Tuesday 27 September 2016

Week 4: The Beauty with E-Commerce

With the prevalence of e-commerce, it has made it almost too easy to purchase virtually anything, anytime and anywhere. Yet, while many industries are thriving, the beauty sector - particularly for cosmetics products (i.e. lipsticks, blush, foundation) - has a harder time gaining traction in the e-commerce landscape.

One good reason for such could be that these products require that physical touch-and-feel and comparison to skin types/tones that one can get during their in-store visits. Something quite critical when it comes makeup shopping - something that e-commerce can't deny they can't provide (at least not yet). When colours on stock photos tend to be skewed to actual product as well as the risks of purchasing dupes (in which ingredients in such dupes can be quite harmful to the skin), how much reliable can cosmetics e-commerce be?

Of course, consumers can easily purchase from their preferred/desired brand site directly... but with overseas shipping costs on top of the actual price of the products, it can be pretty pricey! And if you come from/live in Singapore, you definitely know the pains of not having certain brands available at your nearest Sephora (ahem, Kylie Cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Bite Beauty... sigh), e-commerce can actually be a viable option!

As such, I will share my experience with shopping online for my beauty products!



My go-to favourite place to go has always been Luxola before it was acquired by French giant LVMH. When that happened, I was pretty much done with online shopping for my makeup. While carousell and Instagram/blog-shopping was a cheaper alternative, something that I can't put my finger around did not make me go "heck, why not, just one purchase!"... Until, I found Comamakeup. Now, this I have to admit: Ironically, I found this site through it's Instagram account. (I know, roll eyes, but whatever *inserts sassy emoji*)

Visiting the website was an experience in itself... It was like love at first sight (pun intended). 

As I found Comamakeup covering all the voids Luxola couldn't replace anymore, I started thinking what makes a B2C e-commerce work? And especially so for products that require much more than just stock images, a good collection and a good website interface. What is it about Comamakeup that makes me come back, wanting more? 

They bought my Loyalty
Upon reflecting on my purchases, I realised that both Luxola and Comamakeup got me hooked by throwing in extra freebies (that I could sometimes pick too!) with my purchases. The weird thing is, I don't even use much of these freebies. 

I got down and thinking. If reciprocity is a powerful psychological trigger, those free "gifts" aren't actually free. While there are no strings attached, it is implied. And I just sold my loyalty. 

(A lightbulb moment for me, for sure!) 

I bought Validation and Appreciation
Sounds kinda sad, but hey, at least I didn't get it from men? Lol. One step up I suppose. Can't deny that empowerment one gets from makeup anyways. 



But here's the thing, it's not the actual products that makes me feel happy, validated and appreciated. Comamakeup and Luxola does an E.X.C.E.L.L.E.N.T. job in making their customers not feel guilty for their purchases. How? Through handwritten thank you notes. I know, as simple as that may sound... but with technology surrounding everyday life, handwritten notes seem like lost art. Which give more of that *oomph* impact needed. I know I'm not the only customer that receives handwritten notes, but I am truly appreciative of the effort taken to write them. Thanks love! 

They gave me Trust
It's not always about the products sold, but through their content anyways. Exhibit A: 

A sucker for make-up and puns by the way. But look at that humour, damn, Comamakeup has personality packaged into their business model as well! #Impressed


With one of the biggest pains for online makeup shopping is having no idea what particular shade will look good on my skin tone, Comamakeup leveraged this by creating content that has a very authentic, approachable feel for their brand. The added Instagram post layout style is also a big plus point as it declutters, prompting consumers, like me, to want to tap into the information available. Delivering helpful content like this helps the brand grow, increasing loyalty, trust and a connection with their audience. 


It's extra work but if it's worth it, why not?

Tuesday 20 September 2016

Week 3: The PSA for Social Media Campaigns

As we live in a world where most would dubbed it as the information overload era, it can be pretty frustrating for marketers and content providers alike to see their long hardworking hours of brainstorming-cum-releasing-content receiving a disappointing amount of attention - or worst, the distasteful eye-rolling from their audience and becoming the sacrificial lamb for the Internet to mock.

So, what exactly catches our attention - what exactly is the science in making viral content on social media?

While there is no sure cookie-cutter way in ensuring every content one uploads on the Internet will get the desired views, there is this one essential thing that one needs to know before embarking onto the journey of virality - regardless whether the content is for marketing, promotional, educational, entertainment or infortainment purposes.

While I am by no means a professional in marketing content for a target audience, allow me to start of with my utmost favourite video of ALL TIME.



It has been years since I last watched this video and it still brought chills down my spine every time I watch it.  Call me a sucker for kids but every anti-smoking campaign before this could not compare, much less have an impact on me. So what makes this video so different?

One of the most important reasons why this video was so impactful to me was because the people behind the video, UNDERSTAND THEIR AUDIENCE. Bolded, underlined, highlighted - I can't stress this enough.

Here's a situation to ponder over:




You're walking over to the bus stop when you see a smoker lighting up a cigarette. As said smoker takes the first puff, you can't help but look over before walking over and sharing what's on your mind.

"You know, it's bad for you. Have you tried quitting?" you urged, all the while assuring yourself that your tone of voice is not in the least bit condescending.

Miraculously, the smoker stubs the cigarette in hand to the nearest trashcan and thanks you for your advice. Your bus arrives and you feel good having saved another life -- and oh, you're early for work! "It pays to be good," you think to yourself as you imagining Karma patting your back.

In all seriousness, try as you might - even at your hardest attempts - , you do sound condescending. 

Here's the thing, smokers know it's bad for them but they do it anyways. Why? Two things: Nicotine and self-denial. Nicotine is a powerful drug every smoker tries to deny, but it's that one thing that stops them from quitting. So telling them off, like quit something one has been doing for ages because it's bad, is just as condescending as telling a teenager not to eat ice cream before dinner because they'll ruin their appetite. 

I like to think that such PSAs such as anti-smoking campaigns are one of the hardest contents one can make to gain the attention from their targeted audience. It's human nature to defy - the more we're told we can't, the more we will. So, kudos to the creators of this video. The set themselves out to create one of the best anti-smoking campaigns of all time and they did - all just by understanding their audience. 



You see, knowing your audience and understanding them are two different things. What sets them apart is anticipating how your viewer will react to the content upon watching it. It's not just about the views, it's about the engagement after. Sure, having the option of sharing the video will help it "spread like wildfire", but that's only coming from the optimistic content creator. 

By understanding your target audience, the strategy will come as easily and more naturally. In this case, emotions are a very important trigger that compels their target audience (i.e. the smokers) to do exactly what they want them too.  

Emotion is what compels people to take action. By integrating and eliciting such emotions to their video, the message to quit smoking resonates more effectively than the simple redundant overplayed "it's bad for you" message.

Now, I'm not saying every campaign requires those touchy feelings to make it go viral but so often we see marketers thinking they are the dominators of the Internet without actually trying to understand their audience. That is where they set themselves up to fail.

So the PSA here? Before planning any content, hoping to strike lucky with the Internet Virality Gods, ask yourself: Do you know your audience?

I'll end off with another of my favourite videos by a lady who is more than just a youtuber, Anna Akana. (Google her, seriously she's amazing)


PS. With so many girls already being told how and what they should look like, focusing so much on physical appearances, this video is an excellent example of how Understanding Ur Audience can make your message stronger and reaching a wider audience. I remember her video blowing up weeks after she uploaded it and I was just so proud.  Packaging the message of body acceptance as well as values that should matter in society through a make-up tutorial is just  Uplifting,Unpredictable, Adaptable. Much like the anti-smoking campaign, I believe any social media campaign should be UUA!


Saturday 17 September 2016

Week 2: How To Get Away With Murder (Facebook Edition)

In today's digital age, there are numerous social media sites claiming the time and attention of individuals at every minute, each day. As the top dog, Facebook currently has nearly 1.6 billion active users on its site. 

The top dog position - Facebook (Photo credit: goo.gl/ag8p7L)

Emphasis on the word active as we need to understand - at least from a business and/or advertising perspective - what is the point of having the most amount of users, if they aren't on the site at least? *cough* Match.com *cough* but I digress...  

With so many competitors hovering in each direction, one needs to wonder how Mark Zuckerberg and his dedicated team was able to achieve such a feat? To answer such a question, I'd make a U-turn back to Friendster.  


"Can give me testy?" "Can I own your picture?" (Photo credit: goo.gl/980bZT)
Apologies for the cringe-worthy throwback but there is a comparison to be made with Facebook. As the OG for social media, Jonathan Abrams, the founder of Friendster, told it like it is: "(Facebook was a) copycat site of Friendster".    

Back in 2014, Mashable released an interesting article on Abram's side of the story and Friendster's misfortunate downhill spiral of epic forgotten doom... and while it is an empathetic interesting read, there are other factors that require taking note of. Especially so for Abram, when has Nuzzle to focus on now. 

Facebook's Guide to Getting Away with Murder:  


#1: Being popular is the opposite of being sociable
One of the basic tenets of social media, is being social. Duh. But while it seems obvious to say, one of the unfortunate reasons why Friendster died was because of their strong emphasis on media and not being social enough.  

Sure, Friendster was about connecting with friends but apart from increasing our friends count, liking comments, giving hearts and testimonials to our friend's profiles, what else was there? The features just did not reflect that, making Friendster a manifestation of redundancy, focusing on one's own profile appearance.  

For a social networking site to be successful, the focus needs to be on social. We maintain friendships not based on how our friends look, but how much we connect. And Facebook gave us just that with their Newsfeed. Without being truly connected, we're essentially staying "friends" for popularity sake. And what can we actually get with that? #StayWoke  

#2: Free that willy, ditch that rigid pitch
In the Mashable article above, Abram admitted how people thought that Friendster was built on the idea of getting dates. Whether that stands to be true, Friendster mimic that of a dating site by shutting down any profile suspicious of being fake.   

Kudos on your attempts to catch catfishes Abram, but it is this very act of "misbehaving" on the WWW that helped boost Facebook's continued success. (Sorry!) Any rigid philosophy of a website should be used or assumptions of how users will use the site is technically a shot in your own foot (pun intended).  

Where Friendster failed to see, Facebook took it as opportunity to improve on its own site. To put it simply, social media isn't about connecting with other people. It's about connecting in general, on a higher level with interests, current affairs and perhaps animals too. 


(Photo credit: goo.gl/qZMjj8)

As Facebook allows for pages, or even groups to be set up for pets, viral parodies, interests (my personal favourite is zodiacsigns by the way) and even for businesses, Mark Zuckerberg was able to set themselves apart from other social media platforms. And of course, another way for us users to waste even more time on our phones and/or electronic devices. Either way, it is a win-win for both Facebook and ourselves -- definitely not complaining at all! 

#3: Give them an inch, not a yard
While we live in a time where individuality and uniqueness matter, Friendster overall layout was pretty much a mess. Given too much freedom, users strive to achieve the "cool" status with their colourful customisable profiles. But man, how annoying was it to click on a page and find music playing.

On the other hand, Facebook allows individuality to a degree. Even though everyone is stuck with the blue-on-white background, we're able to showcase something more than how we like to be viewed; our personalities, interests and cute cat videos. Case in point, what matters is skin-deep.   

#4: Collaborate to be Competitive
I get it, creating a social media networking site is a business after all and not everything needs to be disclosed. But in order to remain competitive, it does not hurt to be collaborative either. Sounds counter-intuitive?   

Sure, but that is exactly what Facebook did. The main goal was to create an identity for itself, something more than just a social networking site. As Zuckerberg would put it, Facebook will be/is THE go-to social networking site. How? By collaborating among third-party apps and other social media sites.   

It is no longer uncommon to see sign-in options with Facebook on other social media platforms (a.k.a Instagram) and gaming apps (a.k.a. Bejeweled Blitz). Even more recently, even acquiring the messaging app, Whatsapp. By doing so, it does not allow itself to be forgotten. We are constantly reminded of Facebook's presence on the Internet, as a social networking site, a brand and an identity.   

But what's the biggest lesson to be learnt? To be adaptable, think fast and act quick or end up like Friendster. #WebMirroringRL

You tried, Friendster.com.  #AforEffort? (Photocredit: goo.gl/kLDSU0)

Tuesday 6 September 2016

Week 1: The Internet has always been my best friend.

"Have always been, will always be."

Ah, the Internet... What will I do without you?

With Tumblr around; you have been my confidant during my teenage years, with YouTube; my entertainment, with Facebook, Instagram, Flickr; my photo album collections and with Google; my go-to dictionary, translator, technical-problem-fixer, thing-I-ask-questions-to-daily.


Truth be told, I depend on you more than I depend on people.

But in all seriousness, the Internet has been a part of more than three-quarters of my life - and like many millennials alike - seen the good, bad, happy, sad (just see my Instagram posts, or lack thereof LOL) and questionable moments. So, despite COM 125 being a prerequisite module, one has to wonder, what else is there for me to learn that I do not already know, being as I have spent most of my time alive on the World Wide Web?

The first class started with a few statistics on the evolution of the Internet and how the number of users and platforms are ever-growing - nothing too mundane or surprising, if I have to be honest. Surely, as technology becomes more advanced, the Internet has made communication, commerce and information so much more accessible, convenient and we have become so much more connected around the world. 

It is fascinating... yet scary though; how a piece of technology holds the power, or rather, lends us the power, that we as the human race have at our fingertips. 

What struck the chord with me most was the Dark Web (i.e. websites that hides IP addresses of servers that run them using an encryption tool) compromising of 80% on the web. While I have yet to explore the collection of websites, I'm pretty excited to have a go. Without oversimplifying such a wonderful innovation (a.k.a the Internet), it just goes to show that this piece of technology is ever-changing, improving and making their users believe that one day, the impossible can be achieved (or maybe, it already has on the Dark Web?).


I, like many other individuals, depend on the Internet for a countless of things - from the most minuscule things such as bus arrival timings to research and/or additional study materials. As something that is embedded into every aspect of our lives today, I guess it doesn't hurt to be open and learn more about the World Wide Web - even if it means rehashing daunting memories of CSE 111.

As I cringed over the moments spent in CSE 111, another term; TCP/IP rang a bell. As one of most two prominent protocols used, the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (what it stands for) works similarly to the mailing/postal system.

Unlike a television broadcast, any data exchanged via a network (or a series of networks) requires it to be routed (or, addressed using IP addresses) to the receiving destination by the sender (or, source host) - much like how a parcel is being delivered - by using multiple of layers such as link layers, Internet layer, transport layer and application layer. [See video below for more information (though they use a different analogy to describe said layers].



While the explanation of how the Internet works may seem monotonous to some, I find myself pondering on how something so technological reflects mirrors aspects of our reality. How?

One of the purpose of TCP/IP is to have a secure network.

Think of it as finding out your best friend's crush likes your best friend. You wouldn't be shouting such information across the hallways in school to your best friend the next time you see him/her, would you? (Maybe, if you're that savage enough lol). In order to ensure that the information will be related to your best friend while playing it cool, TCP/IP ensures that information is kept away from others except to the recipient as intended using IP addresses.

What distinguishes a postal system and TCP/IP however, is how the information being sent over is broken down further into data packets. Such method is done in order to prevent a congested traffic over a network. How fast information being exchanged via the network is determined by the information size and the speed of line - not the order in which information is being sent. As such, this prevents any small information sent after larger information from having to wait until larger information has been sent -- as well as prevent anyone (who is not intended to receive the information) from understanding what is trying to be relayed unless they received the full information being exchanged. Like a puzzle!



If you're much more confused than you first started reading, here's what you need to know:
  • The Internet is my best friend
  • Dark Web: only noob Internet users explores 20% of what is on the web and think that's all is on the Internet
  • The Internet runs on a set of rules a.k.a protocols with TCP/IP being the most prominent of rules of them all 
    • TCP/IP ensures your information will only be delivered to the recipient you intended 
    • TCP/IP works much like a postal service that uses a puzzle-like process of delivery by breaking the information into smaller packets 
      • Process of delivery is to:
        • Prevent a congested traffic over the network 
        • Ensure information being sent is secure 
Alright, till next time!