Created By

Created By
Bobby Calero, Jenny Taing, Thu Vu, Trisha Santos,
Megan Lobato, Elizabeth Vieyra, Gabrielle Gage
I. Table of Content
II. Situation Analysis
1
III. Key Strategic Decisions
4
Time Flow
IV. Media Strategy
7
8
Television
9
Internet
14
Social Media
18
Print
20
Outdoor/Out of Home
22
V. Message Strategy
28
Creative Brief
29
VI. Other IMC Tools
30
VII. Budget
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II. Situation Analysis
Background
Blistex Inc. is a multi-million dollar, family-run company founded in 1947. Blistex develops and markets in the lip care
industry. The company is primarily located in the United States. Blistex offers a vast range of lip care products for their customers
throughout the world. The company has a product line that consists of other niche personal care merchandise such as acne treatments
and first aid sprays. They present a wide range of products under Ivarest, Kank-A, Foille, Glysomes and Stridex brands. Blistex Inc.
distributes their products worldwide throughout drug stores, beauty stores, and supermarkets.
Blistex Inc. objectives are to develop quality products, become innovators in lip care, and succeed in a steady growth of the
company. To obtain their goals, in 1967, Blistex created research and development facilities. The new facilities provided Blistex with
the resources to have control over all the stages. Blistex Inc. has the control of product construction and product testing to
manufacturing and marketing. Current and new products were improved and developed for the worldwide lip and health care market.
Blistex continues to believe in their goals of growth, innovation, leadership, and product quality. Millions of people relate
Blistex with lip protection, relief and moisture for their lips. Blistex is committed to identifying and executing changes to decrease their
environmental impact. The company created Greenspreed Team which implements their awareness to keep the environment clean.
Blistex products range from deep renewal, herbal, and medicated berry balm to lip infusion or massage.
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SWOT
The SWOT (Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis provides a brief description of the present environment in
which Blistex Inc. are providing customers their products. This is a quick impression of the positions among internal and external
forces influencing of the operation of the product marketing.
SWOT analysis
Strengths
Internal Forces
Weaknesses
•
Variety of lip care products
•
Viewed as only a medicated
lip care product
•
Medicated care
•
Limited advertisement
•
Known worldwide
•
Geared towards older
women
•
Green initiatives
•
Men are forgotten in ads
•
Family owned
•
Not an everyday necessity
•
Does not utilize digital
media
Opportunities
External Forces
Threats
•
Reach a younger
demographic/tap into the
young male market
•
ChapStick brand
•
Reposition brand identity
•
ChapStick actual name
•
Adding increase value to
the product
•
Burt’s Bees all natural
2
Key advertising problem to be solved
Blistex overall does a sizable task in showing the consumers the identity of their brand. Their advertisements are geared toward
older women. Blistex advertisement techniques are undistinguishable. They explain to the consumer what their lip care products can
provide. Blistex message however is not clear in showing the consumer that they provide a wide range of lip care merchandise, as well
as illustrating that their products are for men and women of all ages. Their ads lack a certain freshness. In the consumers' mind Blistex
is a medicated lip care product, but that is all. The consumer is unaware Blistex offers a variety flavors and styles for the lips. Their
advertisements are lacking both information and excitement.
Lip care products are used on a day-to-day base. Lip care products are a common entity that consumers forget how important it
is to take care of ones lips. Your lips are on display with everyday interaction with your peers. Men and women interact with one
another on a daily base. Blistex advertisement focuses on women, while men are forgotten. Blistex should not forget to target the guy
that cares for his lips. Blistex must amp the anticipation in their advertisement, especially since lip care products are not known for
their excitement. Society is bombarded with advertisements every day; Blistex must shine through other lip care advertisements.
Overall, Blistex advertising is achieving their goal in highlighting their medicated products, but now they need to explode with edge
and sensual ads to lure the younger demographic of men and women.
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III. Key Strategic Decisions
I. Objective
Blistex is one of the only few lip balms that can claim the medicated use, which is why it's mainly known for it's medicated use.
The product itself is amazing, but in order to reach a bigger audience, we have to reposition it's image. The company had try to expand
it's image by introducing flavored lip balms, but it needs to take a more aggressive approach in it's advertising to get their new image.
The repositioning will go from medicated use, to everyday use.
II. Target Audience
Age: 17-30 male/female
III. Brand Position
The position Blistex has right now is simple and clear: for different types of illness/infection there is a different type of Blistex
product that specializes in healing the problem.
IV. Approaches to Repositioning
This campaign to reposition the company's image will take six months. It will have two phases, which is based on two slogans:
“It's not what you think it is,” and “Get your Blistex on.”
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Phase One:
The first phase will use three media strategy to execute this plan—television/cable, internet, and print. More specifically, we
will be using a commercial to execute this plan. The entirety of the first phase is to state and show our intention of repositioning from
medicated use to everyday use.
Since, our target audience is young we plan on making an edgy and funny commercial. By using sex appeal and mixing it with
comedy. This will instantly give the audience a more relax feel with the brand.
The commercial itself is simple: guy sees hot girl, daydreams about hot girl being with him, and then gets caught staring at the
hot girl while his Blistex is twisted all the way up. In the end the slogan “It's not what you think it is” will pop up. This will have two
meaning with the commercial. First, it will address the sexual connotation of the commercial. Second, it will address the product itself.
“It's not what you think it is” is addressing the main goal, which is that Blistex is not only a medicated type of product. The commercial
on television will go on for two months, while the commercial on the internet will go on for four months of this campaign. Then the
transition to phase two will commence.
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Phase Two:
Many people mistake the word lip balm for ChapStick. We want to remove our competitor's brand by creating a new catch
phrase, “Get your Blistex on.” This will be achieved through outdoor/out of home advertising, social media, and other IMC tools. The
outdoor/out of home advertising will come out with the catch phrase, “Get your Blistex on” as well as the print.
By now, the target audience will be familiar with the commercials, especially since it is on the internet as well. The catch phrase
is to get the term ChapStick out of their mind. Also, by using the brand's name as a verb, it will help move the brand away from it's
original image, because by using it as a verb the audience will think the brand's product is a more of an everyday, to-go use rather than
the special occasions of medical infection/illness use. Social media will also help the catch phrase reach the target audience and
lengthen the use of it. Ultimately, the internet is a great device to use, because of how long everything stays on.
Social media will also help tap into the target audience since that targeted demographic rely heavily on social media. Other IMC
tools will also help the company reach a more specific type of demographic honing in on the people who enjoy certain events such as
music and sport. Our partnership with non-profit organizations will also help Blistex keep their loyal fan base while gaining more.
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IV. Media
Strategy
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Television/Cable
Ways that we plan on achieving exposure is through the help of television and cable programing. With the use of commercials
and product placement, this will give Blistex the perfect amount of exposure that is necessary to gain awareness about the product line
and its new image. By creating a clever, yet humorous commercial this will instantly get the viewers attention to become more aware of
the products. By strategically placing our commercials in the time slot between 8pm-10pm this will be the best way to reach the largest
audience. Since most working class Americans work between the hours of 9am-5pm, this would be an optimal opportunity to place
commercials during the times people are at home watching their favorite television shows.
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The placement of the commercial is another key attribute that must be taken into consideration when repositioning a product.
The networks that will be airing our commercial must have an audience that fits our target demographic. With networks such as CW,
Fox, and TBS, we feel they would be a good fit for both our product line and audience. Since we're trying to reach new audiences, all
these network have shows that fit out target demographic at the time slot we wish to air our commercial.
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Along with the commercial usage, product placement and/or product integration would be another crucial factor in the
repositioning of Blistex. ChapStick, which is Blistex's biggest threat, has done a very good job at changing up their image and staying
true to the current times. One of the ways they are achieving so much success is due to their product placement in shows such as Glee,
and verbal mentions in countless songs. Since most households now days have some form of a DVR system, it is very difficult to reach
audiences when they are too busy fast forwarding through the commercials. This is an obstacle that every product and brand is facing
in this day in age. A way to work around this hindrance is to get exposure through product placement. By placing the product on the
actual show, it automatically shows the audiences its uses and more importantly the product name.
At the end of the day, celebrities are trendsetters, if someone on television is using a product, there's a good chance many people
are going to want to be like them and follow in their footsteps. By simply having one of the main characters use our Blistex lip balms
on shows like, the CW's 90210, Gossip Girls, Fox's New Girl, and TBS's Conan, would give Blistex a tremendous amount of much
needed exposure that will give audiences a new outlook of the product. Also, on a show such as Conan, there have been countless times
when he goes into a story with one of his guest and casually brings up a product that just so happens to be a sponsor of the show. Conan
has a large following and anything that he brings up and speaks about is being listened to very carefully. We intend to have Conan
speak of Blistex in one of his interviews, then during the commercial break we plan to have our commercial play to bring more
awareness to the audience about our brand and products. With the product placement on the television shows, and the verbal mention of
Conan, we will absolutely be hitting all our target demographics and at the perfect time slots.
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Internet
An important fact to know is that while people can record their favorite shows and run through the commercials, doing that on
the internet is harder to do that. Which is why the commercial will play on websites such as hulu and youtube for four months. For
Hulu, we're focusing on two networks, CW and Fox. Most of their shows are geared to our target audience. For youtube, the
advertising goes through its owner, Google, in which they give you two options: 1) the ad will be shown throughout the entire site of
youtube, 2) the ad will be geared towards specific content. We're deciding on option 1, since we'll be able to reach more people and the
cost is cheaper than option 2.
Another place we'll be advertising our commercial is Yahoo. There will be a small advertising box, in which someone can click
on it to instantly watch the commercial right on the same page as Yahoo. This will also lead them to our website.
The Blistex website will also get a revamp to look more appealing to the targeted audience in which the commercial will also be
featured. One of the anticipated reaction we hope to get is the curiosity of the slogan, “It's not what you think it is.” The curiosity will
help lead them to the website, in which they will see the new layout of the website which will automatically show them the reposition
of the brand, without ever telling them bluntly.
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Social Media
Much of our social media relies heavily on facebook. There will be a contest for a month where people can send in their
creative memes in which they hashtag “#Blistexmemecontest”, and a winner will be chosen through “likes” on facebook. The winner
will have their meme posted on our facebook for a week and a special made Blistex with their name printed on it. The contest will lastr
two months with a total of eight winners. Memes are all the rage, and many people search and scroll through memes for hours. What's
great about memes is the comedy incorporated into it and the people it attracts through word of mouth, which is one of the strongest
marketing techniques.
Another social media we plan on using ties in with other IMC tools. Blistex will participate in a large outdoor event which will
hold a photo booth. Unlike the typical photo booth, this cannot print out the picture. Instead, to have access to the picture, people will
have to “like” the Blistex facebook page where there picture is located and then they will be able to tag themselves or share their
photos. On the bottom frame of the picture it will show the Blistex logo.
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Print
Our print ads are geared toward sex appeal, which are fun, bold, confident, and eye catching. We chose this approach because
men respond to sex and we want Blistex to get notice by both men and women. Running for three months in the first phase of our
campaign, we will have two different print ads, one ad is for women magazines and the second ad exclusively for the men magazines.
Both ads consist of our new Blistex message; “It's Not What You Think It Is” presented in the universal font, Lowvetica. The meaning
behind the message is for the new image of Blistex. Before Blistex was seen as a lip balm used only for blisters and cold sores but now
Blistex's image is gearing away from being known only for its medicated features. The new message is letting people know that Blistex
has a variety of uses, many flavors, and different lip finishes.
The women's ad will be featured in the women's magazines such as: Cosmopolitan, People, and Glamour. The ad portrays part
of a female's face and part of a males face closely together, focusing mainly on their lips. The female's mouth is slightly open and she
holds her Blistex berry balm next to it. The male is right next to her in desire of her and her Blistex. This print ad is perfect for the
women audience featuring bright pink and olive tones, leaving a soft and sweet look.
The men's ad will be featured in men magazines, which are GQ and Complex. Different from the women's ad, our male print ad
features gray and white tones along with the color blue. The ad features a blurred couple in the background in bed with the male on top
of the female. The main focus is the Blistex lip massage on the bed stand. This print ad is very sexy but also masculine for men.
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Outdoor/Out of Home
For our outdoor/out of home proportion of our campaign, phase two, we feature advisements on a billboard, on bus stops as
well as buses, and out of home advisements in major cities.
Blistex will be advertised for 3 months through billboards on major freeways and highly populated locations in each of the five
regions of the U.S.; Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and the West. The billboard will include a large 3D Blistex lip balm
from the ground up in the middle of the billboard, holding the actual billboard up and being apart of the billboard advisement. On top
of the twisted up Blistex features our other message, “Get Your Blistex On”. The background is black and the displayed Blistex is the
lip balm. This advertisement is simple yet bold with the main focus on the 3D Blistex. The partially twisted up Blistex also has a tie-in
to our commercial, in the elevator scene when a man sees an attractive women and has his Blistex is twisted all the way up.
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Selected major city bus stops and some of the most popular public bus transits in the U.S., within the five regions, will have
advertisements of Blistex’s new campaign. For four months, selected bus stops will feature a Blistex bus advertisement, of a up close
picture of a man’s pocket. The man’s hand is visibly taking out his Blistex accompanied with the caption, “Get your Blistex On”. The
bottom left of the ad reads the Blistex’s website, www.blistex.com. The bus advisements will be featured on articulated buses. The
entire bus will be a blue Blistex. Starting from the left of the bus will be, “Get Your Blistex On”. The middle doors will feature a man
and a woman puckering their lips so when the doors close it will look like they are kissing. The bus will look like a huge Blistex on
wheels.
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In Los Angeles, there will be a similar out of home Blistex prop also for three months. In this case one of the buildings with a
revolving door will have a display of a large Blistex prop above the door. Each time the door is rotated the Blistex will pop up and
down. The Blistex featured on this building is the mint balm. The bottom of the Blistex reads “Get Your Blistex on”. These two out of
home advisements will cause the extra buzz for Blistex to be viewed by many people in these populated areas.
In New York City, an out of home Blistex prop will be presented for three months. On one of the large buildings with a visible
elevator to the public will feature our prop. The building's elevator will be transformed into a building size Blistex. Each time the
elevator goes to the top floors the Blistex will look as if it is being twisted up and when the elevator goes down it will look as if the
Blistex is being twisted all the way down, without a cap on. The elevator itself will be covered in a beige tin and the outside elevator
part will be covered in a turquoise tin, being the Blistex body. Along the side of the Blistex body reads, “Get your Blistex On”.
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V. Message Strategy
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A. Creative Brief
The creative brief outlines the key strategies decisions and details the key execution elements. Blistex is known internationally
for its medical use and our advertising campaign is focused on repositioning our brand identity in order to gain a younger demographic,
create awareness of its “everyday” use, and to gain brand loyalty that a younger audience will carry for a lifetime.
Blistex is ultimately known as lip treatment and more specifically, for canker sores. Our main goal is to deviate from this idea in
order to gain a larger, younger audience. To catch our audience’s attention, our campaign is focused on the two slogans “It’s Not What
You Think It Is” and “Get Your Blistex On.” During Phase 1, “It’s Not What You Think It Is” leaves our audience to think about our
campaign message, leaving room for their own imagination. Phase 2 will get our audience to view our product as an everyday use with
the catch phrase “Get Your Blistex On.”
We have strategically chosen to use the following media vehicles in order to execute our media strategy: print, television/cable,
outdoor/out of home advertising, internet/social media, event sponsorship, and promotions. Specific vehicles are used in either or both
phases of our campaign and details are stated in our Media Strategy (pg. 8)
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VI. Other IMC Tools
A. Event Sponsorship
Event sponsorship provides mass exposure to the target demographic. With each event, we will have a street team decked out in
Blistex gear at our sponsor table that will include giveaways, including t-shirts and Blistex lanyards, spray mists, and a social media
photo booth. This photo booth will be available to those interested in getting free Blistex gear. In order to receive your giveaways, each
consumer will be photographed with their Blistex lanyard and/or t-shirt. Upon taking pictures, each consumer will quickly register
through each of their social media usernames such as Facebook and Instagram. Each photo that is taken will be uploaded and placed
onto the Blistex Facebook wall and Instagram feed with the hashtag “#GetYourBlistexOn.” This photo booth and giveaway will reach
our target demographic through both social media and with each consumer that sports our Blistex gear at each of the events. To reach
our target audience, we have chosen to become sponsors to the following events:
1. Coachella
2. Stagecoach
3. AVP Tour
Each event directly aims towards our target audience. Goldenvoice presents both the Coachella Music Festival and Stagecoach
Music Festival. Coachella is an internationally known three-day music and arts festival held annually in Indio, CA. Stagecoach is also a
three-day music festival, directed towards country music fans. The AVP (Association of Volleyball Professionals) Tour is a national
volleyball tournament broadcasted by NBC sports. This tour runs from April through the end of October. With each sponsorship our
target audience will become more familiar and interact with our brand.
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B. Baseball Sponsorship
Athletic sponsorships reach large variety of people and we have chosen to sponsor the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the
Chicago White Sox. The Blistex banner will be placed along the wall of the field to gain exposure to sports fanatics who are in the
comfort of their home and for those who are witnessing the excitement in person. This will open our audience to mainly a male
demographic, who most likely do not have brand loyalty towards a specific lip balm brand. Blistex will use this opportunity to gain that
brand loyalty.
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C. Non-Profit Partnership
Blistex has decided to partner up with non-profit organizations to gain awareness to their audience and to help causes that they
believe in. On selective months Blistex will issue a special limited edition design of our lip balm. A percentage of the proceeds will be
donated to the specified organization creating awareness for both Blistex and the non-profit organization. We have decided to partner
with the following organizations:
1. Movember- Creates awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men
2. Susan G. Komen- An organization dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer
3. Livestrong- Seeks to improve cancer experience
Each organization reaches a different audience, as most individuals have an emotional connection to the organization of their
choice. Through this philanthropic partnership, the Blistex identity will form an emotional connection to its consumers therefore
gaining a long lasting brand loyalty with this new audience. This partnership in turn gains awareness for the organization through
Blistex advertisements and as each consumers uses the customized product.
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VII. Budget
Category
Duration
Television/Cable
2 months
Cost
CW
$708,000.00
Fox
$1,004,000.00
Conan
$560,000.00
Total
$2,272,000.00
Internet
3 months
Hulu
$1,440,000.00
Youtube
$24,000.00
$1,464,000.00
Print
3 months
Cosmopolitan
$711,000.00
Glamour
$627,762.00
People
$735,225.00
GQ
$224,460.00
Complex
$78,030.00
$2,376,477.00
Outdoor/Out-of-Home
4 months
Bus stop
$6,000.00
Bus
$20,000.00
Billboards
3 months
$75,000.00
Revolving door
3 months
$7,500.00
Elevator
3 months
$9,000.00
$117,500.00
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Other IMC Tools
Baseball
2 months
$6,000.00
Coachella
2 days
$20,000.00
Stagecoach
2 days
$20,000.00
AVP Tour
24 days
$30,000.00
$76,000.00
Total Cost of 6 month Campaign: $6,305,977.00
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