How IMS helped a luxury brand achieve record sales growth during COVID-19

As a digital native brand, this luxury cosmetics company had already cultivated a cult following of fans across B2B and B2C. On the precipice of the lockdown, we worked together to develop an agile, insights-driven approach to navigating the uncertainty of the crisis. Our challenge was to understand how the shelter-in-place measures affected our audiences’ perception of luxury and self-care, in order to adopt sprint-led content strategies that augment a sense of togetherness and community.

By leveraging consumer intelligence, we were able to:

• Tailor our brand messaging in a way that supported B2B and B2C audiences;
• Create engaging interactions across a multitude of digital touchpoints to promote connectedness;
• Revise media mix allocation and adapt paid content to latest consumer sentiment.

The brand understood that looking after its customers and partners would reinforce its community and strengthen its position as a DTC brand.

Adopting an agile, data-led, and sprint-based approach to content marketing

One of the emerging trends identified during our social listening exercise was increased consumer focus on brand purpose. As news on how reduced human activity was having positive effect on the environment were being circulated, social channels erupted with concerns about our negative impact on the environment. Issues such as sustainability, corporate responsibility, and supply chain management rose to the forefront. We combined these insights alongside revelations about self-care and holistic wellbeing to create a powerful narrative that resonated with our audiences, and crafted data-led content strategies across email, website, social, and paid ad channels.

Taking care of B2B partners through value-adding content and referral support schemes

As a brand with a strong B2B network, it was crucial to innovate ways to support key partners. The brand invited thought leaders to co-host seminars to share guidance on how to navigate the uncertainty. Together, we devised a referral scheme that enabled partners to drive revenue through commission-based selling, reaching new audiences while reinforcing relationships.

Thanks to agile business and marketing initiatives, the brand experienced a record-breaking sales month within two months of social distancing restrictions.

Don’t let them steal your thunder.

Be at the forefront of digital marketing trends with Digital Disrupted, the podcast series that talks about how the latest industry trends are impacting you.