"For the second year, five of our year 3 students have been offered the amazing opportunity to present their final year projects to the team at The Communication Store. We were exceptionally proud of all our finalists who managed to produce creative and innovative campaigns even under the restraints of lockdown, from websites to magazines to products to printed books. They received in depth feedback from industry professionals who were hugely impressed with their work and professionalism." Sophia Plessas, Course Leader BA (Hons) Fashion PR and Communications
LCF Class of 2020 BA (Hons) Public Relations and Communications students were up with the chance of securing mentoring from The Communications Store as part of a 2 year opportunity with the LCF course. Finalists were Paolo Trevisanello, Aleksandra Rakowska, Sigita Bendikaite and Julia Ziolkowska with Poppy Livermore securing top spot with her idea that looked through the eyes of the consumer and her strategy positioned the brand as a though leader & authority in the industry. We caught up with Poppy to hear all about her winning project idea and what she hopes to do next.
Tell us about the project – what were you required to do?
My final major project consisted of choosing a brand to conduct research into, and later produce a 12-month PR campaign for, made up of a number of measurable tactics. My chosen brand for the project was Pattern Beauty, a new curly and afro haircare brand founded by actress Tracee Ellis Ross (daughter of music icon Diana Ross). The first portion of my project focused on research into the brand where I explored the its products, retail environment, social media platforms, press coverage, in addition to looking into the identity of its core consumer. I also looked into competing haircare brands as well as trends in and around the curly and afro haircare market and the wider beauty industry.
From this research I was able to identify a number of issues and opportunities that I would go on to respond to in my 12-month campaign document. My 12-month campaign consisted of six tactics created to help to increase awareness of the Pattern Beauty brand among UK millennials with curly and afro hair types. These tactics included identifying a national stockist and tailoring an entire social media campaign around influencers and creatives visible in the UK. In final, as a part of the Realising Your Tactics unit, I produced a fully-working prototype of a website focused on delivering the consumer a personalised shopping experience made possible by integrating artificial intelligence (AI).
What did you present?
The presentation I delivered to The Communications Store team comprised of a condensed version of all of the work I had produced for my final major project. I provided The Communications Store team an overview of my research before taking them through each of the six tactics I had planned as a part of the 12-month PR campaign for Pattern Beauty. I spent a large portion of my presenting time taking the team through the website I had created as a response to the Realising Your Tactics unit. I exhibited the research I had conducted into competitor beauty websites and the ability to teach myself a new Adobe programme to produce the website. I took the team through the website creation process showing them how I designed the different pages and features as well as writing the copy.
What did you find the most interesting/challenging parts?
I thoroughly enjoyed conducting research into the Pattern Beauty brand and being able to produce an on-brand campaign to launch the brand into the UK market. I most enjoyed the research into the trends happening in the beauty industry and more specifically the curly and afro haircare sector as I looked into what other brand were doing currently serving as inspiration for the tactics in my 12-month brand campaign. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the project was with the brand being brand new, (launching 2 weeks before I embarked on my project!), there was very little public information available on the brand including its finances and its business operations. I was able to work around this by contacting press and influencers who had direct contact with the brand to uncover some of this information.
How was it working with The Comms Store?
Being given the opportunity to work with The Comms Store team was such an honour as it allowed me to present my work to a well-regarded agency immersed in the industry. The team watched my presentation and offered valuable in-depth feedback to each of my tactics. They especially loved my website stating it as “ incredibly impressive. Really on-brand and well put together”. I would love the opportunity to work with the agency in the future!
How have you found this process from home? Did you have to adapt to new ways of working?
Like everyone the current COVID-19 pandemic had a huge impact on the outcome of my final major project. As a part of the Realising Your Tactics Unit, I created my own UK-based website for Pattern Beauty. I had intended to take my own photos of models I would source via a casting call. However, I quickly had to adapt my outcome due to the COVID-19 restrictions, instead opting to use secondary imagery of women with curly hair found through social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest as well as Unsplash.
What are your hopes for life after LCF?
Since finishing at LCF, I have actively been searching for job opportunities that fit my interests and skill set. Completing my final major project has revealed my passions for both research and writing and therefore I have been looking for jobs that will allow me to do so.
"It has been brilliant to collaborate with London College of Fashion for a second year and have the privilege of reviewing five of the short-listed candidate’s Final Major Projects. The strategic thinking, creativity and insight that was bought to each project was truly impressive. The students all demonstrated their determination, passion and resilience, given the many challenges faced due to the impact of Covid-19. Championing, nurturing and showcasing emerging talent is incredibly important to The Communications Store and it was exciting to meet the future communications specialists." - The Communications Store
"Congratulations to the winner, Poppy Livermore who created a campaign for an emerging US based curly/coil/afro hair product, making it relevant for the UK market, tapping into key influencers and media titles, creating a social media strategy and retail strategy, and producing a contemporary website that enhanced the brand's message." - Sophia Plessas, Course Leader BA (Hons) Fashion PR and Communications
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