Discover/ExploreSandra Valera, Amber Ricks, Regine Celius

Brand ChallengesBrand Challenges

Unattractive Website

Excessive amounts of Clutter on Website

Inefficient use of advertising space

Navigation issues

Lack of an active integration of social mediums on website

Missed Opportunities

Video streams/blogs on homepage

Overall organization of advertisements

Partnership with Flickr for StreetStyle feature

Missed OpportunitiesMissed Opportunities

Apply simplicity to website navigation

Place relevant ads on respective pages (less pop-up ads)

Improve page layouts(reduce clutter)

Integrate Social Mediums

Target Audience

College educated African American women between the ages of 18 and 34.

They read Essence magazine in order to find out new information about fashion trends, celebrities and other news that are helpful to their lifestyle.  

Women in this audience are constantly on the go, so they want quick and easy access to this information because chances are they are too busy to sit down and read the magazine.

Online Behaviors

Essence does a great job at communicating with readers through Twitter and Facebook

However, blogs about Essence Magazine are often neutral and only serve to reiterate information already found in the magazine

Essence Magazine is not a popular brand on Digg

Competitive Analysis Competitive Analysis Major Competitors

InStyle.com EbonyJet.com

Simple page layout User friendly Not cluttered

User friendly Elaborate, well designed layout Excellent ad placement

Competitive Analysis-Competitive Analysis-Ebonyjet.com Ebonyjet.com

Targets African-American women between the ages of 18-34.

Objective

Provide easy access to information about fashion, beauty, news, entertainment, etc to users

Make money through advertisements

Obtain subscriptions

Strengths Simple lay out Organization Easy navigation

Weakness Site is not as appealing or attention grabbing

Competitive Analysis-Competitive Analysis-InStyle.com InStyle.com

InStyle.com is designed to showcase the latest lifestyle trends. Target audience consists of single women between the ages of

24-36. College educated, employed, and earn income that is between

50,000-75,000. Less racially specific. Strengths

Website efficient for advertisers Organized in a manner that reduces clutter. Easy to navigate

Weaknesses Bland website

Personas

“I want to stand out in a

crowd of people”.

Name: Yanique Smith Age: 18 Occupation : College Student

Personal Information:

She is a Photography major at NYC’s Art Institute of Technology. When she is not super busy with school work she is at her part-time job which helps her pay for entertainment and shopping. For fun she likes to go to museums, art galleries and parties. She also likes creating her own accessories and taking pictures everywhere she goes.

Technology:

She is always on her Blackberry phone. She has a Facebook to stay in touch with friends but does not want to be like every one else so she doesn’t have a Twitter. She prefers Tumblr. She is very comfortable with the internet and computers but she prefers to use Macs. She also spends a lot of time on Photoshop.

Personas

Name: Jameela Brown Age: 25 Occupation : Events Planner

“I’m always on the go”.

Personal Information:

She is a college graduate. She works for the BET channel. She lives alone in an apartment in Philadelphia. She is really busy and barely gets enough time for herself. Occasionally she goes for a drink with friends in order to unwind or she spends quiet time at home.

Technology:

She is always on her IPhone. For networking purposes she has accounts in social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. She is very comfortable with the internet and computers. She does not have a lot of time available to actually sit in front of a computer unless it is for business purposes so she mostly uses her phone for internet access.

Personas

Name: Harmony Davis Age: 32 Occupation : Hair Stylist

“I work hard and play hard.”

Personal Information:

She is the owner of a hair salon and also styles hair. She went to college for 2 years then decided to get into the Hair Styling industry. Her, her husband and her daughter live in Baltimore, MD. For fun she goes out to dinners, the movie theaters and barbecues during the summer with her family. Her favorite celebrities are Jennifer Hudson and Danny Glover.

Technology:

She has a flip phone. She is comfortable navigating the internet but does not have an account with any social networks. She is comfortable with computers but she rather someone else do any necessary computer work for her.

Strategy and Positioning

Essence Online should be the top online destination for African American women between the ages of 18 and 34. We want to be the best resource for our sophisticated consumers, in meeting their fashion, beauty, and lifestyle interests.

Essence Online should extend the reputation of Essence magazine throughout the web. It should represent a unique place for sophisticated African American women to discuss topics specific to their interests and to find community.

Essence should also succeed as a trendsetting, topical resource for hot issues in lifestyle and entertainment, fashion and beauty. We want Essence Magazine to be our target audience’s guidebook, and Essence Online to be their every day online companion.

Objectives

Online objective for this website is to stick to Essences’ current business objective for the website: which is to make money.

Make the website more user-friendly.

Make the website more efficient.

Place advertisements on relevant pages.

Success Metrics

The success metrics that will be used are: An increase/decrease in visits Time spent on website Feedback

Comment and Suggestion boxes on pages

Tactics

Page Customization Every time users reach Essence.com they will have the

option to log into a “My Essence” feature, a customizable page designed to suit their own interests.

The “My Essence” page will allow users to select their interests in fashion, beauty, entertainment and lifestyle topics so as to customize the news, videos, photos, blogs, and interactive features that come to their home page.

Log-in to “My Essence” will be through the user’s Facebook account. This allows them to easily post stories and features from Essence Online to their Facebook friends, and for Essence Online to gather data on the user for advertising purposes.

Tactics

Page Customization Users will have the option to log into more of their

social networks on their customizable page. Users can log into their twitter account to have their twitter feed stream alongside Essence’s.

User info gathered from social networks will help to better target advertisements and make them more effective.

Mobile Presence In order to effectively market Essence Online to our

“woman on the go,” we must embrace mobile tactics.

Tactics

Mobile Presence Essence Online will develop a mobile app that will allow users

mobile access to their “My Essence” page. The page will serve as a streamlined, customized version of the regular site.

Street Style Using the technology behind Flickr, Essence Online will feature a

“Street Style” interactive application which allows users to upload their unique personal styles and vote on others’. Feedback from the Essence fan community and Essence Online staff will create a fun and creative interactive experience for visitors to the website.

The feature will be easily accessible through the customized homepage, and users will be able to log into their Flickr account through the main page.

Tactics

Strong Branding Overall, the website needs stronger branding and

connectivity to Essence Magazine. The website should reflect content featured in the magazine but dig deeper, and offer more options for engagement.

One of the main content buckets will represent Essence Magazine and link to the articles and photographs featured in each month’s issue. This area will also allow users to manage their subscription to the magazine and access previously published articles.

Tactics

Encourage Community As a publication with a large minority following, we feel it

important and a good opportunity for Essence to create a strong sense of community.

Essence should use its reputation and brand recognition as a way to showcase smaller minority voices. A weekly featurette could highlight interesting blogs, videos, tumblr accounts, online events, groupons, etc, that relate to the Essence community.

“Your Voice, Your Essence” would function as both a blog and forum for hot topics in the African American female community. Some topics would be serious, others would be frivolous, but all would encourage discussion. Users could log into this area using their facebook accounts, and the page would be available through Essence’s facebook page.

Tactics

Surface Makeover The website needs to be more attractive. We want to

implement a full make over of the surface layer, including better navigation, a more appealing display of advertisements, and content and images relevant to hot topics.

Customizable options will make the surface layer appealing to every user.

Sophisticated Advertising While it is helpful to have a variety of advertisers, Essence

Online will be more selective about advertisers. Products like fast food sandwiches will not be advertised on the main page, in favor of more targeted make up and fashion advertisements, in an attempt to give the main page a more sophisticated appeal.

Plan Recommendations

Banners on Twitter and Facebook that promote “Your Voice, Your Essence”.

Mobile Application for “My Essence” so that women on the go can still access their favorite news and updates.

E-mail and mobile medium used to notify users of Essence sponsored events or codes for coupons already available in the magazine.

Promote Essence’s surface makeover and page customization feature through outdoor print ads.

Content Outline

Home Button Currently on the website, this button will always take

you home.

“My Essence” Button This new feature will take the user to a Facebook

log-in (if they have not already logged in), or an option to sign up for “My Essence,” including “My Essence” customizable email updates, and the “My Essence” app.

Content Outline

Essence Magazine Features information about the magazine, including

a list of the current features, information about the cover, and an option to subscribe.

This area will also include information about the brand, its history and mission.

Fashion The Fashion tab will be a cleaned up version of its

predecessor. This tab will include a link to our “Street Style” feature, images and articles about fashion trends, celebrity fashion, and shopping.

Content Outline

Beauty The Beauty merges the hair and beauty tabs of the

former Essence.com. It will feature beauty advice, product reviews, skincare, hair care, make up, beauty how-to, help questions, and a user forum.

Lifestyle The Lifestyle tab merges the love and lifestyle tabs of

the former Essence.com. It will feature lifestyle news, articles and features on love and relationships, dating and sex, and issues facing African American women.

Content Outline

Stars Features information about entertainment, music

and celebrities. This area of the site will feature Essence’s many

celebrity blogs, organized by category.

Community This area will feature the “Your Voice, Your Essence”

community discussion area, as well as the “Hot Spots” feature highlighting different websites, videos, photos and online features that represent trends in the Essence community.

Content Outline

Displaced Content Essence Blogs will now be featured under the “Stars” tab

and sorted by category. Only current, recently updated blogs will be featured, others will be available through archives.

The website will completely eliminate the Essence sign in feature, as well as the current Essence community. All topics and discussions will be moved to the “Your Essence, Your Voice” discussion area, under a Facebook log-in feature.

Photos and videos will be featured under their appropriate categories.

Beauty and hair will become one category: Beauty. While love and lifestyle will become one category: Lifestyle.