What works–and what doesn’t–shifts quick in advertising and marketing. As shoppers turn out to be savvier and shift their priorities, tried and true strategies to achieve and interact with shoppers might not work in addition to they used to. To remain forward, entrepreneurs can look to seemingly unlikely sources for inspiration. Enter Megan Thee Stallion.
The rap artist from Houston not too long ago launched Unhealthy Bitches Have Unhealthy Days Too, a psychological well being useful resource hub. At first look, this marketing campaign doesn’t appear related to model entrepreneurs–except they’re a social media supervisor having a very unhealthy day. Megan Thee Stallion is a musician, not a model. In a post-CD world, her principal purpose isn’t to promote a services or products. It doesn’t really feel instantly relevant to most advertising and marketing groups.
Regardless of the plain variations in enterprise fashions, Megan Thee Stallion’s psychological well being useful resource hub is a masterclass in model constructing. Most (71%) shoppers assume it’s vital for manufacturers to talk out on delicate subjects. Much more (88%) shoppers say authenticity is vital once they’re deciding what manufacturers to help. And over half (56%) of shoppers wish to know the backstory and the “why” behind a model. Megan Thee Stallion hit all three of those client candy spots together with her psychological well being useful resource hub.
In a single internet web page, Megan Thee Stallion proved that she understands her viewers, desires to talk out on the problems that matter to them and has a private connection to the subject.
Who’s Megan Thee Stallion, anyway?
Megan Thee Stallion–often known as the HTown Hottie or Tina Snow–bought her begin on social media. She gained an viewers together with her Instagram freestyle movies and launched her first single on-line in 2016. Since then, she hasn’t missed. All six of her albums have made it onto the Billboard 200. “Savage”, a single from her debut album “Good Information” impressed a viral dance pattern with over 15 million movies utilizing the sound. She nabbed the Grammy for Finest New Artist in 2021. Even in case you’re not aware of her music, you’re positively aware of her affect. She’s the one who created the phrase “sizzling woman summer season”.
Her main profession is likely to be music, however she hasn’t stopped there. She’s consistently utilizing her platform as a catalyst for change. In 2020, she carried out on SNL for the primary time and interrupted her personal tune with a protest in regards to the dealing with of Breonna Taylor’s case. She adopted that up with a New York Instances op-ed in regards to the significance of defending black ladies.
She demonstrates her model worth of talking out about points that have an effect on her and her viewers of primarily black ladies clearly and steadily. Her consistency and vulnerability set her up as the proper consultant for her latest marketing campaign, the psychological well being useful resource hub.
So that you had a foul day
Megan Thee Stallion’s psychological well being useful resource hub is a deceptively easy web site. The one web page opens with instructions to scroll and a photograph of the album cowl for “Traumazine”. She has hyperlinks to her streaming platform profiles and an embed of the video for probably the most related tune, “Nervousness”. She follows up with hyperlinks to psychological well being platforms and disaster traces. The web page ends with two CTAs–one to discover a therapist and one other to enroll in textual content updates.
Outdoors of the first purpose of connecting her viewers with psychological well being assets, the positioning additionally does a wonderful job speaking that this isn’t a one-and-done effort. It associates this marketing campaign together with her overarching model.
Steady help
The ultimate CTA to get SMS updates in regards to the initiative is a normal method. However the enrollment message is the place the technique actually shines. As a substitute of coming from a normal 5 digit advertising and marketing quantity, the textual content comes from Megan Thee Stallion herself, full with a contact card and photograph. The messages aren’t customized to the person, however it feels private. The message itself informs the person they’ll get updates sooner or later–and extra importantly, appears like she’s there to help you on a person stage.
Bringing it into the model
Megan Thee Stallion’s present model is already primarily based on standing up for her viewers. This marketing campaign is solely an extension of that worth. However she brings in fixed reminders all through the web page that that is her effort and it’s one thing she’s keen about. She embeds a video to a related tune, intersperses the positioning with lyrics from that tune and hyperlinks her streaming platform profiles.
This might simply really feel like a advertising and marketing play–and it positively is–however due to the rapport she’s constructed together with her followers and her historical past of advocacy, these really feel like pure additions and value-adds to the positioning.
A nasty day can flip into good advertising and marketing
The reception for this initiative has been overwhelmingly constructive. We dove into Sprout’s Social Listening instrument to see what audiences had been saying in regards to the hub. As of October 11, 2022–lower than two weeks after the launch–there have been 139,600 Tweets about Megan Thee Stallion and psychological well being plus over 583,000 engagements with these Tweets. These Tweets got here from over 97,000 distinctive authors, so lots of people are speaking about it. What’s most astonishing is a 96% constructive sentiment across the matter.
when meg mentioned “ unhealthy bitches have unhealthy days too” it rlly made me really feel protected <3
— sofiaa (@sofiavictoriiia) September 1, 2022
What does this model activism instance imply for entrepreneurs?
As we’ve mentioned earlier than, Megan Thee Stallion isn’t a model within the typical sense. However any model can study from the sturdy model activism examples she showcases together with her technique.
Make it make sense
This marketing campaign was profitable due to Megan Thee Stallion’s historical past of activism and her direct motion. By pairing her tune “Nervousness” with actionable assets to alleviate anxiousness, she proved that she’s not simply going to speak about it. She’s going to assist repair it.
In case your model is implementing activism, it must be holistic. The problem you’re addressing ought to tie again to your model story and values in a tangible and recognizable manner. It’s not sufficient to put up a number of occasions. Your activism ought to be core to who you’re as a model and you must be able to take motion.
Deal with neighborhood issues
Megan Thee Stallion’s main viewers is black ladies. Entry to psychological well being and the stigma round asking for assist are severe obstacles for that neighborhood. By admitting to her personal points and offering data on how one can tackle them, she proved that she is aware of and cares about her viewers’s wants.
As a model, you most likely have purchaser personas. However do these personas additionally embody your superb purchaser’s anxieties and issues outdoors of your product? In case your model sells tenting gear, your viewers is likely to be involved about local weather change. In case your product line is made with responsibly sourced elements, your viewers might be apprehensive about sustainability or labor rights. The trigger you are taking up shouldn’t simply relate to your model, it also needs to relate to your viewers’s wants.
Put a highlight on the specialists
When Megan Thee Stallion got down to tackle psychological well being gaps, she might have created her personal basis. She has the viewers, platform and assets to make it occur. However she didn’t. She acknowledged that there have been individuals and organizations which were doing this work for years and have a greater grasp on the problems than she does, and she or he shined a highlight on them. Even in her launch, she retweeted Remedy for Black Ladies’s preliminary put up to drive her followers to them.
We’re deeply grateful to be featured as a useful resource in @theestallion’s newly launched wellness hub, Unhealthy Bitches Have Unhealthy Days Too.
At TBG our mission is to heart the psychological well being wants of Black ladies and women in a manner that feels accessible and culturally related. pic.twitter.com/GSk21G5H0f— Remedy for Black Ladies (@therapy4bgirls) September 28, 2022
There’s a time to place your model first and there’s a time to depend on the specialists. Recognizing that distinction could make a huge impact on the efficacy of your campaigns. Whether or not which means partnering with a nonprofit on a social challenge or working with a creator that intimately understands their viewers, deferring to the specialists can promote authenticity and provides a way of self-awareness.
Campaigns that join
Megan Thee Stallion has proved that authenticity, vulnerability and a whole model story can supercharge your marketing campaign. Whenever you add in assist from the specialists, you’ll be unstoppable.
Wish to attempt it out? Study extra about how partnering with area of interest creators will help you faucet into new audiences with unprecedented relatability.
