AnaOno: Affiliate Marketing

Spring 2024

Fellow: Carsen Vespe

Group Members: Grace Brennan, Marissa Marchese, Sophia Tatonetti, Kaylie Porcello, Taylor Olson

Read our media report here.

Community Partner

AnaOno, established by CEO Dana Donofree, operates as a for-profit entity crafting lingerie products tailored for pre-vivors, survivors, and thrivers impacted by breast cancer. AnaOno was born out of necessity when Dana was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 27, and had to undergo a life altering chest surgery. Confronted with a dearth of suitable bra options that could offer both comfort and support alongside femininity and aesthetics, Dana resolved to address the gap herself. Leveraging her extensive background in the fashion industry, she embarked on establishing a brand committed to catering to diverse chest types, irrespective of their surgical history, in order to create a welcoming and elevated future where chest inclusivity is the standard, not the exception. We worked closely with our community partner, Marissa, as well as Dana, in order to co-create our media work.

Design Question

After discussing the key outcomes of our partnership, our design question was formulated: “How can we create an effective TikTok strategy that further promotes the AnaOno brand and its community while captivating new audiences (LGBTQ+ community, women with chronic hand pain, women who have had breast augmentations or breast reductions, etc.)?” This updated question upholds AnaOno's mission while enhancing inclusivity, extending the reach beyond the breast cancer community.

Towards the end of the semester, the AnaOno team expressed their concerns with our design question and the direction in which the project was moving. Their new goal with our collaboration was to create a strategy that could be used on any media platform, while also focusing more on the breast cancer community rather than expanding outward to newer audiences. From there, we revised our design question a final time, to: “How can we strengthen the breast cancer community by developing a versatile media strategy and expanding upon influencer outreach?” As we adapted our approach to prioritize the core needs of AnaOno and their community, this pivot ultimately emphasized the importance of flexibility and responsiveness in our collaborative efforts.

Strategic Thinking

In order to strengthen AnaOno’s media strategy, we felt that we needed to truly understand their mission. We achieved this by referring to the “Golden Circle'' model, a concept created by Simon Sinek that allows companies to expand on the relationship between their purpose and achievements. The way we typically communicate is from the outside in, going from the clearest thing to the fuzziest thing. Sinek argues that inspired organizations all think, act, and communicate from the inside out, first addressing the why, then how, then what: People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

We determined that the core of AnaOno is empowering those affected by breast cancer by expanding the lingerie market to be inclusive of all chest types. They do this by creating products, and finally achieve this by selling various post-surgical lingerie products. Overall, the circle offers the most effective ways for an organization to communicate their mission with larger audiences.

Another strategy we used in order to determine the most effective social media plan was conducting a comparative media analysis. We identified three clothing and lingerie companies with similar missions: Skims, LoveRose Lingerie, and Liberare.co. After analyzing the various content strategies used by these three companies, we were able to establish what works best for companies with this type of mission, and how AnaOno could potentially use these diverse marketing strategies to promote their brand visibility.

Co-Creation

During our partnership with AnaOno, we have co-created and communicated through online 15 minute check-ins, visited their office in person, and one of our group members even got to attend an exclusive photoshoot for new product launches. We have gained insight from the founder, Dana, and our direct point of contact, Marissa, on media strategies, influencer outreach sheets, and mock emails, which truly reflects a deep commitment to our collaborative partnership.

By communicating with the AnaOno team and receiving feedback, we were able to understand the companies’ expectations and align with their brand. Our partnership with AnaOno allowed us to go through the creative brainstorming process while being educated on topics that were new to us such as the use of previvor, survivor, and thriver in our work. This permitted us to have a stronger understanding of the AnaOno community and better connect with the breast cancer community in ways we could not have alone. Co-creating has made our strategy more fleshed out in a way that benefits us, our community partner, and the valued customers of AnaOno.

Impact Story

Once completed, our media strategy plans to expand brand visibility as well as provide enhanced organization for social media content. Originally tasked with creating a strategy that focuses on expanding AnaOno’s audience, that transitioned into one that strengthens the current audience, our group has compiled various resources for the company to use including: mock emails, potential influencer lists, content inspiration, and a 9-week campaign strategy to promote the brand’s mission and allow AnaOno customers to share their story with the product.

Although we do not have access to AnaOno accounts, nor are we creating actual posts, we are enhancing platforms that the AnaOno team can use for future reference, and adding to the inclusive conversation. Since AnaOno does not have the bandwidth to post three or more times a week, we project that outlining a once or twice a week content schedule in our campaign will strengthen media engagement to increase brand visibility and increase online sales.

Reflection

It has been beyond inspiring to see how AnaOno turned adversity into opportunity and left a positive impact on thousands of people. Collaborating with AnaOno extended beyond acquiring audience-building techniques; it provided a profound learning journey where we cultivated both understanding and empathy for the breast cancer community.