Nykaa Man: Redefining Men’s Grooming Through Digital Innovation.
Shambhavi Mate
Brand Strategist
Marketing Strategist
Digital Marketing Specialist
Google Ads
Google Analytics
Nykaa
Objective:
Increase brand awareness and engagement among male consumers for Nykaa Man's grooming products through a comprehensive digital strategy. The focus was to shift Nykaa's brand perception from women-centric to male-focused, enhance visibility, and drive engagement by promoting grooming essentials through educational and inspirational content, influencer marketing, and remarketing tactics.
Project Overview:
I spearheaded the digital strategy for Nykaa Man, aiming to reposition the brand from a women-centric image to a male-focused one. The primary objective was to increase brand visibility and engage male audiences through the promotion of grooming essentials. The strategy focused on addressing low brand awareness, redefining the brand's perception, and driving traffic through a comprehensive digital plan, including content marketing, SEO, SEM, influencer collaborations, and customer journey optimization.
Strategy Flow:
Brand Audit & Competitor Research:
A comprehensive brand audit highlighted a key challenge:
58% of the audience was unfamiliar with Nykaa Man, and 42% viewed it as a women-focused brand.
This disconnect indicated that Nykaa Man's brand presence in the male grooming sector was underperforming. Through competitive analysis, it became evident that brands like MensXP Shop had a stronger association with men’s grooming, showcasing a clear gap in our market approach. The analysis revealed deficiencies in messaging, product relevance, and customer engagement, underscoring the need for Nykaa Man to establish a distinct identity, separate from Nykaa’s established positioning in the women’s beauty market.
Target Audience & Personas:
To create a more targeted approach, we developed detailed buyer personas based on market research and customer surveys. For instance:
Cohort 1: A 20-year-old student from Navi Mumbai, interested in technology, socializing, and grooming. His behaviour showed that he often shopped for grooming products online but was unaware of Nykaa Man.
Cohort 2: A 24-year-old regional manager, with a focus on social gatherings and grooming. His need aligned more with convenience, making Nykaa Man a perfect fit.
Cohort 3: A 32-year-old retailer from Pune, family-oriented with a strong interest in personal care and branded products.
These cohorts helped us tailor the brand’s messaging to fit different lifestyles, preferences, and purchase behaviours, ensuring relevance to their grooming routines.
Content Strategy (AIDA Model):
The content was designed using the AIDA framework (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action), ensuring each piece of content guided the audience through the buyer’s journey.
Awareness: 40% of the content focused on educating the audience, including skin care tips, product usage videos, and blog posts around men’s grooming.
Interest & Desire: 40% was dedicated to inspiring conversations, such as influencer content featuring Bollywood actors and grooming tips for different beard styles.
Action: The remaining 20% promoted Nykaa Man’s products and deals through newsletters, festive offers, and customized combo packs.
The campaign messaging revolved around the tagline "Embrace the Man in YOU", with the emotionally resonant hashtag #MardKoBhiDardHotaHai to connect with men on a deeper level, breaking stereotypes about male grooming.
Campaign Execution:
The “Man in You” campaign was rolled out across multiple platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, leveraging a mix of influencer marketing and native content. Influencers like Ranveer Allahbadia, with 663k followers on Instagram, were instrumental in driving authentic engagement with the target audience.
Content focused on topics such as skincare tips, beard grooming, and personalized routines for men, paired with influencer stories, video tutorials, and testimonials.
This multi-channel approach ensured maximum reach, with each platform playing a specific role in engaging users through different touchpoints:
Instagram for visual storytelling
Facebook for community engagement
YouTube for brand knowledge & community building
Content Strategy:
The content strategy was meticulously crafted around the AIDA Model, prioritizing Awareness, Interest, and Desire to guide the audience through the buying journey. Key action points emerged from this approach, focusing on the following areas:
Influencer Marketing Strategy: Leveraging influencers to build awareness and create authentic engagement.
Performance Marketing Media Mix: Implementing a paid ads strategy across digital platforms to drive interest and conversions.
SEO & SEM Strategy: Optimizing website content and blogs to enhance search visibility and capture high-intent traffic.
By aligning these action points with the AIDA framework, we ensured a cohesive strategy that targeted every stage of the customer journey.
Sample Influencer Amplification Posts on Social Media
SEO & SEM Strategy:
A solid SEO strategy was implemented to increase organic search visibility. Targeted keywords such as “male grooming essentials” and “best beard care products” were identified to ensure Nykaa Man ranked higher on search engines.
On the SEM side, we ran Google Search and Display Ads to capture high-intent traffic. By bidding on grooming-related keywords and running remarketing campaigns, we drove a significant number of potential customers to Nykaa Man’s product pages. Google Ads allowed for precise targeting, resulting in a significant boost in website traffic and increased conversion rates from those who had previously engaged with the brand.
Customer Journey & Remarketing:
We meticulously mapped the customer journey, identifying key points where users were most likely to drop off, such as abandoned carts and product page bounces. To address this, we deployed remarketing campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, and Google, specifically targeting users who had viewed products or added items to their carts but did not complete a purchase.
These remarketing ads included personalized messages, time-sensitive offers, and product recommendations to re-engage users and push them toward completing their purchases. Email marketing also played a role in this process, with follow-up emails nudging customers to revisit their carts with limited-time discounts.
Outcomes:
Increased Brand Awareness: The "Man in You" campaign successfully positioned Nykaa Man as a key player in the male grooming space. The use of influencers and educational content drove higher engagement rates across all platforms.
Enhanced Engagement: Through the AIDA-based content strategy, engagement with the target audience rose significantly, with more men interacting with posts, viewing product tutorials, and participating in influencer-led conversations.
Improved Brand Perception: The campaign helped shift Nykaa Man’s perception from being a women-centric brand to one that caters equally to men. Feedback from customer surveys post-campaign indicated a more favourable view of Nykaa Man as a grooming destination for men.
Increased Conversions: The combination of SEO, SEM, and remarketing efforts resulted in a higher conversion rate, with more men purchasing grooming products from Nykaa Man’s website. Remarketing ads targeting cart abandoners played a key role in recovering lost sales and driving revenue growth.
Higher Brand Recall: By integrating a consistent message across platforms and ensuring visibility through SEO/SEM and influencer partnerships, Nykaa Man achieved a significant boost in brand recall, establishing itself as a top choice for male grooming products.
This strategic approach not only repositioned Nykaa Man as a leading brand for male grooming but also strengthened its connection with its target audience, building brand loyalty and enhancing market presence.
To read the complete strategy, click [here].
