Image and Brand Management Crossroads: A Case Study

Abstract

This case study aims to create a communication plan for a fashion influencer in significant life changes. Through social listening, content analysis, and the opinion of buyers, the audience’s current brand image and values were used to get the all-around picture of it. The in-depth analysis was used to define the objectives, methods, timetable, and KPIs of the campaign, along with its strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The initiative aims to bring the influencer back to life naturally through significant life moments, saving engagement, and income. The constraints and measures of the evaluation are addressed.

Description of Organization

The client is a young Sara James, a fashion and beauty influencer. She is 25 years of age or older. Her Instagram followers are 800 thousand, and her subscribers on YouTube are 300 thousand, all thanks to the content she publishes on affordable fashion, beauty, and city living from the perspective of a young lady working in the town (Wang & Lee, 2021). Her content is widely seen. Because she has a girl next door and a likable personality, she can talk with her fans in a natural way. Earnings that come from sponsored posts on YouTube and advertising related to his niche profession are where she generates the bulk of her income (Wang & Lee, 2021).

Research

To gather information about Sara’s audience, brand image, and engagement metrics, a lot of research had to be done. Seventy-five percent of her audience is composed of women between ages 16-35 who are into fashion, beauty, and lifestyle discussions, as shown in demographic data that was gathered via social listening (Wang & Lee, 2021). The content of her top posts that resonated with her audience was studied, and it was discovered that her most popular posts contained collections of wearable gear, tutorials, random vlogs, career guidance, and house tours. This was revealed when her most popular posts were analyzed(Wang & Lee, 2021).

Face-to-face in-depth interviews with twelve ardent followers were conducted, and twelve in-depth interviews were administered. As regards Sara, the most defining attributes were how she related with others, her availability, and her sincerity—being honest regarding her weaknesses and mistakes made her more approachable than famous influencers. A high number of individuals viewed her as their inspiration and a model one could look up to for ideas on how to achieve such a triumphant look at minimal cost. They developed a sense of human connection from her journey. It was observed that many of Sara’s followers saw her as someone who grew up with them. The adoration of fans is (rounded on the fact that) they constantly receive posts from her. They think they might endanger the tenderness because of the changes in her life.

 Analysis

A SWOT analysis evaluated Sara’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as she plans to rebrand her major brand (See Table 1).

One of her most significant characteristics is genuine understanding; another is excellent audience loyalty, which she has gained over five years due to the continuous production of fresh content. However, the frequent visitor “single girl” persona she projects is quite specific and cannot be applied to different situations. Thus, it still gives lovely sponsorship contracts and a faithful audience; this specialization restricts her choices and makes adjusting to new things harder. The near future will bring about some crucial milestones, like getting married and becoming a mother, offering a great chance to focus on lifestyle content while increasingly using these life-changing moments. Apart from that, when she suddenly moves within her competency area, the risk is that their audience is lost, which is an extensive definition of identity they have had. Besides this, she may need to go without sponsors who are looking at her target audience.

Table 1. SWOT Analysis

Communication

The campaign’s purpose will be to gradually advance Sara’s brand while still keeping engagement and revenue streams high over a year. My objective is to reinvent myself as a wife coupled with an influencer, transitioning away from being a single fashion guru. Keep over 750K followers on Instagram and have 275K subscribers or more on YouTube. Ensure the sponsored posts’ engagement rate is at least 3.5%, with a minimum of 15% of general and parenting-related content.

Among the strategies that can be utilized to accomplish the objective that has been established are the following: the wedding planning process, posting the announcement of pregnancy after the wedding, introducing her husband and baby, mixing family content into niche posts, and doing sponsored posts that are family-friendly. Along with ensuring that her association is always aligned with her changing brand, the other challenge Sara will face will be maintaining flexibility in the face of changing life circumstances. The purpose is to have written material that is both organic and relatable; the continuous social listening and audience surveys will provide incite.

Evaluation

Instagram and YouTube follower counts will be used to understand whether or not success has been achieved, as well as to measure the percentage of lifestyle content, the engagement rates on sponsored posts, and the study of the emotion related to the brand in the comments.

 Limitations

The dependence on the critically important incidents that have to happen by the preconceived plan is one of the features that denote a limitation. Unfortunately, due to financial problems, it could not thoroughly study the audience. This is a speculation, as the consequences will be unpredictable in the long run. The capacity to continuously vary efforts will be needed as the findings are obtained on the fly.

Conclusions & Key Learnings

The case study is developed to confirm how progressive and milestone-driven rebranding allows influencers to evolve their image authentically across time. To maintain the relevance of the target audience across the brand transformation, there should be a balance between new and old content. Therefore, if engagement metrics and sentiment are monitored, the possibility of course correction exists in case rebranding loses its authenticity. Our framework offers an adaptive approach in which influencers adjust brand changes while maintaining relationships with loyal audiences.

Reference

Wang, L., & Lee, J. H. (2021). The impact of K-beauty social media influencers, sponsorship, and product exposure on consumer acceptance of new products. Fashion and Textiles, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-020-00239-0

Appendices

Appendix A: Questions of Audience Survey

1. For how many months have you been following Sara on social media?
2. Which content type from Sara do you like the best?
3. What, in your opinion, is Sara’s future life changes perspective (marriage, motherhood)?
4. Would you like more lifestyle content from Sara?
5. Do you deem Sara’s sponsored content relevant and genuine?
6. To what extent do you think you will be there to follow Sara’s life transitions?
7. What are your ideas for Sara to manage that change?
8. What have you got to say about Sara’s engagement with her audience?
9. Do you have anything to say about Sara’s brand’s transformation over the years?
10. Comments or feedback for Sara?

Appendix B: Guidelines of Sponsored Content Samples

1. Content should match Sara’s evolving brand as a lifestyle influencer.
2. Ensure the sponsored product/service is genuine and your enthusiasm is real.
3. Fit the sponsored content into/ within Sara’s regular posts.
4. Unambiguously expose any sponsored content in conformation with the FTC guidelines.
5. Give priority to brands Sara’s audience and values will like.

Maintain a middle ground between sponsored and organic content to avoid over-delivery.

8. Partner with brands that provide merchandise/services related to Sara’s life changes (like wedding preparation service, maternity wear, etc.).
9. Track audience reaction and interaction on the paid post to inform insights and changes.