Aesop
Event Marketing & Public Relations Strategies
January 2025 - April 2025
Event marketing and public relations strategies developed for Aesop to market the brand and the Immediate Moisture Facial Hydrosol.
Both strategies were presented in a pitch to the “client” (professor).
Event Marketing Campaign Strategy
Objectives
Motivate 15% of the target to attend the event.
Encourage 40% of the target to try the product.
Increase email subscriptions by 15,000 new subscribers.
After identifying Aesop’s target audience to be women 25-34, my team and I determined the brand’s key message: “Aesop is a premium skin care brand that offers a spa-like, rejuvenating experience at home.”
To deliver this message, we designed an event called:
Aesop: The Art of Wellness
Our strategy tapped into the insight that the target audience often feels burnout from the stress of a work-forward culture, but feels guilty for taking breaks. This event acted as permission to enjoy a moment of relaxation that they do deserve.
Aesop The Art of Wellness included a partnership with local spas across Canada to curate luxury self-care getaways where lifestyle and beauty influencers, as well as sweepstakes winners, would be treated to wellness experiences like facials, massages, saunas, and pools. Guests would interact meaningfully with the brand by sampling products and generating earned media from sharing this experience on social channels.
The event also partnered with publication, HELLO! Canada, whose readership aligned with the brand’s target audience to drive national promotion of the event, the brand, and the product; Cadillac Fairview, whose locations house Aesop retail locations; and Melanoma Canada, to add a health-centred value to skincare and self-care.
Actor, business-owner, and leader of the 58-step skin care routine, Shay Mitchell, would act as brand ambassador. She would promote the event through media appearances and social channels, and appear at the event for a keynote speech about self-care and wellness.
Key Performance Indicators
The event would drive awareness and conversion measured through online engagement on social media, website traffic, and online sales of the product.
Public Relations Campaign Strategy
Objectives
To generate publicity for the brand, the product, and the event, Aesop The Art of Wellness.
To motivate 15% of the target to apply & be approved for accreditation.
PR kits would be developed and sent out to beauty/lifestyle influencers in the target audience range with large online followings, like Alix Earle, as well as traditional media publications of the beauty/lifestyle niche with a readership aligned with the target audience, like Katherine Lalancette, beauty editor of Elle Canada.
The PR kit would include the following:
A letter addressed to the recepient.
Invitations that look like airplane boarding passes, inviting them to take a trip for self-care and wellness.
Fact sheets about Aesop and its sponsors (local spas, HELLO! Canada)
Samples of the Immediate Moisture Facial Hydrasol.
Spa/wellness related items: embroidered robes, scented candles, body oils, etc.
An accreditation form.
And for media publications: written news releases.
Key Performance Indicators
The success of this PR strategy would be measured through Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE) when promoting the brand, product, and event, and Unique Visitors and Conversion for the accreditation form. The goal is to have as many trusted media channels involved in creating buzz for the event.
