Dior unwraps first WhatsApp campaign with brand ambassador Jisoo

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Dior Beauty has unpacked an industry-first WhatsApp campaign with brand ambassador Jisoo, who is also one of the members of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, to promote its new Dior Addict shine lipstick. The WhatsApp campaign offers its 9.6 million Instagram followers access to four days of exclusive content and conversations with Jisoo.

The French luxury fashion brand is allowing consumers to be part of the experience via its Instagram Story, where Jisoo has offered followers the chance to join her "exclusive WhatsApp group". From there, Dior takes consumers to a dedicated landing page where they can sign up to engage with Jisoo's chatbot over WhatsApp ahead of the lipstick launch. Members choose the type of content they want to receive, from themed videos to exclusive behind the scenes footage of Jisoo’s life as a Dior ambassador. dior 4

They will also be sent exclusive links to purchase the new Dior Addict shine lipstick and given bespoke access to the new brand Instagram filter. Jisoo was brought on board as Dior's ambassador last March.

The campaign is managed through Infobip’s WhatsApp Business solution, enabling Dior to build a series of automated conversations and journeys as Jisoo with the help of chatbots. This means communication can include images, videos, files, weblinks, audio files and buttons to bring messages to life and keep customers engaged. This is the first time the luxury brand is using WhatsApp for its marketing campaign.

Dior's digital innovation and strategic planning manager, Arthur Poulain, said the campaign has pushed the boundaries of how luxury beauty and technology must collaborate to deliver innovative experiences across the channels the brand knows its customers love.

"Using WhatsApp meant we could think outside the box in terms of how we engage our dedicated Instagram community, giving them the opportunity to chat to Jisoo like they would a friend and empowering them to choose the content they want to see next," he added.

Infobip's chief product officer, Adrian Benic, said the company's role is to redefine how communications can help bring brand stories to life and this partnership with Dior Beauty is "the prime example: of how channels such as WhatsApp deliver this.

"This has been one of the most exciting campaigns we’ve ever worked on, using every element of the channel’s rich capabilities to deliver something truly unique and extraordinary. We hope this inspires other brands to take their digital engagement to new heights," he added.

In 2020, WhatsApp said more than 175 million people message a WhatsApp Business account on a daily basis. Although WhatsApp is popular among consumers, Hubspot's Not Another State of Marketing 2021 report found that less than 20% of marketers use WhatsApp as a marketing channel.

WhatsApp has gone beyond messaging to include shopping, Facebook hosting services, and business sales. Shops on WhatsApp, for example, is a tool that allows business owners to create customised shopping experiences for their businesses. Recently, it announced Communities to bring together separate groups under one umbrella. Some of the features include emoji reactions, supporting files up to 2GB, one-tap voice calling for up to 32 people, and announcement messages by admins.

Meanwhile, the use of chatbots by brands isn't new but many of the chatbots still fall short as their ability to understand customer history and provide personalised responses beyond simplistic “frequently asked questions” — are not available in their currently implemented solutions. A 2019 report by ADA and Forrester said that to achieve true personalisation, companies must go beyond automating FAQ responses or deflecting escalations. Only then will chatbots have the potential to create new and compelling experiences.

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