWill be more patient
• #IWill survive
• #IWill learn to swim
• #IWill get that promotion
• #IWill master that asana
• #IWill get a job
• #IWill finish my degree
• #IWill play more with my daughter
• #IWill be Present

The #IWill Contest will last 30 days. Consumers should begin by following Athleta on Pinterest and Instagram. They should then post a photo with their #IWill declaration and encourage their sisters, mothers, daughters, girlfriends, workout buddies and colleagues to do the same. Entries can be as simple as holding a sign or as elaborate as imagination allows. There are no rules just declarations.  Be creative and make the commitment. Each person should tag the photo or video with #IWill #PowertotheShe. There will be a one entry per day limit.

In addition to catalog and in-store promotion of the #IWill Campaign, Athleta will push out teasers and promotion on all social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, main company site, Athleta Chi blog) driving traffic towards Pinterest and Instagram for two weeks leading up to the campaign. We will also email blast our subscribers once a week in the 2 weeks before the campaign. That email will include a “share” button so the email can be sent to others. The complete social push will continue during the event. People will be encouraged to both post, “Like” and Pin entries. The executive leadership of Athleta will post their own #IWill declaration to encourage community, empower and give a little nudge!

INCENTIVES: (Because even the most motivated need some extra motivation)

• 20% coupon/online code just for posting your photo/video and entering the contest (limit two for contest duration)
• Top 5 entries (defined by most “Likes”) will receive a $200 Athleta Gift Card
• Grand Prize for the entry with the most “Likes”: Two round trip plane tickets and two nights’ hotel accommodations to attend Athleta’s Summer Solstice 2015 in Times Square & $500 to blow in NYC!

(This campaign could be repeated in January capitalizing on New Year’s Resolutions and the beginning-of-the-year increase in fitness activity)

CHANNEL FOCUS:

Pinterest: The channel is perfect for the #IWill campaign’s target market. The numbers speak for themselves:

• In a 2014 report, Business Insider Intelligence identified Pinterest users as “high-income and very interested in using the site for shopping inspiration.” (Cooper Smith)
• 83% of Pinterest users are women
• 45% are in the 34 to 55 year-old demographic
• 32% are in the 18 to 34 year-old demographic
• 50% of U.S. moms who use Pinterest would follow a brand if rewards were offered to them
• 81% of U.S. women online trust Pinterest as a reliable source for information and advice
• The average Pinterest user has a household income of $100,000 or greater
• Pinterest grabs about 41% of e-commerce (Salman Aslam)

Instagram: A strategic decision was made to include Instagram in this campaign to expand into the younger demographic and because Instagram is seeing significant popularity growth. Here are the numbers considered for this decision:

• 68% of Instagram users are female
• 37% are in the 18 to 29 year-old demographic
• 18% are in the 34 to 49 year-old demographic
• 57% of users access the site daily. It is second only to Facebook in frequency of site use
• 150 million active users with 8500 likes per second and 1.2 billion likes daily
• Retail and fashion brands are the most common in the top 10 largest Instagram communities (Jenn Herman)

TARGET MARKET:  Women. 24 to 55 years-old. Household Income: $80,000 to $105,000

TARGET PERSONA:

MEET AVERY FRANKLIN, our Athleta Persona.

She is a 36 year-old mother of two and an advertising executive living in a suburb of San Diego, California. Her husband is a loan officer for a national mortgage company. Their children are 6 and 8 years-old, their annual household income is 105k and they have 2 dogs. Avery works 40+ hours a week but still has time for 3 different fitness classes, her daughter’s gymnastics, son’s soccer and volunteering at the homeless women’s shelter once a month.  She is a member of two women’s professional societies where she recently served as President of one. She holds a bachelors and MBA and attended undergraduate on an athletic scholarship. For fun, she writes a blog about nutrition and keeping food tasty but healthy for children. She tweets daily tips and offers an email subscription to recipes. She likes running 3Ks with her family a couple times of year and they enjoy Saturday trips to the beach to surf and play volleyball. She doesn’t attend church every weekend but considers herself a person of faith. Her chapel is the outdoors.

• She’s organized, scheduled but knows how to go off-grid.
• She wants more out of her sports.
• She wants more out of her life.
• She cares about appearance on the outside and soul on the inside.
• She doesn’t believe her husband’s t-shirt is perfect for working out.
• She doesn’t think her yoga pants have to be black.
• She’s not afraid of 4 inch heels.
• She doesn’t think quality always comes with a high price tag.
• She believes her husband is her partner, not the center of her universe.
• She believes strength and power is sexy.
• She believes strength and power are feminine.
• She’s passionate about her yoga, her running, her barre class, her walks with the dogs and weekend family hikes.
• She likes to read but only if under the sun or stars.
• She likes the occasional happy hour with the girls post-yoga class.
• She wants her daughter to see the world as a wide-open canvas for her to paint her own masterpiece.
• She’s raising her son to respect all as equal.
• She’s never more than 4 feet from her iphone and checks mobile Facebook twice a day.
• She’s a groupon junkie and takes pride in her Yelp! reviews.
• She’s been known to tuck her MacAir into her gym bag and blog from the local coffee joint.
• She derives her self-worth from her happy family, successful career and staying healthy.
• She believes in healthy eating but likes her ice cream now and then.
• She believes in giving back.
• She believes in fun.
• Being active IS her meditation.

CALL TO ACTION:

Go public with that inner voice. Make this the year you say #IWill. Pin a photo on the Athleta Pinterest #IWill Board and/or on your Instagram page with your #IWill declaration. Tag your entry with #IWill #PowertotheShe.

Submissions will be accepted from Tuesday, July 1, 2014 12:00am through Thursday, July 31, 2014 11:59pm. Only one entry per person per day.  You can “Like” and Share as much as you want! (In fact, we encourage that!)

OUTCOMES/MEASUREMENT:

We will measure the success of this campaign by compiling the following data:

• Track follows on Pinterest and Instagram
• Track submissions on Pinterest and Instagram
• Track Likes of entries on Pinterest and Instagram
• Track Likes of non-entries on Pinterest and Instagram
• Track Re-Pins of entries on Pinterest
• Track overall traffic on company site, blog, Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Linked In for the duration of the contest
• Track the use of the online code and in-store coupon and look at conversion to purchase rate
• Track email blast to see how many were shared

Sources:

Cooper Smith. (April 14, 2014). This is the Behavior on Pinterest that Makes the Social Network So Attractive to Marketers. Retrieved June, 21 2014, http://www.businessinsider.com/demographics-on-pinterest-that-make-the-social-network-attractive-to-marketers-2014-4

Salman Aslam. (January 31, 2014). 30 Reasons to Market Your Business on Pinterest in 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014,  http://www.business2community.com/infographics/30-reasons-market-business-pinterest-2014-infographic-0763727#!17mol

Jenn Herman. (February 17, 2014). Instagram Statistics for 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014, http://jennstrends.com/instagram-statistics-for-2014/