Agency #442

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Brand Overview & Goals

SWOT Analysis

Target Audience

Research

12

Media and PR Strategy

13

Social Media Strategy

15

Creative Strategy

16

Creative Executions

19

Promotions

21

Digital Executions

23

Targeted Cities

24

Budget and Media Plan

26

Gold Tree Agency Directory

The Millennial woman is tech savvy, brand loyal,

educated, and fashion forward. She wants to outearn her male counterparts, set trends, and be
independent. She wants to have it all. Simply put,
she has a story to tell.
Her determination and drive for success make her
time and money precious resources. The Millennial
woman wants a cosmetics brand to define her look
and personality, whether professional, classic, or
edgy.
Gold Tree believes that Mary Kay can help Millennial
women find their story. We want them to know that
they and their stories are beautiful. We also want
to refute the idea that Mary Kay is a brand for their
mothers and grandmothers. Gold Tree wants to
show young women that Mary Kay has inspiring
values that can help them figure out who they are
and what they want to be.

Mary Kay is not like any other cosmetic brand

that you can just purchase at a retail store.
It has to be bought through an Independent
Beauty Consultant (IBC). Mary Kay IBCs provide
an interesting opportunity for Gold Tree. The
challenge is to turn the Millennial woman into an
avid user of Mary Kay products when they are
accustomed to purchasing cosmetics at retail
stores.
At Gold Tree we believe that IBCs can be an
amazing resource for Millennial women. IBCs can
help these women find what products work best
for them and save them time by having products
on hand. IBCs eliminate the need for an extra trip
to the store.

Gold Tree started research by analyzing

our client and defining its brand
characteristics and qualities.
Mary Kay is a unique brand with inspiring
values. These values include following
the Golden Rule, giving back, making
others feel important, and balancing lifes
priorities. Mary Kay promotes treating
others the way you want to be treated,
knowing that this spirit creates positive
reciprocity.

Part of Mary Kays uniqueness is its direct

selling approach through IBCs. IBCs host
parties and give attendees the opportunity
to experience the products before making
a purchase. When a client gets an IBC,
she finds someone who is focused on
her as an extraordinary individual and is
always there for any beauty needs.

Change the perception about Mary Kays

target audience
Captivate female consumers from the
Millennial generation by developing a new
campaign
Increase awareness and benefits of an IBC

Generate interest for Millennial woman

to become IBCs
Increase Mary Kay sales and brand
loyalty by promoting Mary Kay through
different social media and promotions

Strengths

Largest seller of skincare

Unique approach to selling items--IBCs
Quality
100% refund for products that cause an allergic reaction
Customer relationships--personal level
No specific geographical territory
Strong company values
Social responsibility--philanthropic work
Variety of products and product categories
Highest earning percentages in industry for IBCs (50%)
You can try it before you buy it
Helping women achieve personal success (theme for
target audience)

Opportunities

Skype to meet with IBC instead of in-person

Promotional deals
Social media--content switch up
Provide better ways for IBCs to advertise themselves
Advertise benefits and rewards for IBCs
More information to IBCs about how to get started
Product of the week on Facebook or tweet of the week
on Twitter
Unify social media accounts
Sponsored hashtags
College tours

Weaknesses

Promoting Mary Kays great qualities and social

responsibility
Time it takes to received ordered products
IBC--have to pay for website
Lack of retail presence--availability
Price--either too high or too low (fixed At Play prices)
Image: grandmas makeup--older demographic
Lack of traditional advertising--current ad strategy
Mary Kay At Play line needs better marketing for our
demographic
Not prevalent in social media--Facebook specific
Not in popular print magazines
Products dont go on sale

Threats

Amways Artistry and Avon have similar models

Peer influence--they dont buy it its for their grandma
Economy -- Less disposable income
Multitude of competition--direct sell and retail sold
Beauty advisors in retail stores
Safe cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act of 2013
(safecosmetics.org)
Hormone disrupters
Online world is evolving faster than Mary Kay
Licensing issue with Amazon and third party sellers

Bailey
Age: 18

Bailey is in her last semester of high school. She is so excited to

be 18 and even more excited for prom in April. All of her friends
know her as the beauty expert. She even agreed to do all of her
friends makeup before taking pictures for prom. Bailey, being
up-to-date on the makeup trends, has bought Mary Kay makeup
to use for the big night. She is considering putting her expertise
to use and becoming an IBC. Bailey believes she can make some
extra spending money in college by becoming an IBC.

Tina
Age: 20

Tina is currently finishing up her second year in college. While

school is her main focus, she is also very passionate about
volunteering at the local domestic shelter. She doesnt have the
time to dedicate to becoming a beauty expert with her busy
schedule. She never wears makeup but she finds that her
over-the-counter skin care products arent effective. Her
roommate has been trying to convince her for months that
she will feel more confident when she finds the right skin care
products.

6
Stephanie
Age: 22

Stephanie recently graduated from a local university. She has

yet to discover a career path that she is truly passionate about.
She is currently a waitress while living at home to save money.
Her two loves are going to social events and makeup. Her
boyfriend has suggested that she look for a way to use her love
of makeup and her entrepreneurial spirit to start a career and
have consistent income. She hopes to regain her confidence and
inspire others.

Aaliyah
Age: 25

Aaliyah just finished her MBA and is starting her own business
while raising a two-year-old. She is very tech savvy and is
constantly on her smartphone to keep up with the current news.
She focuses all of her time and energy on making sure her
business is going to be a success. In order to ensure success,
she attends weekly social events to increase her connections
within the corporate world. Wearing makeup to these events
makes her feel professional, elegant, and fresh. Her one wish is
to learn more about how to apply her makeup so she can feel
even more confident at the corporate events.

After developing campaign goals and

defining our target audience, Gold Tree set
out to establish research. We needed to
see how Millennial women felt about Mary
Kay and cosmetic brands in general.

Surveys
We used several surveys, paper and
online, and had of over 700 Millennial
women respond. Our online surveys
helped determine what products females
used; how familiar Millennial women are
with Mary Kay products; their thoughts
on Mary Kay products/brand; where they
purchase current products; what brands
they currently use; and their thoughts on
cosmetic advertisements.
In these online and in-person surveys, we
learned more about the Millennial woman
and her shopping/makeup habits. This
helped us form a strong concept of Mary
Kay from the eyes of our target audience.
We could now see the changes that
needed to be implemented in order to
change the image of Mary Kay away from
thats my grandmas makeup to thats
my makeup.

Focus Groups
We also had several participants in
two separate focus groups to help
determine media placements, and which
creative direction to pursue. Our focus
groups helped us decide what types
of advertisements and different social
promotions Millennial women would
respond to. We learned from focus
groups that the Millennial women prefer
advertisements that are real, even if that
means they have a few imperfections.

At Play
Our research showed that most women
between 18-25 years old use mascara,
eyeliner, eye shadow, and foundation.
While looking at the products At Play has
to offer, only one of these categories is
covered. While Mary Kay is not planning
to add to the At Play line, we believe these
products should be integrated to the At
Play look.

Quality, price and

accessibility are
ranked as most
important when
making a decision to
purchase cosmetics.

48%

52%

Do you know where to find an IBC to

purchase Mary Kay products?

48% of women surveyed knew

where to find an
Independent Beauty
Consultant in order to purchase
Mary Kay products.

75%

25%

Have you ever tried or used

Mary Kay products?

25% of women surveyed had

already previously tried or used
Mary Kay products.

For those who were

familiar with Mary Kay,
quality was one of the
top words that came to
mind with brand
association.

45%
37%

55%
63%

Have you ever been to a

Mary Kay party?

45% of women surveyed had

previously attended a Mary Kay
party.

Why havent you

tried Mary Kay products?

58%
I am satisfied with my current products.

20%
Theyre inconvenient to purchase.

19%
Where do you prefer to buy
your cosmetics?

Ive never heard of Mary Kay.

Where do you get your

information on cosmetics?

18%
Theyre too expensive.

14%
I dont know where to get Mary Kay products.

3%

Official brand website (3%)

Social media (7%)

In store (10%)

Other (16%)

Magazines (17%)

Television (23%)

Which types of advertisements

do you prefer?
Friends and relatives (24%)

Supermarkets (Target, Wal-Mart, etc) (61%)

Convenience stores (CVS, Walgreens, etc) (54%)

Specialty stores (Sephora, ULTA, etc) (53%)

Online (16%)

Beauty Consultant (11%)

Dont wear makeup (2%)

I do not like Mary Kay products.

Radio (1%)

Direct mail (5%)

Print (17%)

Online (28%)

Only 11% of women surveyed

preferred to buy their cosmetics
through a beauty consultant.

Friends & relatives were ranked as

the most informative source on
cosmetics and skincare.

Television (49%)

10
Maybelline: Maybelline has been around since
1915 and has a very popular tagline. Maybe Shes
Born With It, Maybe Its Maybelline. Maybelline
places ads in many magazines such as Glamour,
Entertainment Weekly, and People. They are very
popular on social media with 169K followers on
Twitter. Maybelline frequently has commercials
airing on TV, especially NBC and VH1.

Revlon: Revlon has been around since 1931. Its

Covergirl: Covergirl is one of the most popular

Neutrogena: More than just makeup,

cosmetic brands around. It is sold in drugstores

and advertised everywhere. They are extremely
popular on social media. They have 368K followers
on Twitter. Cover Girl relies heavily on celebrities.
Some of the current Covergirls include Pink, Taylor
Swift, Rihanna, Ellen DeGeneres, Sofia Vegara, and
Queen Latifah. They also have endorsement deals
with Americas Next Top Model.

sold in drugstores everywhere. They sponsor many

philanthropies, the largest of which is Revlon Run/
Walk. They have 120K followers on Twitter. They
rely on movie stars in ads, such as Jessica Biel,
Olivia Wilde, and Emma Stone. They base their
campaigns on more than just physical beauty using
the Selling Hope campaign.

Neutrogena focuses heavily on skincare and acne

treatments. It is sold in drugstores. Neutrogenas
ads are placed on stations such as NBC, CBS,
ABC, MTV and E! Hayden Panietierre is the current
face of Neutrogena.

There are some current obstacles with Mary Kay and its position with the Millennial woman.

Mary Kay is seen as grandmothers or mothers makeup, so it does not hold much appeal to younger generations
Lack of convenient accessibility (in-store) is seen as a downfall of Mary Kay
Social media presence is minimal in comparison to competitors
Advertisements are not seen by targeted market
There is a lack of brand recognition for Mary Kay

We plan to take these obstacles and turn each into an opportunity to reach our campaign goals.

11

Through raising brand awareness among young

women and explaining the advantages of having a
personal beauty consultant, Mary Kay can fully utilize
this demographic.
To be successful, we must:
1. Promote Mary Kay products to Millennial Women
2. Raise Awareness of the Mary Kay values
3. Push the benefits of having an IBC

12

To move forward with our research, we compiled a media and PR strategy to engage our target
audience. We focused most of our efforts in digital, per Mary Kays request.

Digital

Print Media:

15second Spotify and Pandora ads for

Face of Mary Kay contest
Google+ AdWords
Tablet magazine ads in Allure and
Glamour
15second Youtube Commercials
Facebook ads
Campaign Microsite

Promotions

Sponsorship:

Knock Out Abuse Against Women Gala

Cosmopolitan
Allure
Glamour

IBC Social Media Contest:

Face of Mary Kay
#AtPlayMK promoted
hashtag
IBC Millennial Incentive
Program
Mary Kay Pop-Up Shops

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The goal of Mary Kays social media strategy is to encourage active participation and interaction
with the IBCs, consumers, and Mary Kay. In order to accomplish this, Mary Kay will promote,
interact, and communicate with IBCs and consumers using the #AtPlayMK through Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Pandora, Spotify, Pinterest, and Google+ platforms. These platforms
were picked based on demographic social media trends provided by PEW Research Centers 2013
Social Media Update Report.

Twitter

Facebook

Encourage IBCs/consumers to participate in Mary

Kay Sponsored events
Retweet, reply and favorite consumer tweets actively
Interact with #AtPlayMK hashtag
Promote Mary Kays social responsibility projects

Post consistently about new events, promotions, and

products
Pop-Up Shops and partner events will be announced
and promoted through Facebook Events
Youtube videos will be shared through Facebook
Cover photo will change monthly to incorporate
season theme

Instagram
Promote IBC/Pop-Up Shops, partnerships, new
products and seasonal looks
Incorporate #AtPlayMK hashtag for related products
and #MKCares for partnerships
Actively respond and comment on posts with
promoted hashtags from consumers

Pinterest
Improve interaction and relationship building on
platform
Increase repins of IBCs and consumers to show
Mary Kay cares about its followers posts
Aggressively experiment with new Promoted Pin
capabilities for At Play line.

Youtube
Complete page to have a discussion board so
consumers can find relevant information and share
their own techniques, etc.
Tutorial videos will also be made to help women learn
new tips and tricks
Commercials will be posted to highlight benefits of
IBCs and promote Pop-Up Shops

14
We broke down our social media strategy into a monthly guide with content themes options and plans for specific
promotions on all platforms.

February 15

March 15

Introduce At Play Line

IBC Promotion/Contest with
#FaceofMK
Promote partnership with
LoveisRespect.org
Looks #AtPlayMK:

- Valentines Day

June 15

Feel Beautiful in Your Skin

Month
Looks #AtPlayMK:
- Fourth of July

October 15

Pop-Up Shops #MKroadtrips

#MKCares:

- Domestic Violence

Awareness Month

- Breast Cancer

Awareness Month
Looks #AtPlayMK:

- Halloween

February 16

Promote partnership with

LoveisRespect.org
Looks #AtPlayMK:
- Valentines Day

- Spring Trends
and Looks

July 15

Looks #AtPlayMK:
- IBCs Favorites
- HOT Summer Trends

November 15

April 15

Event: #FaceofMK IBC Contest

Winner Reveal and photo shoot
Mar. 8 - Womens Day
Looks #AtPlayMK:


- Spring

- Spring Break

Promote #FaceofMK winner IBC

Looks #AtPlayMK:

- April Showers Bring May
Flowers (makeup forecast)
Ask audience to share stories

August 15

Promote Pop-Up Shops

Looks #AtPlayMK:

- Back to School

December 15

Promote sharing of stories

#25DaysofMK: Holiday
around the theme of Thanks
Promotion
#MKCares:
Looks #AtPlayMK:

- Knock Out Abuse Against
- Holiday Looks

Women Gala
Looks #AtPlayMK:


- Gameday Looks

May 15

Promote National Womens

Health Month
Looks #AtPlayMK:
- Protecting your skin

September 15

Promote Pop-Up Shops

Looks #AtPlayMK:
- Fall Trends

January 16

Mary Kays Story: We had a

great year! (year review)
Looks #AtPlayMK:
- New Year, New You

15
After completing the research and media strategy,
we asked ourselves what our message should be.
Cosmetic advertisements tend to tell women
who they should be and what they should look
like. Recently, attention has been placed on the
fact that most advertisements, especially for
cosmetics, are grossly altered images of a real
model. Millennial women are tired of being told
what to be, especially if what theyre being told
isnt possible to attain.
Our goal is to make Mary Kay stand out
above the crowd by emphasizing its values on
empowerment and individuality. We also hope to
create an emotional connection with our target
by using what makes Mary Kay differentIBCs
as the solution for any and all cosmetic related
concerns or questions. This is communicated
through Mary Kay Stories.
Additionally, we chose a secondary color palette
for our campaign to complement Mary Kays
primary brand colors. These colors are bolder and
brighter than Mary Kays primary colors and will
grab the attention of our Millennial demographic.
These colors are also prominent in todays media
targeting the Millennial demographic.
Colors shown at right.:
Hot pink (C=9, M=98, Y=33, K=0)
Turquoise (C=69, M=6, Y=37, K=0)
Orange (C=0, M=65, Y=84, K=0)

16

Monica S.

SOS Interview @8 . Out of lipstick!

IBC gets a text message

SOS needing lipstick for an
interview.

Our IBC is determined to

beat the clock and get
there on time.

She grabs her bag and is on

the go. *Music cues to
Ferriss Run (Ferris Buellers Day Off )

She leaps over puddles,

7:40
joins a marathon, and grabs
a cup of water without
stopping.

The clock is gaining.

runs past onlookers

shopping in the street,

7:43
She runs past two girls
having coffee outside.

But quickly turns back to

suggest a lip color and
hand out her card.

Our IBC is off again with 17

minutes left.

7:55
She runs through a
construction site,

and leaps over a fence.

Just in time she runs in the

lobby doors, arm extended
with the lipstick.

The clock shows that she

has made it just in time.

Client and IBC are happy

and confident. Scene closes
with voiceover Tell Your
Story. Its Funny.

inspiring.

17

Millennial women want to be inspired, have fun and interact with brands that treat them like an individual and provide
easy solutions to their problems. With IBCs, every experience with Mary Kay is individualized just for them. Our print ads
tell stories using a problem solution strategy that exemplifies how having an IBC is the solution to many of lifes little
problems. The tagline: Tell your story. Its _____.

18

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IBC Social Media Contest:

Mary Kay will host a competition for IBCs in the Millennial

demographic. IBCs will tell their Mary Kay Story through
video: how they got involved with Mary Kay and how the
brand has enhanced and shaped their lives. A small blurb
should be included with each video, along with name, age,
university if applicable, and area. Videos will be due early
February 2015.
Applicants will go through two rounds of voting and Mary
Kay Executives will choose the winner from the top three
online favorites. This winner will be announced March 1st as
the new face of Mary Kay.
When the winner is announced, she will become the face of
Mary Kays brand. We will fly this lucky IBC to the Mary Kay
headquarters in Texas for a photo shoot. Special ads and
commercials will feature her and her Mary Kay Story.
Along with becoming the face of Mary Kay, she will also
be awarded a $60,000 prize to invest in her education and
career. The two runner-ups will both receive $10,000 and a
chance to participate in the photo shoots as well.

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IBC Incentive Program

Mary Kay Pop-Up Shop

The IBC Incentive Program gives

Millennial women incentive to become
Beauty Consultants. As incentive,
each IBC who joins during our running
campaign time, February 2015- February
2016, will receive the startup kit free of
charge.

In order to increase the awareness of

Mary Kay as a cosmetics brand and
promote its unique feature of using
beauty consultants, we will set up PopUp Shops on college campuses in 13
target cities around the United States.
College campuses are comprised of
many female students within our target
audience demographics; therefore we
will be able to reach out to many women
through a single event.

Additionally, they will get their own

website profile free for three years. This
will help alleviate intimidating costs that
come with becoming an IBC. Many
women in our demographic are college
students and recent graduates and the
startup costs can be a deterring factor.

These Pop-Up Shops will feature sample

products from makeup to skincare to
nail polish, which women can physically
sample on the spot. Along with sample
products, beauty consultants will be
available to answer any questions and
help with makeup application. The
event will allow potential clients to meet
with IBCs and get to know them before
requesting their own, which will minimize
the worry that many women have about
not knowing their beauty consultant
before getting one.
To attract participants, the Mary Kay
Pop-Up Shop will feature loud music
and decorations that catch the eye of
passersby. Using portable vanities and
directors chairs as mini makeup stations,
women will be able to experience the
elegance associated with Mary Kay. The
pop-up shop will also have a photo booth
that women can use after applying Mary
Kay products and promotional Mary Kay
Stories compacts for participants to take

home. The photo booth will promote the

fun and colorful feel associated with Mary
Kays At Play line and the compacts will
keep Mary Kay on their mind at home.

Logistics of the Pop-Ups

We will purchase three Mary Kay

Ford Mustangs to travel to the events
carrying promotional materials and
reduce individual shipping costs.
However, cosmetic samples will be sent
to a representative at each campus
separately.
Within each target city and college
campus, we will recruit brand
ambassadors as interns for Mary
Kay who will be in charge of running
the event. At the same time, at every
college stop, we will have at least one
experienced IBC that can oversee the
entire event and make sure everything
runs smoothly.

21

Spotify and Pandora will be used to play our 15 second commercials featuring the Face of Mary Kay IBC
winner in: Mary Kays At Play national ad, promotional ad for the Pop-Up Shops, and Mary Kays Holiday
commercial. Additional ads may be displayed as banners, billboards, or even homepage takeovers. We
allotted a large amount of the budget for freedom to take advantage of the advertising options Spotify and
Pandora offer.

22

To reach our target audience and promote our Mary

Kay Stories campaign, we designed a microsite. This
webpage will be an extension of the current website
but will showcase the At Play products, social media,

the IBC contest winner, and how to find an IBC. The

microsite will allow easy access to share Mary Kay
Stories, seasonal looks, and tips and tricks guides.

23

Top College Cities:

To gain impressions from the highest percentage of our target audience, we decided to
focus on cities with universities that have the highest percentage of female student body.
We chose the top thirteen universities and will focus our campaign efforts in these areas.

1) Arizona State University

Phoenix, AZ
2) Colorado State University

Fort Collins, CO
3) Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
4) Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI
5) Penn State University

State College, PA
6) Texas A&M University

College Station, TX
7) The Ohio State University

Columbus, OH
8) University of California Berkeley

Berkeley, CA
9) University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL
10) University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Lincoln, NE
11) University of Texas

Austin, TX
12) University of Wisconsin

Madison, WI
13) Washington State University

Pullman, WA

24

1,156,440
662,216
962,044
545,159
91,654
50,000
3,250,000
408,000
0
0
0
723,687
265,000
265,000
1,580,800
20,000
20,000
10,000,000

25
We will evaluate our campaign based on a series of on-going and periodic
qualitative and quantitative methods.

Ongoing Evaluation

39%
Sponsorship/
Promotions
33%
Digital
Media

28%
Print
Ads

Quantitative:

Observation of new Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Youtube and

Instagram followers/likes
Observation of web traffic to Mary Kay homepage and microsite
Number of shared stories from our demographic and votes on Face of
Mary Kay contest
Increased number of sales among At Play and other lines from
clientelle in Millennial demographic

Qualitative:

Feedback on all digital platforms, including quality of stories told and

shared
Media buzz around campaign, especially the new Face of Mary Kay

Periodic Evaluation

Quantitative and Qualitative:

Online surveys through microsite and Mary Kay website

Focus groups of target market at end of campaign in targeted cities

Budget Summary
Category

Spent

Print Ads

$2,780,700

Promotions

$3,936,813

Digital

$3,282,487

Total

$10,000,000

Research Resources
(2014). Retrieved from KeywordSpy: http://www.keywordspy.com/member/Biernacki, S.
(2013, October 14). Brand Bounce. Retrieved from Educational Marketing Group: http://emgonline.
com/blog/2013/10/pandora-and-spotify-what-advertisers-need-to-know/Frost, P.
(2014). How to Create a Profitable Google AdWords Campaign (from Scratch). Retrieved from KISS
Metrics: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/profitable-google-adwords-campaign/Navak, V.
(2013, December 19). Top 10 Creative YouTube Ads In 2013! Creativity Can Empower
Paid Media! [REPORT]. Retrieved from Daze Info: http://www.dazeinfo.com/2013/12/19/
top-10-creative-youtube-ads-2013-creativity-can-deploy-paid-media-report/
(2013, December 27). Social Network Fact Sheet. Retrieved from Pew Research: http://www.
pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/social-networking-fact-sheet/
(2014, February 10). Three Technology Revolutions. Retrieved from Pew Research: http://www.
pewinternet.org/three-technology-revolutions/

26

President
Angela Petrie

Research Director

Creative Directors

Lauren Damerell

Allie Bowes
Brianna Ruiz

Research Team

Creative Team

Liming Kang

Samantha Keeley

Lindsay Boivin

Rebecca Cravatta

Tanya Mannosvka

Special Thanks:

Media Director
Lorin Reidenbach

Media Team
Alexa Goodman

Brian Gunderson
Corbin Thoe

Jayne Harris

David Huhnke Tiffany Nunnally