Digital and Social Media Communication
TANG LILIN (0376668)
- MI
- TASK 1: BRAND INFORMATION
- TASK 2: EMPATHY MAPPING & PERSONA
- TASK 3: CONTENT PLANNING
- FEEDBACK
- REFLECTION
1. Research & Task Understanding
At the beginning of this project, our task was to develop a social media content strategy for Kourbe French by clearly identifying its target audience. Instead of creating content based on assumptions, we were required to understand users’ lifestyles, motivations, emotions, and real needs through research and analysis.
2. User Persona Development
We first created detailed user personas to represent Kourbe French’s core audiences.
For example, Sophia represents young dessert lovers who value aesthetics, social sharing, and authentic French flavors.
She enjoys discovering seasonal canelés with friends and sharing her experiences on Instagram and TikTok.
3. Empathy Map: Understanding User Emotions
After defining the personas, we used empathy maps to further explore what users think, feel, see, hear, say, and do.
This helped us understand users’ pain points, such as the difficulty of finding authentic French desserts locally, and their desire for products that look beautiful and taste genuine.
4. Content Planning Strategy
Based on the personas and empathy maps, we planned content that aligns with users’ lifestyles rather than direct selling.
Our content strategy focused on three main directions:
- Fun Fact: Trend-based short videos to attract younger audiences
- Lifestyle Content: Visual posts that highlight cozy, aesthetic dessert moments
- Brand Promotion: Informative posts such as storage guides to build trust
We categorized our content into five main themes: Product Showcase, Brand Promotion, Product Promotion, Engagement & Lifestyle, and Fun Fact. This structure allowed us to balance brand professionalism, emotional storytelling, and entertainment, while ensuring platform suitability for Instagram and TikTok
Fig 3.2 Sheet Making Process
For static posts and carousels, we focused on:
- Product showcase content, such as “Meet the Menu,” highlighting the texture, structure, and craftsmanship of the canelés;
- Functional posts, including storage and reheating guides, to provide after-sales value and build consumer trust;
- Lifestyle-oriented visuals, such as cozy flat-lays, positioning the product within calm, everyday moments to reinforce the brand’s slow-living aesthetic.
For video content (Reels / Stories), we drew inspiration from popular short-form video trends on TikTok and Xiaohongshu. The videos were designed to be relatable, interactive, and easy to consume:
- Using POV storytelling, emotional resonance, and daily-life scenarios to connect with younger audiences;
- Applying first-person perspectives, transitions, and playful formats to increase completion rates;
- Integrating the product naturally into the narrative rather than relying on hard-selling techniques
Overall, our creative process was guided by one key objective:
to present canelés not only as a dessert, but as an emotional and lifestyle-driven product that can be shared, remembered, and enjoyed in everyday life.
Regarding the video production, Tang Lilin, Zhou Yi, and Meng Zihui were responsible for filming, while Wu Ziyang and Stef were responsible for editing.
FINAL CONTENT PLANNING SHEET
Fig 3.5 Final Content Planing Sheet - PDF
Experience
At the project's outset, our team first identified Kourbe French Canelé as the target brand for our advertising and social media content. To avoid "creating content based on intuition," we scheduled meetings and interviews with the client to clarify the brand's story, tone, and the atmosphere we wanted to convey.
Next, we began with brand research and positioning, analyzing the brand's background, product features, target audience, and current social media presence. After summarizing, we distilled the brand's core values into several keywords: handcrafted quality, patience, emotional warmth, and French lifestyle aesthetics. These became the foundation for our subsequent content strategy.
In Task 3, we divided the content into three types: Fun Fact / Lifestyle / Brand Promotion. In other words, we didn't just create "good-looking photos," but translated our preliminary research into tangible output: using Reels for fun and resonance, using Posts for atmosphere and style, and using functional posts (such as storage methods) for practical information. This gave us our first round of content results that could be tested and further optimized.
During the actual implementation, I had several distinct observations:
1. Personas directly influence content direction.
Our initial personas lacked focus, easily resulting in a generic "suitable for all dessert lovers" positioning, lacking Kourbe's unique personality. Later, Mr. Asrizal pointed out that the personas weren't aligned with the brand. After revising and narrowing them, the content's topics, tone, and even visual style naturally aligned with the brand.
2. Visual appeal doesn't equate to brand consistency.
The feedback from Task 3 was particularly striking: our videos were indeed visually appealing, but if the fonts and color schemes didn't match the dessert brand's tone, the overall look would appear "unlikely from the same brand." In other words, aesthetics are important, but consistency and brand identity are even more crucial.
3. Content needs to simultaneously address both emotional and functional value.
Fun Fact content is more likely to resonate with users and be fun; Lifestyle content is like placing desserts in a "slow life/ritual" setting, making people yearn for it; while functional content such as Brand Promotion (like storage and rebaking guides) makes users feel that the brand is professional, trustworthy, and more practical. Combining these three types of content creates a more complete experience.
Finding
The biggest takeaway from this project is that I've developed a clearer work logic:
Brand Information → Positioning and Value → Persona & Empathy Map → Content Classification and Themes → Execution and Review → Style Consistency and Optimization
Previously, I might have thought, "Create content first, then worry about the rest." But now I understand better: the focus of content strategy isn't chasing trends or hard-sell, but rather responding to what users truly want (emotions, aesthetics, practical value) using a consistent brand language.
If I want to continue developing this brand's social media presence, I'll solidify the brand audit and brand information earlier, while first locking in visual guidelines (fonts, colors, tone, and atmosphere) before expanding to more themes and scripts. This way, each output will be more stable, consistent, and truly serve the brand's goals.
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