This assignment was to look at the results of the campaigns we designed in class and determine what went wrong or was successful and what we would do differently. This assignment helped me better understand my abilities when it came to creating a campaign.
Evaluating My Proposed Campaign
The four objectives that I have chosen are; to use social media to share information about how the color choice of clothing can help send messages to others about oneself, To create a campaign to encourage a shift from the “real women argument to an “I am me” argument, To build a conversation by sharing posts showing that the size on the tag does not matter rather what matters is how the clothing fits and feels, and building a social media campaign promoting the fact that body positivity and acceptance starts internally.
To determine the success of my first objective of sharing the impact of certain colors in clothing, post-engagement would be tracked via tools such as Hootsuite. This information would be used to determine what individuals were likely to engage with for future campaigns and to monitor how the message is spreading (ie. are people tagging their friends, are people sharing the posts to their stories, etc.) Some factors that would need to be considered are how many similar posts are there, and what their engagement numbers look like. It’s also important to monitor how relevant the post is to the target audience. Sometimes a dip in engagement is not due to a lack of relevance but a lack of exposure, this could be due to the post not being shared at the optimal time or other factors such as there being too many similar posts.
My second campaign about a shift in conversation would be using a hashtag to monitor how many posts from others are being shared that are in line with the objective. If the campaign were successful, the hashtag would be used in several other posts on the same topic. It’s important to consider, historically, the effectiveness of hashtag campaigns and how other campaigns are raising awareness.
The third objective focused on moving away from the size tag, would have a survey that would track opinions of the topic before and after the campaign. Factors to consider are how the survey is shared -is it shared in an email? QR codes around campus? A text message?- will this be tracked as well as how many others are doing campaigns with similar topics. Some questions that may appear on the survey are: does the participant pay attention to the size tag? Does the participant consider how the clothing fits and makes them feel? And how do they feel if they need to size up or down?
Finally, the fourth objective focused on internal acceptance will also track post-engagement. Looking at other similar post numbers in terms of engagement and accessibility to others are both important factors to consider for the success of this objective. This information would be tracked over the course of a month with a period halfway through to evaluate what changes may need to be made.
Evaluation of Class Social Media Posts
I would say that, overall the posts were fairly successful. The reach and engagement numbers are decent but the age range with the highest percentage in all the posts was higher than ideal. I think this could be due to the platform on which it was shared. I think that for the first post, success would appear as engagement with the post. The second post would value clicks and saves more as it is an informative post, if someone saves it it’s likely due to them finding the information important. The third and fourth posts would also rely on clicks and saves for similar reasons to the second one.
The attributes that contributed to the success of the first post are the design of the post and the copywriting. The design reflects that of one from the brand themselves and the copywriting flows naturally while still having the professional, corporate feel. The simplicity of the design in the second post is what I believe drove the success. Since the design is not too eye-catching, but just enough to stop on the post, the text content is highlighted and put at the forefront of the post. I think a combination of successful attributes from the first and second posts is what drove the success of the third and fourth posts.
I think the posts performed as they did because of the age group that mainly consumed the posts. Since the posts were mainly consumed by those between the ages of 25 and 44, it did not quite have the expected impact. The topic is often discussed by those 18-24 but those older can sometimes struggle with it. From personal experience, I have found that those older than me struggle with accepting body positivity for themselves. This could be due to influences from their youths or influences such as pregnancy but either way, they are resistant. I believe that if the account(s) that these posts were shared on had a greater number of student followers the impact would be greater. I personally had never heard of KU CDI and I’d assume that many of my peers haven’t heard of it either. I think that utilizing a source that has a larger following in the targeted age group is important for the impact and success of a post.
My Social Media Posts
Vanity Sizing
Persona: Veronica is a 20-year-old arts student who enjoys hobbies such as making her own clothing. She also serves as the wellness specialist in her sorority and this semester’s focus is on body positivity.
Strategy & Tactic: Build a conversation by creating and sharing social posts that show that the size of the tag does not matter. This will be done through an informational post on the history of vanity sizing and why it’s not a good thing.
The Post: This will be an Instagram post and will have the caption, “Vanity Sizing was made to stroke consumers’ egos, not to dictate attractiveness or how one looks. In the chaotic transitional phase that is college, this can be difficult to remember. For more information on vanity sizing and recommendations for size-inclusive brands, Click the link in the bio.”
Color & Fashion
Persona: Veronica is a 20-year-old arts student who enjoys creative hobbies and expressing herself through clothing. She recently took an interest in color theory and the messages you can send with it.
Strategy & Tactic: Develop social posts using color theory and music, to show how clothing and outfits can emulate mood and affect how one feels. This will be done through a post on color theory and how it can influence mood.
The Post: This will be an Instagram post and will have the caption,
“Color and fashion are common forms of self-expression. Not only does it allow one to feel their best, but it also sends messages to others. Next time you need to dress for a job interview or a date, think carefully about what color you choose to wear. Comment on some ways that you use color and fashion to express yourself to others.”