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  • Writer's pictureDorian Block

Be Proud. Become You.

Updated: Mar 31, 2019

Prompt: Choose a business or product and makeover their marketing campaign. Identify their current target market and then create the new campaign for a new market. For example sell baby food to college kids or cosmetics to business men in their 30s. You will need to be sure that your target market is narrowed, but not too narrow. You cannot market to seniors because seniors are actually a diverse group – are they active, do they travel (camper), do they live in a nursing home, etc. One question to ask is “What is their favorite color?” - if your target market is men that would be a hard question to answer – if it is business men in their 30s, you might think of blacks and grays and maybe dark blues.
Photos from this campaign are hard to find as their social media manager is really good at cleaning house, leaving only the most relevant content. Citation can be found below.

My chosen product is the CLEAN & CLEAR® ESSENTIALS 3 Step Skin Care Routine.


Target Market

The current target market for these products are, broadly, pre-teens and teenagers. Clean & Clear's strategy as of this year is enlisting "teenagers with modest followings as influencers" to promote their brand. My proposed new target market is a bit more narrow than all pre-teens and teenagers. It is honing in on a niche undeserved population that can be a mix of pre-teens, teenagers and millennials, with some outerlying 45-60+ year olds. This niche target market consists of all Trans-masculine or Female to Male (FTM) individuals on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) that are disproportionately affected by severe hormone related acne as a side effect of their transitions. For the purpose of this advertisement I am keeping Clean & Clear's focused target of pre-teens and teenagers for the audience. This age demographic is most active on Instagram, so I will be making a targeted advertisement which can be used across social media, but is best suited for Instagram. This ad is designed to run during Pride month which is during the summer so incorporating some "beach vibes."


While it is not possible to specifically target this demographic of audience there are interests you can choose in both Facebook and Instagram advertising which will put it in front of the intended audience. On Instagram targeting is limited, you can target by location, interests, age and gender. Unfortunately, there is no third gender option on Instagram or Facebook but Facebook offers an "all" option which will include outerlying genders. As both Facebook and Instagram are owned by the same company the interest options will be the same.


I would suggest a regional location since this ad will be sent nationally. As far as interests go accounts that are interested in: "Transgenderism," (is apparently a thing?)"Transgender Law Center," "National Center for Transgender Equity," "Transgender Day of Remembrance," and "Transgender Activism," will put the ad in front of the right audience. If that is not a wide enough scope you can expand the audience to interests including "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Straight Alliance," "LGBT community."


Define the Problem


Transgender individuals who are taking HRT as a means of their transitions expose themselves to many side affects of taking Testosterone. This hormone induces a second puberty, a known side effect of which is severe acne. Most transgender men have to seek out a dermatologist to keep their acne in check as it is known to break out of the T-zone of the face spreading to the neck, back and arms. HRT also reduces the moisture in the body and, therefore, the skin. Many acne treatments use strong active ingredients which dry out the skin often accompanied by warnings like "This product dries out the skin. Do not use if you have very sensitive skin." Clean & Clear's 3in1 Essentials has a moisturizer as the final step to keep the skin from dryness and irritation without oiling it into breaking out.


Color Palate Appeal


Clean & Clear's branding palate of bright childlike purples, blues and pinks percolating throughout their website is already well suited to the appealing colors of this audience. The Trans-gender flag consists of three colors: baby blue, white and pastel pink. The origin of these colors and their symbolism to the community are representative as follows: “The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional color for baby boys. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are intersex, transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender."


Using this color scheme, lightening the brand colors of Clean & Clear to match, I will draw the immediate attention of this audience featuring the colors in the flag's formation within the advertisement.


Emotion


I want this advertisement to make the audience feel pride in themselves and in their skin. From a polled focus group of twenty eight Trans-masculine identifying individuals on Facebook they overwhelmingly expressed interest in seeing the colors of the entire trans-flag incorporated in the image. This audience prefers a masculine appeal so drawing more from the blues of the palate rather than the pinks and whites as others in the poll indicated; perhaps even darkening the blues so as to give a more mature feeling. The dark blues will be paired with imagery that emanates "beach vibes" calling to mind water and the sky while also empowering the audience. The lighter blues will also echo the water and sky while making the audience feel that their secret (acne and/or their former gender identity) will be safe and protected by this product. The white will impart a feeling of purity as it relates to their skin, promising to clean blemishes. The pink will brandish passion in advocating for trans-masculine individuals while establishing trust in the brand. It will also hopefully inspire this audience to dip into their unique spending power!


Social Media Graphic

This animated graphic was created using all free programs, save for the camera: the original photography was shot on a Canon EOS Rebel T3i, edited using Gimp2, laid out in Canva and then animated using Google Photos assistant.


The focal point of the design is the trans-masculine model (me) applying the product. He is in the middle of the frame but his face is set off to one side centering the dominant eye. He is dressed in a white and blue robe, creating a professional appeal while also alluding to summer past times or additional uses for a robe. He is overlaid on a background utilizing the transgender flag with the colors creating leading lines with the break between colors guiding the eye to the focal point. The animation in the graphic is a 1, 2, 3 pattern going from left to right featuring the three branding colors of the campaign. The motion in the graphic replaces the numbers with their corresponding product in perfect symmetry. The graphic is on a loop so there is constant repetition as the viewer continues to look at it. The model's arm in motion applying the product is at an acute angle that leads right into the logo forming a Z pattern to keep the viewer engaged within the image. The paint graphics, in line with Clean & Clear's branding, are positioned at the bottom of the image and wisp from left to right moving the viewer's eye throughout the piece. The white paint also draws the white of the flag out as a background on which to feature the logo and intent of the ad in the light pink and blue pride colors. Borrowing and improving upon Clean & Clear's tag lines I used "Be Proud." in blue and added "Become You." in pink alluding to transitioning while staying in line with the brand. These messages of acceptance while paired with the flag effectively portray Clean & Clear Essentials 3in1 as a trusted product and brand for this young niche audience.


Citations


StingySydney. “Clean & Clear - Essentials Sample Pack.” Stingy Sydney | Clean & Clear - Essentials Sample Pack, 27 July 2012, stingysydney.com.au/post/Clean-Clear-Essentials-Sample-Pack.aspx.


Neff., Jack, et al. “Clean Break: Why J&J Is Enlisting Teens with Modest Followings as Influencers.” Ad Age, 2 Oct. 2018, adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/clean-break/315092/.


“The History of the Transgender Flag.” Point 5cc, 23 Apr. 2015, web.archive.org/web/20150709055037/http://point5cc.com/the-history-of-the-transgender-flag/.

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