MAKEUP MASTERCLASS

Advertising Campaign
MAC Cosmetics
The Mall at Cribbs Causeway,
Bristol, BS34 5QU

Alexandra Niven | Retail Supervisor | MAC John Lewis Bristol

OVERVIEW
There has been a recent increase in appointment bookings as well as loss of potential profits
due to lack of available appointments. The previous diary structure which allowed us to
accommodate upwards of 15-20 bookings a day has decreased to a maximum of 9 bookings
per day due to loss of staff and maternity leave. Our main competitor recently held a Student
Masterclass which brought in a significant amount of revenue, so the aim for this event is to
surpass profits from our previous masterclasses. The masterclass purpose is to increase
average spend of customers and this report proposes the plan to hold the private masterclass
and shopping event. This will allow for maximum sales with minimal staffing whilst maintaining
low costs. This event would appeal to customers who were unable to book in for an appointment
yet still wanted to learn how to apply makeup themselves. We will utilize our Social Media
outlets to advertise this event and reach out to local schools and businesses with information
flyers.

GOALS
To organize and hold an event which would maximise sales and Items Per Transaction (IPT)
during a slow business period. This event should bring in a minimum 700 profit with the
potential to increase to over 1,000 if guests are to purchase more than 1 item.

SPECIFICATIONS
John Lewis Health & Safety requirements are for the
event to be held between the hours of 8-9pm after the
stores closing. All food and beverages are to be
inspected and purchased from a trusted vendor (John
Lewis Place to Eat). The total event budget is 1 per
guest and must cover the cost of all food and
beverages. The counter will be closed off with
stanchions to avoid customers entering the rest of the department store. The location of fire
exits and toilets must be shown to the guests prior to the start of the event.

Each guest will purchase a nonrefundable ticket of 20 per person which is redeemable on
products purchased at the time of the event. Entry to the event will require a copy of their ticket
(presented either physically or electronically) and a guest list is to be signed upon arrival.
Tickets will be emailed to guests after purchasing and a welcome email will be sent to all guests
informing them of the location, time, and thanking them for purchasing a ticket.

Alexandra Niven | Retail Supervisor | MAC John Lewis Bristol

PROPOSAL
Our last event in March, the Mother & Daughter Masterclass,
was held during normal store opening times which had a
negative impact on sales as staff couldnt deal with the
increased demand of serving guests from the event as well as
normal customers. The staff working the event applied makeup
on customers whilst explaining the benefits of products to the
group, which lead to the event running over the allocated
times. The proposed masterclass will be a completely visual
experience in which makeup is applied to volunteer models
(who are not guests of the event) to ensure customers spend
more time shopping. Due to budget cuts and an overtime ban,
the staffing hours needed will be owed in lieu to avoid
overspending.

Two makeup demonstrations will simultaneously take place

from 8:00-8:30pm and the guests will have time to shop from
8:30-9:00pm. This structure will give the guests the opportunity to ask questions during the
demos and allow time to purchase the products demonstrated afterwards. A Product Wish List
will be provided upon arrival so that the guests are able to easily select which items they would
like to purchase, so they are able to take the list to the till and staff can easily grab the
products .An overstock of products used in the demonstrations will be kept behind the till point
for easy access. Upon purchasing items at the till point, all guests will receive a pre-made gift
box filled with make up samples and a complimentary 30 minute appointment.

The makeup appointment voucher is valid from June 9-August 31. This is to increase footfall
and potential sales during a slow business period. Guests who book in for this complimentary
service are not obliged to purchase, however we have found previously when customers are
given a complimentary 30 minute service they spend 26.55 on average. This spend will be a
further profit gained from the masterclass.

TARGET AUDIENCE
This event is targeted towards female consumers
from the ages of 18-35 who are interested in
makeup and learning self application techniques.
These demographics were chosen following an
analysis of our social media accounts, which show
our followers typically fall within these age
boundaries. Due to the success of our previous
Mother & Daughter Masterclass we have learned
that our customers vary in age, but often come in

Alexandra Niven | Retail Supervisor | MAC John Lewis Bristol

groups with family members and friends. (customers attending a masterclass spent on average
54.22 vs 34.10 which is the amount of a normal customer shopping alone).

OUTREACH
Instagram and Facebook are our business most
successful platforms and are an effective and
extremely low cost method of advertising.
Previously we have trialled advertising in local
newspapers and via emails sent out to customers,
however social media advertising produces the
best results and gains more interaction. Our
Instagram page has over 1,400 followers who are
largely local customers who shop with us. The
followers insight option on Instagram gives us an idea of the age range and location of
followers, as well as what time they are most active on the apps and are most likely to see the
post. Knowing the demographics of our followers allows us to tailor adverts to their specific
interests and make a bigger impact. All social media posts related to this event will be posted at
prime viewing time, from 8-9pm on weekday evenings to allow for maximum viewings.
The print materials used follow the social media
guidelines set by MAC and are in Trade Gothic
(the official MAC Cosmetics font). Simplified
imagery and a bold typeface were used for , and
the overall style of the image reflects MACs
brand image. The black background with white
writing mirrors the simplicity and clean cut
packaging of MAC products. The photographs
included in the print work are taken from our
social media pages, and were images that had
the highest amount of likes on Instagram.

This poster will also be sent to the head of

marketing for The Mall and posted on all of their
official social media platforms as well as their
website. The Mall Facebook page has over 20,000 likes and their Instagram page has over
1,800 followers. Combined with our own following of over 1,400 we expect to see a large
amount of interest in the event.

As well as Social Media advertising, we will be sending this out to local schools and business to
increase potential bookings.

Alexandra Niven | Retail Supervisor | MAC John Lewis Bristol

PLAN OF ACTION

Stage 1 - Outreach
Create posters and social media content

Business Plan and budget to be approved by Area Manager

Posters and information about the event to be sent to local schools, businesses, and
to other departments within John Lewis

Weekly Instagram and Facebook posts leading up to the date of the event

Staff to post about event on their personal social pages

Stage 2 - Preparation
Create gift boxes and thank you cards

Email tickets and information packs to guests

Order food and beverages

Stage 3 - Follow Up
Send thank you email to guests including feedback form

Create bookings from complimentary makeup vouchers

Feedback to be analyzed for future events

ANALYSIS
There was large amount of interest in the event and initially we allowed for up to 15 guests, but
due to the success of the social media posts and influx of bookings we increased the limit to 35
guests. All places were successfully booked and we had a further 14 inquiries; these customers
details were taken to be contacted for future masterclasses. The 35 guest limit was introduced
based on the 5 staff members which were working the event.

The outcome of the event was a success and profits exceeded initial expectations. The revenue
created from the masterclass totalled 1,457 and could have been higher if more time was
allowed for customers to shop. We saw a 77% increase in average spend (70.60) which again
exceeded our expectations. Items per transaction increased as well, with a 27% increase from
our previous Mother & Daughter Masterclass.

On reflection, more time was needed for guests to shop as they were rushed towards the end
and needed advice on what products to purchase. More staff would also be needed for the next

Alexandra Niven | Retail Supervisor | MAC John Lewis Bristol

event as the customer to staff
ratio was too high.

Results from social media

advertising show that there was
over 1,065 people who viewed
our Instagram post and 743 who
interacted with the post.
Facebook advertising resulted in
a reach of 1,865 people with 20
people interacting with the post.
Facebook advertising on the
official Mall Facebook page
reached 12,475 people with 251
people interacting with the post. When booking in customers for the masterclass we asked them
how they heard about the event, and the results show that Facebook is our most successful
form of advertising. This is a result of the easy to use Share option on Facebook, which allows
more people to be reached with the advert. For future events, utilizing online advertising is a
cost efficient and effective way to promote masterclasses and shows much better results than
advertising within John Lewis alone.

Total Revenue: 1,457.20

Alexandra Niven | Retail Supervisor | MAC John Lewis Bristol