From inception to pivot: SYC
POPCOM began work with founder of Sydney Yoga Collective and founder Casey Castro in 2019.
The aim
Get earned media exposure, and build awareness and brand credibility for the Sydney Yoga Collective (SYC) - and position founder Casey Castro as the face of the brand.
The message
As soon as we met with SYC, we got to work on deciphering the overarching message of the brand. It needed to be organic, real and niche:
What makes the brand stand apart?
What do they offer that is new?
What makes them likeable?
What will resonate with their audience?
Creating a cohesive portfolio of media exposure, all connected by the same theme, is what will build a clear brand reputation and personality.
When initially engaging with SYC founder, Casey Castro, it became immediately clear that her passion for yoga extended far beyond fulfilling a dream to own multiple yoga studios across Sydney. As a mother of four, she was incredibly honest about not fitting the typical yogi stereotype set by social media. Instead Casey is driven by the belief that yoga benefits any person, of any age, of any ability.
The simplicity of this belief became our message: yoga can benefit anyone, you don’t need to fit a certain mould - and Casey is proof.
The process
Immediately, we called our health and wellbeing contacts to brief them we had an amazing new client with a remarkable story. We got to defining key messages and writing press releases to distribute to our media contacts and relevant editorials.
Next, we started to research. We did a deep dive into what competitors were doing (or weren't), how yoga was positioned by health professionals and what topics weren’t being covered. We started to look at topics specific to common injury, and how yoga could assist with recovery (e.g. frozen shoulder). We also brainstormed with the client on encouraging inclusivity in yoga.
There are a lot of yoga studios in Bondi, it actually has one of the highest saturation rates internationally. To ensure that SYC had its digital assets in order, we conducted an SEO audit and made some optimisation recommendations.
Casey already had a great online presence on Instagram, regularly posting to her followers with relevant updates, class reminders and general yoga content. Obviously, we encouraged her to keep doing this. To ensure she didn’t miss out on pivotal social media content, POPCOM also designed a social media content plan for her, which included awareness days and monthly themes.
To engage with a younger audience we encouraged Casey to use yoga-related ‘memes’. While this sounds a little ridiculous, comical content is a great way of varying your feed so it isn’t too business-content driven. Additionally, memes on the difficult aspects of yoga conveyed our message that not everyone fits the yogi stereotype and that the benefits of yoga are not limited to those that do.
Adapting to the Coronavirus Crisis
It wasn’t long into the POPCOM and SYC relationship that the COVID-19 crisis broke. The isolation regulations resulted in the closure of their Bondi Junction-based studio, Soul Flow Yoga. True to her energy, Casey responded by live-streaming all the classes for $10 a week, essentially moving all business operations online, and we have been there to help the transition.
POPCOM reached out to our media contacts, journalists, and used platforms to distribute press releases to a multitude of editorials in the Health and Wellness industry. We also pitched her free online kids yoga classes, which again fit with our theme that yoga could benefit anyone - regardless of age.
Results
What resulted from the above, in the space of just over a month, was earned media in major Australian publications and many additional online trade editorials, Facebook pages and local press. Mainstream include:
Live on ABC Breakfast Radio with Wendy Harmer and Robbie Buck
In the Sydney Morning Herald
For more information on the Sydney Yoga Collective, please contact POPCOM Account Coordinator Sophie Richardson on sophie@popcom.com.au.
