So I had a baby! For some of you out there, that’s not a big deal. To this anxiety-ridden individual, it’s saying a lot. I recently had my first child, a sweet little baby girl, on January 2, so already 2015 is a year of big, big….BIG changes.
During maternity leave, all I thought about was the baby. Is she getting enough to eat? Is she supposed to be sleeping this much? Is this much crying normal? Am I ever going to be able to take a shower? Ok, that thought was about me, but those were few and far between.
Then the bigger questions came: what does the future hold for this little baby?! A year ago, if you would have told me, living in NYC, prancing around in my designer booties and handbags with the finest silk tops money could buy and red lipstick for DAYS, that my paychecks would soon NOT be spent entirely on my next big fashion purchase (hellooooo, mint green perforated leather handbag), and instead that I’d be be thinking of more responsible things to do with my money, I would have punched you in the face. Yet here we are, and I’m now planning for the future of my little family–saving for our daughter’s college fund, potential braces, and LOTS of dance classes (she’s going to be the next Beyonce, y’all. Not even kidding).
Then it happened. Maternity leave was over, and I stepped out of the house (finally!!) and into a whole new world – the world of the Working Mom. It was time to get back into work mode. The work day starts and I have to reboot my focus on my clients, their customers, and how to help both groups.
I’m lucky enough to work with Sephora, a client I could work on forever. I love shopping, as I’m sure you’ve picked up on at this point. I love makeup. I love the feeling of getting the newest, the latest, the hottest new….thing. When someone compliments me on a new, bold shade of lipstick or eyeliner, I FEEL ALIVE. I’m now thinking about what gets a woman (or hey, a man) excited about the hottest new makeup trend, a new lipstick line, or new night cream formula promising everlasting youth (I don’t have room in my brain to think about those products yet, but I now know that time will come too). We need to make sure we get Sephora in front of its customers and especially its potential customers at the exact moment they’re looking for these things. As a customer myself and now a new mom, I no longer have all the time in the world for myself. If I need a new lipstick, but I’m not quite sure what I want, I’ve got about 5 minutes to figure it out. (I used to have anywhere from six hours to two weeks. Sigh.)
As part of the battle, we need to be there not only when consumers are shopping for the Urban Decays and Chanels of the world, we also need to come up with ways to promote smaller, upcoming brands. They may not be huge revenue drivers at this point, but you never know if/when they will reach the coveted cult status among beauty lovers. We also need to go after audiences who may not know the Sephora brand, but who could potentially be its next big brand advocate.
Working for brands I love has always brought out my very best work, because I could relate: I AM the consumer they are going after! But after big life changes, I’ve got an advantage. I’m the consumer I wasn’t thinking about as much before. The new mom! The working mom! I’ve got new perspective, and adding it to the perspective I had before makes me better at what I do, which makes Sephora a more successful client.