CREATIVE BRIEF- American Express
TAGLINE: Creator-Driven Luxury, Limitless Possibilities—All In One Swipe.
Target Audience
Primary:
High-end creators and influencers, predominantly Gen Z or ages 18-34, who seek a platform to monetize their creativity and build exclusive digital boutiques without ever leaving the digital space. This group not only includes current TikTok high-end creators and influencers but also those luxury creators who are looking for a dedicated platform to break into the traditionally closed luxury market. It encompasses independent designers, artisanal craftsmen, sustainable fashion entrepreneurs, and founders of niche luxury brands.
Secondary:
1. Affluent consumers and high-net-worth individuals ages 25-40 self-identify with luxury, exclusivity, and visionary digital brands. Owing to their value, they engage with those brands and their marketing through social media, i.e., TikTok.
2. Industry Observers like fashion media editors, impact investors, etc., engaging with the creator economy and luxury brand digital.
Media Placement
Out-of-Home (OOH):
Luxury Business District Digital Billboards (e.g., New York’s Fifth Avenue): Digital billboards will be positioned within high-end luxury shopping districts (New York’s Fifth Avenue) to capture the attention of affluent bystanders who understand and expect pioneering premium experiences and independent designers who want to use digital platforms to break down barriers in the traditional luxury marketplace. Digital allows us to feature pioneering assets, including short interactive video snippets or AR or other assets to communicate pioneering and a secure payment authority.
Strategic Placements (e.g., billboards and transit ads) in Major Urban Centers and Upscale Districts: In addition to high-profile billboards, our campaign will extend to transit locations like subway stations, bus stops, and airport terminals in major urban areas. This placement strategy ensures our ads reach common users, busy professionals, and high-net-worth travelers, increasing brand visibility among consumers who value luxury and innovation. The consumer impression is high and potentially multiple times, and exclusive touch points among a mass transit experience enhance messaging and cross-promote and cross-integrate messaging and impact among audience segments who share an affinity for luxury brands.
Online:
TikTok Native In-Feed Ads: These ads are crafted to blend seamlessly into TikTok’s fast-paced content feed, ensuring a natural, non-intrusive experience for users. By leveraging short, engaging videos that showcase our platform’s ease of use and exclusive digital boutique capabilities, we directly appeal to high-end creators and tech-savvy audiences. The use of TikTok’s algorithm ensures precise targeting, reaching those most likely to benefit from our innovative solution.
Instagram Stories Vertical Video Ads: Optimized for mobile viewing, these full-screen vertical video ads captivate audiences with immersive behind-the-scenes content from luxury creators. Each ad includes a “one-click boutique launch” call-to-action (CTA) that demonstrates how quickly and effortlessly creators can set up their digital boutiques on TikTok. This approach not only enhances engagement but also drives immediate action from viewers interested in merging creativity with commerce.
YouTube Pre-Roll Ads on Luxury Review Channels: Pre-roll ads on channels reviewing luxury products are designed specifically to grab a user’s attention who likely has an interest in high-end products and technology. These ads will be short and concise, deliver strong messaging about the unique benefits of our platform, and always provide the viewer a means to get more information or take action to sign up. Supporting the messaging with credible luxury reviewers will also establish brand credibility and trust with discerning consumers.
Print Media:
Magazine Inserts in High-End Publications: High-impact full-page or multi-page inserts will be designed and placed in premium lifestyle, fashion, and luxury magazines such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and ELLE. These magazines are known for their strong editorial content and visual quality, and draw a loyal following of readers who appreciate quality, style, and exclusivity. This effort would not only reinforce a premium image but also target premium customers who are likely to be an early-adopting audience of luxury innovation.
Ads in The Wall Street Journal Weekend Edition (Commercial Innovation Column): Ads placed in the commercial innovation column in the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal are intended to attract affluent readers who have a business mindset and are often following trendlines of digital transformation and luxury. Ads placed in this manner provide an opportunity to demonstrate our focus on innovation while positioning American Express as a leader in connecting traditional financial expertise to modern digital solutions, while also reinforcing the premium image of the brand.
Campaign Goal
Increase Awareness & Improve Image: Reinforce American Express as a cutting-edge, secure, and exclusive enabler for digital luxury commerce. Transform the brand perception from a traditional financial services provider to a financial enabler that empowers fair competition among luxury creators, positioning American Express as the “Democratizer of Luxury for Gen Z.”
Drive Engagement: Encourage high-end creators and sophisticated consumers to explore and adopt the new platform through its seamless integration with TikTok. Emphasize the transition of American Express towards empowering creators, attracting target users to use the innovative new platform.
Core Objectives & KPIs: Elevate the brand association of “American Express = Fair Competition for Creators” by 40%. Within three months, attract over 5,000 luxury creators to join the platform.
Why We Need This Ad
This ad is essential to communicate our groundbreaking innovation that marries American Express’s financial expertise with TikTok’s dynamic ecosystem. It spotlights a unique, secure, and transparent payment service tailored for the luxury market—an offering that no competitor currently matches.
Communicate Innovation: The ad conveys our innovative solution that brings advanced financial security together in the TikTok’s fun user experience that communicates we’re committed to innovating in the digital luxury commerce space.
Reposition the Brand: American Express has moved from being a traditional, elite financial institution to a modern enabler of creators. The campaign challenges the stereotype of an “elite club,” and instead repositions the brand as the champion of an inclusive and creative “fair luxury economy” that resonates with Gen Z.
Differentiate in a Competitive Landscape: Existing social commerce platforms, like Instagram Shopping, do not have the trusted infrastructure and premium experience for luxury transactions. The ad underscores our unique value proposition—security, exclusivity, and seamless user experience—which sets us apart in a competitive digital payment arena.
Market Gap & Brand Transformation Need: The ad addresses a clear market need: luxury brands and creators are seeking a dedicated, trustworthy platform that supports their high-end vision. By positioning American Express as the key enabler for this segment, we can attract new high-end creators and sophisticated consumers, further driving our transformation into a brand that champions fair competition and democratizes luxury for a new generation.
*This is a class assignment, not affiliated with the brand itself.