OPIvsEssie-Grace Hulett2015

OPI VS ESSIE

A Digital Comparison of two globally recognized nail polish companies

Who has the most “polished” platforms?

By: Grace Hulett

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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1. Executive Summary------------------------------------------3

2. Company Backgrounds-------------------------------------4

3. Overall Social Presence ------------------------------------5

4. Comparative Evaluation of Content Marketing

Evolution

A. Stage 1: Website-------------------------------------6-7

B. Stage 2: Blog------------------------------------------8

C. Stage 3: Email Marketing-----------------------9

D. Stage 4: Social Media-----------------------------10

a. Facebook------------------------------------11-13

b. Instagram-----------------------------------14-16

c. Twitter----------------------------------------17-19

d. Pinterest-------------------------------------20-22

e. YouTube -------------------------------------23-25

5. Overall Winner--------------------------------------------------26

6. Recommendations---------------------------------------------27

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Originally only sold in salons, Essie and OPI are

now staple brands for any young girl, busy

student or even the on the go mom to have in

her nail polish collection. The two brands were

created the exact same year and have been

competing in every realm for sales and loyal

customers ever since.

How can one brand pull ahead and differentiate

themselves? The answer is through their digital

platforms, especially via social media. Between

OPI and Essie, the brand who engages most

with their customer, while being able to reach

them on their phones or social media will have

a key advantage going forward.

This project will take a deep dive into the 4

stages of content marketing evolution and the

digital platforms of the two brands to determine

which brand has the more polished digital

presence.

COMPANY OVERVIEWS

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OPI is a family-owned company and division of Coty founded in 1981 by President & CEO George Schaeffer. OPI is the “world leader in professional nail care” globally known for their Nail Lacquers that come in over 200 shades. OPI can be found in over 100 countries and the company offers a full line of professional items ranging from their lacquers to any and all manicure product needs.

OPI is committed to providing high-quality products and services and focuses on industry and employee safety, innovation, and customer service. The company also values social responsibility and demonstrates this through the funds generated and donated through the Schaeffer Family Foundation. This foundation has donated millions to charities, focusing on health related causes and providing education for children.

OPI has always been known to break through industry barriers, specifically as the first in the nail industry to limit the sales of product exclusively through beauty professionals. Additionally, OPI is committed to fighting and preventing the diversion of Professional Beauty products. The company works to educate consumers about their products as well as the importance of buying and using safe, high quality beauty products.

Essie Weingarten is the president and founder of Essie Cosmetics, Ltd, a L’Oreal brand. Essie started her iconic company in 1981 when she released 12 unconventional but show-stopping nail polish colors in Las Vegas, Nevada. The colors and polish soon became wildly popular even to the Queen of England.

Essie now sells over 300 different colors as well as textured collections, nail treatments and nail care products. The company is expanding its collections every season and has partnered with several large companies including J.Crew, Target, and even at New York Fashion week to create new and unique colors and polishes. Essie prides itself on being “Americas nail salon expert since 1981”.

OPI Essie

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Social Media OPI ESSIE

Facebook 1,687,914 likes 1,313,978 likes

Twitter 201K followers 163K followers

Instagram 309,315 followers 711,057 followers

Pinterest 46,896 followers 31,925 followers

YouTube 24,700 subscribers 2,300 subscribers

Google + 192,576 followers 78 followers

Mobile App Yes No

OVERALL SOCIAL PRESENCE Social Mention is used to aggregate and compare

the real-time social media usage across all

platforms for any brand. The results from the two

brands are very similar here, but differ most in

sentiment. OPI appears to be talked about

positively more frequently with the higher

sentiment ratio of 26:1. However, Essie has the

higher reach and more unique authors posting

about the brand. It is hard to tell just from this

data which brand is performing better digitally.

The chart below shows the overall social media

presence statistics for each brand. OPI leads in

almost every category, but lets take a dive into

each platform to understand who is actually

executing and engaging the most efficiently.

STAGE 1: WEBSITE

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The OPI site has a few glitches that are immediately

apparent. Many of tabs and links are faulty or redirect

the viewer to a screen that says: More to come from OPI.

The website’s dark color scheme definitely gives off the

elusive, high-fashion vibe but also feels uninviting and

almost intimidating. The homepage is a scrolling banner

along with the collections and tabs. The tabs are

descriptive but again, some are faulty. There is the

option to click and learn more about each color within a

collection which provides very helpful details for the

consumer trying to make a decision. The About OPI tab

is the most complete and full of content and information.

As well as the contact us page does have a form that the

user can fill out to voice her concerns. Overall the

website could be more aesthetically inviting, but has a

high fashion vibe. The content is detailed and helpful

and there are links to the other platforms as well.

OPI Website grade: A-

STAGE 1: WEBSITE

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Essie has a very clean and aesthetically

pleasing website. The tabs on the left

are very accessible and descriptive. The

site has a GPS retail locating feature to

aid the viewer in finding a local store.

Additionally the site has several search

and filtering options to optimize the

maneuverability of the websites. There

is a tab that shows all the latest trends,

Essie awards and mentions. This page

is set up very modern and trendy.

Unfortunately their about us page is

very vague and it is hard to understand

the company background from the

information provided. All the links on

the site work well and the viewer is

always reminded and has access to click

on any of the social media sites links to

be directed to these. Overall this

website is detailed, visually appealing,

easy to use, and functions properly.

Essie Website grade: A

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STAGE 2: BLOGS

The OPI tumblr is sleek and sophisticated. The

target audience can find all the information she

is looking for about the OPI products, but this

tumblr does not include much about the company

itself. The tumblr features trend reports and

many posts about new York fashion week.

OPI tumblr grade: A-

Essie has published an easy to maneuver and

access tumblr blog for their audiences. This blog

features almost all of the same content that can

be found across their other platforms as well.

Essie includes descriptions of all products

pictured as well as links and information about

the other platforms and where to buy the Essie

products featured. The search bar is extremely

helpful as well. Essie Tumblr grade: A

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STAGE 3: EMAIL MARKETING

Both brands have shown up in my inbox as

“sponsored emails” (see above). Upon clicking on

the subject line, both sponsored emails directed

me straight the brand’s respective homepages

Additionally, OPI and Essie have an option to

subscribe for their email newsletters on their

websites. The sign up screen is in an easy and

accessible location on both homepages and

registering is hassle free.

After signing up for both, I have only received

one email. The welcome email from Essie was

colorful, vivid, compatible with my mobile device

and had links to their website (to learn more

about the products) and links to all of their

social platforms.

Essie welcome email:

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STAGE 4: SOCIAL MEDIA

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Video of ALS

Icebucket Challenge

1.7 million likes ●41K people talking about it ● Post Frequency: once daily OPI posts consistently and intentionally from their verified Facebook account. Some of their most effective

posts promote their philanthropic efforts and publish content that connects with other causes or brands. The page

features many posts showing OPI products at New York Fashion Week. OPI has posted about sweepstakes and

contests in an effort to engage the audience. Lastly, OPI does keep their posts timely and relevant to stay up to date

and trending

On the other hand, OPI’s content lacks variety and seems repetitive at times. The audience may have trouble

staying engaged and interested when the brand continues to post similar pictures and captions. OPI does not take the

time or make the effort to respond back or comment on any followers posts. The posts are lacking links to the actual

website or any specific product purchase information. Finally, the Facebook page does not have very detailed contact

information and could have a form to fill out or at least provide an email address to contact.

OPI Facebook Grade: B+

Collection Fashion Week Typical post

FACEBOOK

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1.3 million likes ●19.7K people talking about it ● Post Frequency: once daily Essie utilizes their verified Facebook account to reach and engage with their customers. The page posts a variety

on content including very visually appealing pictures and videos. Every single post has a link back to the brand website

which is key in converting a consumer to buy the product or even just providing her with more information, right when

she wants to know. The most impressive and effective tactic Essie is using is how they are commenting back to every

single followers post, good or bad. The brand takes the time to acknowledge any concerns of their fans but also to thank

and celebrate their users which increases brand loyalty and engagement. Many of Essie’s posts ask questions to the

audience and effectively start a conversation. The contact info is clear and includes a website link, hours to call and a

phone number. Lastly, Essie posts related content that adds value to their audience. For example, the brand posts

many how-to videos or beauty trends and tip with links to OPI products that can be used to create these looks.

On the other hand, Essie sometimes goes up to 3 days without posting and could be more consistent. In addition

the brand does not have any philanthropic connections that they are posting about or connecting with on their Facebook

page to give back to the community.

Essie Facebook Grade: A+

Customer Interaction

How-to Vid with link to Essie site

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Essie received an A+ for their Facebook platform. The brand spends the time to engage with every single follower who comments, likes, or asks a question to the brand. Essie posts content encouraging engagement and starting conversation. Every post has a link that takes the viewer straight back to the Essie website where she can learn more about the brand, trend, products, and most importantly purchase the products.

FACEBOOK WINNER

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Videos to

announce

new products

Followers: 310,336 ●Posts: 978 ● Updates: Daily ● Following: 245 ● Average Likes: 3-10K

OPI uses their Instagram primarily to post pictures of their polishes and collections.

With over 300,000 followers the brand keeps the audience engaged with their variety

of content posted. Some days OPI posts videos about new products or a post

referencing a current event or trending topic (death of Robin Williams, Breast Cancer

Month, etc). Additionally, OPI engages their audience with posted giveaways and

contests on Instagram with instructions to regram and use certain hashtags. All posts

are clear, relevant, and correctly use hashtags and tag users. OPI will occasionally

repost their consumers posts if the user is adding the trending OPI hashtags.

OPI Instagram grade: A-

Breast

Cancer

Awareness

Seasonal

appropriate

content

Celeb Sponsorships

and featured polishes

(Gwen Stefani)

INSTAGRAM: OPI

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How- to video

with link to

website

Followers: 712,376 ●Posts: 697 ● Updates: Daily ● Following: 529● Average Likes: 20K

Essie publishes similar content and picture as their Facebook but always includes

relevant hashtags and clearly states the polish names with every post. The Brand

participates in the #manimonday trend which increases the circulation and impressions

of their posts to their audience. Essie also tags well known bloggers and fashion

Instagrams to reach some of their users and connect with their target audience. The

brand does a good job of posting content with links to the brand website or calling the

readers to action which increases engagement. Many of their posts are focused on red

carpet looks or designers who feature Essie polish. The account has yet to post videos

which could be exciting for the viewers to see versus pictures every day from Essie.

Essie Instagram grade: A

Engaging Post

asking for

comments

Seasonal and

Relevant

Content

Essie

featured on

the runway

INSTAGRAM: ESSIE

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Continuing with the

theme, Essie stays

consistent with their

consumer focus on their

Instagram platform as

well. The brand posts

pictures here that are

eye-catching, trendy,

and continue to

encourage conversation.

Essie maintains their

712,376 users by posting

a variety of visually

appealing posts and

engaging these

followers. Essie is still

growing followers

everyday due to their

consumer focus.

INSTAGRAM WINNER

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Followers: 201K ●Tweets: 3779 ●

Frequency: one post every 2-3 days ●

Following: 593

Unlike the Essie Twitter account, the OPI

account is not authorized which causes

confusion for the audience. OPI tries to make up

for this by posting creative and purposeful

content. The photos are relevant and usually

connecting a current event or seasonal trend

with an OPI nail lacquer. However, OPI needs

to be posted more frequently than just every 2-3

days. OPI tweets at a lot of salons and bloggers

or designers to continue getting their name out

there and remain associated with the high end

side of the beauty industry. OPI does not have

any retweets or replies to their audience of over

201 thousand followers. This is a huge area of

improvement OPI should address if they want

to continue competing in the digital realm.

OPI Twitter grade: C

Tagging users/ responding Contest with Details

Award winning Timely/Trending Topics Pic/Vid links to Tumblr

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Retweeting followers

Retweeting Notable Accounts Responding to every follower

Engaging tweets

Followers: 164K ●Tweets: 6,097

● Frequency: up to 5 tweets per

day ● Following: 999

The Essie Twitter account continues

with the theme of satisfying customers

and engaging them. The account

tweets up to 5 times per day with at

least 3 or 4 of those being retweets

from their fans and followers. Essie

takes the time to tweet back, retweet,

and ask questions to their followers to

always keep the audience engaged and

feeling connected to the brand. BY

retweeting notable accounts as well as

everyday users they are creating

brand advocacy and credibility. Essie

also tweets links to their tumblr and

other digital platforms as well which

shows their consistency.

Essie Twitter Grade: A

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Even though OPI has more followers on Twitter, Essie

continues to go above and beyond to connect with their

loyal followers and encourage engagement. This quality

over quantity approach is helping Essie to build brand

loyalty. Essie utilizes their Twitter well to keep followers

excited about sharing their positive experiences while

also learning about new or different products.

TWITTER WINNER

PINTEREST: OPI

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Followers: 46,896 ● Boards: 59 ● Pins: 1,419 ● Pins per board avg: 20 pins OPI offers their Pinterest followers a little bit of everything, which is exactly what pinners are

looking for. With 59 boards there is a board for everything and every way and every color to

wear OPI. Some boards include: Coca Cola collection, Nordic and Brazil collections, Suzi’s (a

founder) color inspirations, seasonal boards, holiday gift ideas, wedding nails and celeb or

fashion week trends boards. With this many boards, OPI increases their chances to have

something their consumer is looking for and increase the repins and exposure of the brand.

However, one major flaw is that OPI continues to leave off important links and hashtags that

bring audience to the website or other social platforms. Lastly, some of the boards such as the

color inspirational boards have too much content that is unrelated to the OPI brand and

products that these can be distracting and comes off as a lack of focus. OPI Pinterest grade: B+

PINTEREST: ESSIE

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Followers: 32,045 ● Boards: 15 ● Pins: 1,326 ● Pins per board avg: 75-100 pins Essie has 15 boards on their Pinterest page but each board is way more detailed

with about 75-100 posts per board. The boards are clearly titled to help the followers

understand and cover topics such as: Glitter board, Tips and Tricks, What’s Hot,

Summer, Backstage, etc. Similarly to OPI, many of the posts do not contain links

back to website for the viewer to easily purchase the product. I think that is

extremely important especially on a platform like Pinterest where followers are

often times browsing with the clear intention of purchasing a product. The Essie

Pinterest platform is not bad, but has some room to grow and improve to become a

more consistent and effective platform to advance the Essie brand name. Essie Pinterest grade: B

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OPI’s Pinterest page seems to be more mature and

intentionally set up. The different boards draw in all

types of followers and encourage more re-pins. The

OPI Pinterest page has sleek content and has many

boards that directly reflect the high fashion persona

the brand wants to convey with their audience.

PINTEREST WINNER

YOUTUBE: OPI

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24,748 subscribers ● 150 videos

Similar to their other platforms,

OPI uses their YouTube channel

to promote and display the high-

fashion success of their polishes.

Many of the videos are backstage

or runway clips from New York

Fashion Week or interviews with

top designers who use OPI on

their models. Additionally, the

OPI channel features many how-

to videos for edgy and wild nail

art manicures. There is even a

funny clip from the today show

about how OPI names their

polishes. Lastly, all the videos

are short and to the point,

averaging 1 minute per clip.

OPI YouTube grade: A

YOUTUBE: ESSIE

2,356 subscribers ● 30 videos

The Essie YouTube channel is again focused on adding value to and sharing benefits with their audience.

The site has videos with how-to instructions and tutorials for nail art and manicures. Additionally, there

are videos introducing new collections or colors. There are also some backstage videos and interviews

during fashion shows where Essie is being used. Along with every single video is a very detailed

description for the audience as well as a link to the website. One word I would use to describe the Essie

YouTube channel is: personal. The brand has taken a generalized platform such as YouTube and created

videos that feature real people, real applicable tips, and more that all give the site a personal feel. This

just expands on the customer experience Essie continues to enhance via social platforms. However, Essie

could use some more videos and content to keep up with OPI.

Essie YouTube grade: A-

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OPI presents itself on YouTube as a more mature and

high end brand. With thousands more followers and

over a hundred more videos, there is no doubt that OPI

has a more established presence on this platform.

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YOUTUBE WINNER

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OPI Essie

Overall Social Presence Stats

Website

Blogs

E-mail marketing

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Pinterest

YouTube

Essie wins with 6 more “polished” platforms

WHO HAS THE MORE “POLISHED” PLATFORMS?

RECOMMENDATIONS

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Platforms: OPI Essie

Website Need to correct links and make site more

interactive and user friendly

E-mail marketing Send out a welcome e-mail when users sign up,

make sure to keep users engaged once

registered

Facebook Comment and respond to followers, more

variety in content, ask questions to start

conversation

Instagram Add videos to

the Instagram

Twitter RETWEET, respond to followers

Start conversations

Pinterest Develop more

boards and more

content

YouTube Publish more

content

Overall recommendations: 1. More Customer Interaction: whether its on the website, blog, or Instagram,

etc; if a brand wants to build a strong audience base the brand needs to be

outwardly engaging and responding to their followers

2. Keep content and themes consistent across platforms

3. More seasonal and timely posts to increase relevance

4. Remember to use social media as a means to bring consumer BACK to your

brand’s website via links, hashtags, and instructions