According to e-Marketer, while beauty and personal care items do sell better when accompanied by photos and videos online, shoppers still overwhelmingly prefer to sample products in-store before purchasing. But once they do decide which products they like, their preferences solidify, and shoppers refill online. eMarketer also projects US health and personal care retail ecommerce sales will increase from $19.7 billion to $27.6 billion between 2015 and 2018 and account for 5.6% of total retail ecommerce sales in the country. However, there are still large hurdles to overcome. A Harris Interactive poll asked Internet users why they felt more comfortable purchasing cosmetics in-store rather than online; 62% were concerned a computer screen may skew colors, creating the need to see the item in-person. Harris also discovered an increased desire to shop in-store when trying a new product. 69% agreed they were more likely to go to in-store when purchasing new health or cosmetic products for the first time. In this situation, shopping online still can’t recreate the offline experience—but once shoppers know what they want, 88% agreed they’ll shop anywhere—online or off—to get the best price. Brands are getting closer to closing the gap between the offline and online experience, using augmented reality to mirror the tactile in-store environment. ModiFace, creators of virtual makeover and visualizations apps, partnered with industry-leading beauty retailers and brands to simulate the in-store experience with apps that give consumers customized recommendations based on their individual needs. Key Takeaway: As US health and personal care retail ecommerce sales continue to grow, it’s critical to provide a strong online experience that supports the in-store shopper. To learn more about how to create seamless experiences from online to offline, download our “Building a Digital Foundation” whitepaper here.
How to Leverage Seasonality to Insert Your Beauty Brand into Timely Conversation In the beauty category, shoppers remain interested and engaged throughout the year. However, there are specific times, like holidays, when interest spikes. Considering seasonality and staying abreast of key trends can help brands stay relevant. Ahalogy’s Pinterest Trends Beauty Report uncovered interesting beauty seasonal trends, including: Hairstyles peak in popularity during the Summer months Nails are most popular in the Spring and Summer, peaking in the months between April and August Most skin concerns occur during the late fall through winter months Brands are seeing the positive results from creating content around seasons and themes. L’Oreal Paris, for example, has stated its seasonally and topically relevant content, like their Halloween tutorial influencer collaboration, is the most popular offering on their Destination Beauty YouTube channel. Key Takeaway: To market in the moment, coordination and proactive planning is critical. Align content production with the search and media strategy in order to distribute seasonally and culturally relevant content throughout the year. Best-in-Class Example: L’Oreal Paris L’Oréal Paris wanted to build brand love and create moments of inspiration as part of their effort to widen appeal and position themselves as a top destination for beauty. L’Oreal leveraged search to determine and react to key trends. When beauty trendsetters like celebrities and runway models started flaunting ombre hair, L’Oreal did their homework. They discovered a considerable rise in search terms for the hairstyle and found consumers were missing a DIY solution for achieving the popular hairstyle. To address this insight, L’Oréal Paris developed and launched the world’s first DIY ombre solution. The Results: Established Search insights as an essential tool for trend spotting and trend monitoring Brought new customers to the home hair color category: 50% of Feria Ombré consumers were new to the category, most under the average age of the typical hair color consumer To learn more about how to optimize your digital efforts, download our “Building a Digital Foundation” whitepaper here.
The search for beauty is constant. However, brand names aren’t going into the search bar. According to one study done by Google / Millward Brown Digital Beauty, nearly half of beauty shoppers enter the purchase journey without knowing which brand they’ll buy. Instead, these undecided, open-minded shoppers begin with category terms. That same study reports that 78% of clicks on paid search ads from a category keyword come from shoppers who have never visited that site before. The information gathering process also extends beyond traditional search engines, as this discerning group of customers turns to ecommerce sites for additional input. 40% of all searches on Amazon.com, for example, are considered to be purely information gathering missions, with users seeking customer reviews and rankings. In a survey conducted by SheSpeaks, 9 out of 10 women reported seeking information on the site prior to a purchase. The same SheSpeaks survey also found that 55% of women will go to a brand site for information, and 63% of women are even more likely to search for product reviews when buying cosmetics. Reviews and comments–whether on your brand site–can now make or break a sale. Key Takeaway: To ensure your brand displays in the category search, website content needs to be optimized to deliver on the shopper’s desire for information. Developing a strong content strategy supported by social proof ensures the brand site is discoverable and informative. The site experience should greet potential customers with a mix of multimedia content, including how-to-videos, product information, social feeds, photos and customer reviews. Some brands are even rewarding fans for engaging with them in an effort to bolster positive reviews, providing active users exclusive access to breaking news, behind the scenes footage, and product samples. To learn more about how to optimize your digital efforts, download our “Building a Digital Foundation” whitepaper here.
As the digital landscape continues to expand, beauty brands are taking over the role of publisher, and the most successful enjoy dedicated readership. In addition to leveraging bloggers and vloggers to produce relevant content, brands are using social platforms’ shoppable content and ad features. In 2015, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook made their sites and apps shoppable with the addition of buy buttons. Instagram: The place to be A third of the world’s Internet population is expected to be on the photo-sharing site by 2018 98% of L2’s top fashion brands are on Instagram as of August 2015 95 percent of beauty brands are on the platform — up from 75% and 78% in October 2013 The frequency with which they post has also skyrocketed – up 17% for fashion and 42% for beauty From a paid ad perspective, Instagram’s ad design is dedicated to creating commercial content that blends in and doesn’t disrupt users’ existing photo feeds. New features take the same approach while making it easier for users to easily click to shop. First, Instagram introduced carousel ads. Brands can post carousel image slideshows that end with a button for viewing additional content. Banana Republic used its link to take viewers to a product page. It was the first time a retailer was able to send consumers directly to the product they saw in an Instagram ad. Then, the platform launched ads with “Shop Now” buttons, which enables consumers to click directly from Instagram to product page to shop. With this feature, the brand created a new API that enables brands to manage, track and measure marketing campaigns. Pinterest: Where People are purchasing Pinterest’s “Buy It” button is available for all posts from retailers. Users are able to search for products and filter the results based on price range and color. The Buy It button delivers results. According to a Shopify study, the average price of purchase made through Pinterest is $50 – higher than any other major social platform. Takeaway: Social channels, especially Pinterest and Instagram, are continuing to grow in their influence on beauty purchases. With new features, consumers expect to easily swipe or click to find inspiration and information—the fewer steps from social to a product page, the better. Platforms are seeing the rapidly increasing value of these buy now functions, and working to make them as accessible as possible. To learn more about how to optimize your digital efforts, download our “Building a Digital Foundation” whitepaper.
People trust people. AMP’s Media study shows that more than half of consumers in the Retail and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) categories experience inspiration through word-of-mouth (WOM). Influencer marketing presents an incredible opportunity for brands to leverage the power of word-of-mouth at scale through content creators consumers trust and follow. Given the visual nature of beauty, YouTube serves as a natural platform for influencers to share tutorials and recommendations, and potentially achieve massive reach. At the 2015 Digital Content NewFronts, YouTube CEO, Susan Wojcicki, revealed that YouTube reaches more viewers in the 18-to-49 year-old demographic via mobile than any television network. Of those viewers, beauty is a major interest. Pixability’s Beauty on YouTube 2015 study reported a total of 45.3 billion total beauty views, 1.8 million beauty videos and over 123 million total beauty channel subscribers. YouTube is securely the world’s leading online beauty video consumption platform. As of April 2015, beauty creators on YouTube own 95.4% of the content within the platforms’ beauty ecosystem and own 80% of YouTube’s top-performing videos of all time. Key Takeaway: Leverage the power of YouTube influencers by partnering with them to host sponsored videos on their own channels. Supplement this reach with evergreen content on the owned-brand channel as well as additional YouTube ad offerings. Best-in-Class Example: Maybelline New York To drive awareness of its new line of eye shadows, the Nudes Palette, Maybelline New York created a digital-first campaign featuring custom-branded videos from YouTube content creators and beauty vloggers. Maybelline New York leveraged the entire YouTube ecosystem by using YouTube Masthead, TrueView, and Google Preferred products. By pairing these tactics with custom-branded content from trusted creators (Vice and StyleHaul) and more than a dozen top YouTube contributors, Maybelline New York was able to increase sales and awareness around the Nudes Palettes—all while increasing overall engagement and YouTube subscribers. 40M impressions 46M clicks via YouTube Masthead takeover, with 70% of impressions and 92% of clicks happening via mobile devices To learn more about how to optimize your digital efforts, download our “Building a Digital Foundation” whitepaper here.
At AMP, our purpose is simple. Create smarter ideas for those who will have us. Our talented team of thinkers and tinkerers asks the questions no one else asks in pursuit of ideas no one else has. We're perpetually grateful for the great partners and clients that let us pursue these ideas on their behalves, and the holiday is the perfect time to say 'thank you.'? But instead of a desk calendar of our pets in human clothes (which was considered at length) we thought we should send something truly AMP to show our appreciation. So, we decided to share our affection the best way we know how: with a mixtape. The mixtape includes AMP's deep cuts, the jams that powered us through the last 12 months and pump us up for what's to come. May the songs that inspire us bring inspiration to you. We hope your ears enjoy. Click here to listen to the mixtape.
New SVP of Media, SVP of Ad Technology and Director of Social to Lead Integrated Team BOSTON, MA ' December 9, 2015' AMP Agency, an integrated marketing agency, announced the creation of three key positions to lead the growing integrated media team: Senior Vice President of Media, Senior Vice President of Advertising Technology and Director of Social. Doug Grumet, Senior Vice President, Media, AMP Agency As SVP of Media, Grumet will lead the agency's integrated media services, including all online and offline planning and buying capabilities. With over 14+ years of media and communications planning experience across all facets of traditional and digital media, Grumet will play an integral role in building integrated media solutions that embrace the convergence of engagement, transaction and personalization. Prior to joining AMP, Grumet served as Vice President, Group Director of Media at DigitasLBI, leading digital media strategy, planning and activation for a Fortune 100 financial organization. Over the years, Grumet has been a key leader for integrated media and communications planning groups, locally and globally, working at reputable agencies, including: Carat, MARC USA and One to One Interactive. His resume includes work with notable clients such as Reebok, Liberty Mutual and Philips. Chris Boucher, Senior Vice President, Advertising Technology, AMP Agency In his role, Boucher will be the resident expert in digital media and data products, helping clients define and execute their data-driven, programmatic media strategies. With 16+ years of experience in the interactive media space, Chris will serve as an invaluable, consultative partner to help clients navigate the ever evolving digital media landscape. Boucher joins AMP from MobileFuse, where he served as President and Chief Product Officer. During his time at MobileFuse, Boucher led product and programmatic strategy and integrations as well as development of proprietary software, helping the company increase profits 1200% within 3 years. Boucher has held leadership positions across a variety of high-growth start-ups and data-driven, industry-leading companies. Elizabeth Chapin, Director of Social, AMP Agency Chapin will serve as the newly appointed Director of Social Media, leading strategy and account management for the agency's social media client business, which consists of Fortune 500 companies including Hasbro and Goodyear. She moves into the role after 2 years at AMP, during which she has created solutions that help drive digital business forward for brands like Hasbro. Prior to joining the AMP team, Liz worked at an agency in New York City, focusing on creating campaigns, content and conversations that exist within earned media environments digitally, socially and physically. Working across fashion, beauty and lifestyle accounts, she managed campaigns from strategy through execution to measurement. 'Technology is changing the face of media and marketing, and our team is helping clients navigate and win during this chaotic time,'? said Gary Colen, CEO at AMP Agency. 'Doug, Chris and Elizabeth will ensure AMP continues to deliver progressive solutions ' rooted in emerging technology, smart media and compelling Creative.' The new roles and responsibilities come on the heels of big new business wins for the agency. ### ABOUT AMP AGENCY AMP Agency is a full service marketing agency with offices in Boston, Los Angeles and New York. At AMP, we believe in better ideas created a different way. It's in our heritage. Through the years, we've morphed from a non-traditional marketing agency into a full-service shop. Today, we're a 200 + team of intellectually curious individuals who are eager to solve your business challenges. We're proud to work with amazing clients including industry leaders like Maybelline New York, Hasbro and Ansell Healthcare. To learn more, visit https://www.ampagency.com/
Boston, MA -- AMP Agency is honored to be named a finalist for the Ad Club's Media Maven Award in the 'Best Use of New & Non-Traditional Media' category for its Icelandair work. The Media Maven Awards is a juried awards show that recognizes excellence in media planning and buying. In its 7th year, this competition honors the most creative, innovative, and effective media plans created in our market in a wide range of traditional and new media categories. Voted on by some of the top marketing and media executives in the country, the awards represent the very best media campaigns, plans, and ideas, as well as the people, agencies, and brands responsible for bringing them to life. Winners will be awarded at the Maven Awards on Wednesday, November 18th. See all finalists here.
BOSTON, MA - AMP Agency, a full-service, marketing agency, is honored to have won 5 Hatch Awards. The Hatch Awards celebrates the very best in creative excellence in the region. This year, AMP received the following awards: Samsung Girls Who Code: Silver for Best Cause Related Marketing Campaign Icelandair Uber Activation: Silver for Innovative Use of Media Single Entry Icelandair Uber Activation: Bronze for Experiential Icelandair Uber Activation: Merit for Unconventional Format Hasbro Play-Doh: Merit for Social Media Check out the award winning work at http://bit.ly/1GvTrxq.
HookLogic, the pioneer of performance marketing for brands, today announced exciting new features as part of its 2.0 platform release, arming brand marketers with enhanced controls to drive sales performance across 80 percent of the top multi-brand retailers. The key new features include: Advanced Attribution Reporting ' an upgraded reporting suite now includes more granular sales attribution data, enabling greater insight into bidding strategies and resulting sales. Bid Multipliers ' new bidding features enable brands to create and manage campaign strategies using bid multipliers for different shopper segments and stages in the shopping funnel. Advertisers can focus their investment on shoppers currently in-market, looking at related products for cross-sell, and shopping more broadly, as well as different page placements such as homepages, category browse, keyword search, product detail pages, and shopping carts. Keyword Controls ' brands now have improved keyword controls to deploy cross-sell strategies and more granular targeting. Endorsing the product benefits, AMP Agency's Director of Integrated Media, Megan Walsh, stated: 'We are always looking for new value to offer our brands, and HookLogic provides true innovation in search on ecommerce sites. Now we can show a definitive ROI broken out against each of their different business strategies. This is a game-changer.'? Read the full release here.
