Intern: Joan Merise
Supervisor: Priscila Teixeria
Duration: July – August 2024
Focus: Social Media Strategy, Storytelling Content & Digital Growth

Photos from Talking Fashion Inc. Product Photoshoot

Content Strategy

Example of Content Calendar

Videos

Behind the Scenes: Talking Fashion Inc 80’s Inspired Photoshoot (1 YouTube Video)

CFA – Fashion Lab Day: Jeans (1 YouTube Video)

CFA – Dublin Arts Council (1 YouTube Video)

Kendall, Creative Director of TFI 80’s Photoshoot Interview (4 Shorts, 1 Youtube Video)

Student Testimonial, CFA-Fashion Lab Day: Jeans (shorts)

Executive Summary

This case study outlines the strategic content and growth plan I developed during my marketing internship to address Fashion Enterprise’s need for increased digital visibility and audience engagement. The proposal centered on a video-first content strategy across Instagram and TikTok and a documentary project to serve as a key recruitment tool. While external factors prevented the full execution and publication of the campaign, this document showcases the comprehensive research, strategic planning, and creative development process undertaken to position the brand’s nonprofit, academy, and retail sections for significant growth. The project honed my skills in cross-functional strategic planning, content ideation, and stakeholder alignment.

1. The Challenge: Siloed Presence and Stagnant Growth

This fashion enterprise operated three distinct sections (nonprofit, academy, retail) under one brand umbrella, but its social media presence was not fully capturing its impactful stories. Key challenges included:

• Low Engagement Metrics: Average post engagement was low (1-20 likes, ~300 views), failing to reflect the organization’s value.
• Missed Storytelling Opportunities: A rich narrative around community, education, and sustainable fashion was not being leveraged effectively.
• Sluggish Follower Growth: Growth was minimal, limiting opportunities for brand awareness, academy recruitment, and nonprofit support in the Columbus area.

The primary objective was to break through the noise by shifting to a strategic, storytelling-led approach to content.

2. Proposed Strategy & Action Plan

My role was to architect a holistic 8-week plan to achieve rapid visibility and engagement growth. The strategy was built on three pillars:

A. Content Upgrade & Video-First Shift:

• Platform-Specific Formatting: Pivot from static posts to a scheduled output of 2 Reels per week, per section, tailored to each audience.
• Series Campaigns for Narrative Depth: I developed two flagship content series to provide consistency and depth:
  • Talking Fashion Inc.: Highlighting retail clientele and styling tips to build community.
  • Fashion Library: Showcasing academy resources and student work to drive enrollment.
• Hashtag Strategy: Committed to researching 10 niche, high-impact hashtags per platform to systematically amplify organic reach.

B. . Legacy Content Asset:

• Conceived and pre-produced a 10-15 minute documentary, “The Launch: TFC + CFA + TFI’s Collaborative Space.”
• Goal: To create a durable asset for YouTube to be used for years for academy recruitment, donor awareness, and mission storytelling, with a success metric of 500+ views.

3. Execution: Developed Assets & Strategic Foundations

Although the campaign was not fully published, the foundational work was completed:

• Content Calendar & Hashtag Bank: Developed a detailed content calendar aligning all three sections and a researched list of targeted hashtags.
• Creative Development: Wrote scripts, shot lists, and interview questions for the proposed Reels series and the documentary.
• Strategic Documentation: Prepared the full project plan, timeline, and success metrics for stakeholder review.

4. Results & Lessons in Strategic Thinking

While the anticipated quantitative results (50% engagement increase, doubled follower growth) could not be measured due to the project’s shelving, the value delivered was in the strategic framework:

• Quantifiable Framework for Success: I established clear, measurable KPIs (engagement rate, follower growth, clicks, views) that moved the goalposts from vague “more presence” to specific, actionable targets.
• Integrated Cross-Promotional Strategy: The plan was designed to strategically weave the narratives of all two brand sections, telling a cohesive brand story rather than operating in silos.
• Lesson in Agile Planning: This experience highlighted the importance of building flexible strategies that can adapt to shifting organizational priorities. It emphasized that the value of an intern lies not only in execution but in the capacity for high-level strategic thinking and planning.

5. Conclusion & Future Recommendations

This proposed campaign was a blueprint for catalyzing the fashion enterprise’s digital growth through authentic storytelling and strategic content distribution. The work demonstrated a deep understanding of modern platform algorithms, audience engagement drivers, and how to align marketing tactics with overarching business goals (donations, recruitment, sales).

For future implementation, I would recommend:

1. Phased Rollout: Start with one content series for the most engaged section to test the concept and gather data before a full-scale launch.
2. Community Management: Integrate a proactive community engagement plan to complement new content, fostering a two-way dialogue with the audience.
3. Iterative Analysis: Use insights from the initial Google Ads experiment to inform both future ad spend and organic content strategy.