IPPIE PLAN

OBJECTIVES:

The message of this brand is happiness conveyed through bubble gum. The feelings of youth and pluck will be conveyed through bright colors and fun images. The target audience is mainly women between the ages of 18 and 50.  After viewing the messages of this brand the viewer should be lighter and happier than they were before. The goal is that they put a smile on their face and confront their day with hope and optimism. A secondary goal is that they look for the fun in everyday experiences, and learn not to take themselves too seriously.  I hope that by viewing the vibrant images on these channels the user will be able to instantly smile, and then recollect the colors, feelings, and messages throughout their days and weeks.

SEASCAPE PRINCPLES:

The “value principle” will come into play in these social media channels. The hope is that the user will gain joy from simply viewing the content. They don’t need to buy anything, although it may make them crave gum, they simply get to look at the post and feel something. The return on the viewing investment time will be more than worth it if these channels can deliver great content that is beautiful to look at.  The “Zeitgeist principle” will also come into play on these channels. There is so much negativity and heaviness in what we consume online and in our lives, that people are looking for an escape. This brand hopes to be that escape for people. “Taking action” for this social media brand will be viewing the content and coming back again to view more posts. When branding this channel we will strive to avoid these taboos- posting mediocre photos, going too “off brand”, not responding to comments,  omitting captions, and being inconsistent.  The messages presented will also always try to convey fun and happiness, no other political or personal agenda.

STRATEGY

To connect with our audience this brand will consistently post content, make sure the content is relative to the brand and reply to comments.

The channels I have chosen to use for this branding project are Instagram and Pinterest. Both platforms get results from good images, so the images created for this brand have to be cohesive with the brand objective and be eye-catching. They have similar taboos in that you shouldn’t follow or repin content that is not cohesive with your brand. They also require consistent engagement and comment interaction where appropriate. For both platforms the most important piece of content is the image. If the image falls flat, nobody is going to engage with your brand- the images are king on these platforms. Also important are hashtags, and captions. The captions and descriptions for the images must be relevant and reflect the goal of happiness within the brand.

CONTENT NEEDED

Image: In both PInterest and Instagram, the images are the key. The feeds are visually oriented, so the image has got to be eye-catching.  In Pinterest the recommended size for pins that generate interaction  is 735 px x 1102 px. The long images command more viewing real estate and are a great way to get your image seen. On Instagram the design should be done in 1080 px by 1080 px. (But upload the image at 2048 by 2048)

Caption/Description

In Pinterest, write descriptions that are thoughtful and that your user can understand. Use keywords, but don’t stuff them in if they don’t add value to your description. Also, the use of “salesy” text is discouraged.  The content for Instagram is similar.

Keywords/Hashtags

In Pinterest, you can optimize your pins for searchability by adding keywords. Relevant hashtags can also help your content be found by Pinterest users. Like Pinterest, Instagram allows you to implement hashtags that can be used to help viewers find your content. Care must be taken in choosing these hashtags, and be sure to make sure not to use any banned hashtags.

 

SCHEDULE

 

DEFINE SUCCESS

The metrics that will best help me determine the success of my social media sites will be the number of visitors to my channels, and the number of repeat visitors and or followers.

 

VOICE STATEMENT

The “I Heart Gum” brand should feel fun. It should convey feelings of nostalgia and childhood. Although the subject matter could be considered juvenile, the design will be sophisticated with pluck! The feed will be full of fun colors and playful designs that should evoke a smile or a feeling of inspiration. The messages are always light and playful, never divisive or confrontational.

LOGO SKETCHES