What marketers can learn from Topicals Ghana Brand Trip
Wondering how to make your mark with your next influencer activation? 🤔 Look no further... Here’s what brands can learn from Topicals' recent influencer activation.
Topicals is a next-gen skincare brand which recently made waves for their brand trip to Ghana for Detty December.
In this mini case study, I break down this brilliant marketing move and explore what brands and marketers can learn!
Some quick context:
Detty December refers to the end of year period when many Black diasporans visit various African countries to attend various parties and events and unwind.
Let’s get into why this was an excellent marketing move 👇🏾
Tapping into cultural moments
Aligning the trip with Detty December placed their brand in a broader context that is relevant to their key markets.
Tapping into this shared experience enabled them to overcome market fragmentation and engage multiple demographics in one go.
FOMO meant that people who couldn’t make it were also more likely to keep up with the content.
Selling a lifestyle vs. a product
Brand trips are top-of-funnel content, yet they can take someone to purchase when done well.
The key is to show how your product fits into your target audience’s (dream) lifestyle and how it enhances their aesthetic.
The message here was people like this do skincare like this, so buying becomes a no-brainer.
Diversity
The diverse range of influencers invited (BIPOC, various skin tones, skin types and genders etc.) meant the group was not monolithic.
As a result, people were empowered to see themselves in the activation and to connect more deeply with the brand.
This is important as lack of diversity has commonly been an area of criticism for brand trips in the beauty and wellness space.
Leveraging network effects
During Detty December, young black people often take inspiration from one another, picking up trends to share with their community.
Some of the creators who were invited had friends who were also going to Ghana, many of whom were public figures.
They were able to influence these friends to try the brand, leading to many organic posts on social media.
Playful Positioning
The use of the eyemasks in the club and what’s in my bag photos featuring Topicals products was seamless product placement that positioned them as fun and playful, instead of a cold, clinical brand.
It also shows that wellness and enjoyment do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Brand Advocacy
The influencers were thoughtfully selected for this trip, with a mix of influencers they’ve worked with before and tastemakers with hyper-engaged communities that matched their key audiences.
Some were also friends beforehand, and most of the creators had previously used and raved about Topicals products before, which gave the trip an authentic and, at times, an organic feel.
Hashtags and key phrases
By branding the moment with the hashtag #TopicalsGoneToGhana people could easily catch up with any content they missed.
Using the hashtag #finemenusetopicals on a TikTok ‘dapping up the fine men at afrofuture’, they communicated they do gender-neutral skincare whilst using the ‘dapping up 10s’ social media trend to optimize for reach.
3 key takeaways for marketers planning influencer activations
Consider how you can authentically participate in key cultural moments that matter to your community.
Build long-term relationships with influencers that align with your brand ethos to create more impactful collaborations.
Avoid brand dilution by exploring opportunities to create experiences around hero products and reinforce brand narratives.
And that’s a wrap, folks! 💌
I hope you found this useful - if you did, let me know what stood out to you!
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Speak soon!
B x
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