Rihanna's Super Bowl Halftime show 🔍 Evolving Strategies

EVOLVING STRATEGIES

This week’s opportunity to evolve your strategy

Rihanna's Super Bowl halftime show

Quick read:

• Rihanna used her performance to drive an increase of $5M in media impact value for her Fenty Beauty brand, and $14.7M in media impact value for herself as a brand with her pregnancy announcement.

• Her outfit choice with red, and dancers wearing white was a strategic move to keep the attention on her throughout the performance, along with choreographing the use of her product during the show.

• Rihanna took a risk, did something unique and created a viral moment by thinking about her audience.

The digital sales strategy of Rihanna x Fenty Beauty:

If you haven't heard about Rihanna's pregnancy announcement and her Fenty Beauty product, where have you been? Secondary to this was her performance. The fact that she used her performance time to announce her pregnancy and use her product during her show, made her go viral. It was a given that her performance would be talked about, she was after all doing the Super Bowl Halftime show but these two tactics took it to another level.

Some insight on how leveraging her performance to promote herself and her beauty brand drove an increase in media value, searches and brand awareness. There was an 833% increase of searches for Fenty Beauty, and a $5 million dollars media impact value on the brand. Performers for the halftime show don't get paid, so Rihanna used this as an opportunity to pay herself. She drove brand awareness, and influenced an increase in sales for the brand.

Instead of paying for marketing to feature her brand, she used her own performance to market products. It was tactfully done to embed this as part of her performance. In addition, her outfit colour of choice was strategic by using a bold colour like red. Psychologically red is a stimulant, gets the adrenaline going and pushes you towards action. So she performed, kept the attention on herself, used the product and got people search, build brand awareness and buy.

How it impacts your business:

Using a bold colour such as red to be part of your brand colours, packaging or anything related to your business shows confidence. If you want your customers to take action, use this colour. You show you're confident in your business and what you offer. It's also the colour of stop, as in the stop sign. It's along been associated in this capacity, so it gets people to stop and pay attention. In this case pay attention to what they see and what you have to say.

When Rihanna decided red to use the colour for her outfit, she wanted to draw the attention of everyone. She was already going to get millions of people watching her but she wanted to make sure to keep that attention. In contrast she had her dancers wear white, to drastically contrast against the red. Drawing attention consistently throughout the show. It was a strategic move to ensure no one missed the make up moment, or the belly bump.

How to apply this:

What you should takeaway and apply to your digital sales strategy:

1. Take risks

2. Do something different

3. Consider your audience

Take risks

Go bold or go home. Sometimes you have to take risks, do something that might be a little out of the box. Make sure to do a risk assessment so it doesn't have negative affects on your brand. For example, there was a lot of backlash Pepsi with their ad that featured Kendall Jenner.

Rihanna's pregnancy announcement at the Super Bowl was risky, but it worked. It drew a lot of attention and the news went viral, it was all over social media. Rihanna as a brand herself drew in $14.7 million dollars worth of media value by this stunt alone.

Do something unique

Try something no one else has, make it your own and make it different. Cookie cutter doesn't cut it anymore (pun not intended.) If you're doing the same strategies that other businesses are, what makes your business different? What will want to make your audience buy from your business instead of your competitor?

What made Rihanna go viral, was the fact that she touched up her makeup during her performance, using her own product. Touching up your makeup in public is a faux pas. It's a big no no, and women are supposed to privately do this in the bathroom. Rihanna did the opposite, by putting it front and center.

When I first started wearing makeup in high school, I remember touching up my makeup very quickly during a library session. My female teacher came up to me and told me I shouldn't be doing this in public but privately in the bathroom. It was a simple swipe of mascara but it seemed to be a considered inappropriate to be done in public.

Consider your audience

Think about who you're trying to attract, who is your ideal customer? Tailor you approach to what will be a show stopper for them. Consider what they already see, and how your approach can be different.

Applying makeup except for lipstick is considered a faux pas and with more women's movements taking over it was an opportunity to focus on women who wear makeup. Rihanna hit this audience hard and other segments her brand wouldn't be targeting to showcase women are making up their own rules. Makeup touch up in public with no shame.

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