Target Marketing: RedBubble
As a RedBubble Artist myself, the target market for RedBubble is my target market as well. I sell nerdy designs inspired by my favorite movies, tv, and music in pop culture. I find most of my success in my sticker and t-shirts sales above any other products they offer. If you don’t know, RedBubble is a print-on-demand shop where guests can shop exclusively online for products featuring artwork from independent artists. It’s a really cool concept, and they brand themselves as supporters of said artists by marketing themselves as such.
RedBubble’s target market can be defined as a group of people who not only love art, but love wearing art. The person who shops at RedBubble is a quirky individual, with a favorite fandom, who enjoys wearing graphic tees and showing off the cool art they bought. RedBubble’s products consist of apparel, stickers, devices accessories, masks, and more. With a variety of items it makes the chance of selling your artwork on their site much greater. In my experience as a RedBubble artist I find that my most nerdiest yet subtle designs perform best. This leads me to further believe that a RedBubble shopper is someone who enjoys showing off their fandom. They’re someone who wants a reaction from people while wearing their new tee or sporting their phone case. This person is most likely between the ages of 16 and 35, male or female, of any background, who truly enjoys art.
With this in mind, if I were RedBubble I would market myself exclusively on social media. I would generate ads directed towards my target market showcasing the most popular pieces of artwork sold on the site thus far. I would also create targeted ads with artwork associated with my prospective customers recent search history. For example, if the “cookies” tell us this customer was recently searching for Marvel art, we can exclusively show them Marvel inspired artwork in the ad. This will also help us remind those prospective customers to come back to the website to shop.
RedBubble’s unique selling point is that they support independent artists. Unlike other retail stores, RedBubble essentially hires and pays a percentage of each sale to the artist who owns the right to that artwork being sold. As a RedBubble artist, you’re only submitting your artwork to be purchased by anyone and printed by RedBubble. You always own 100% of your work upon submission, and you can remove your work at any time. RedBubble has even recently started a licensing program that allows artists to submit artwork inspired my popular movies and tv shows like Jurassic Park, Rick and Morty and extensive Cartoon Network properties. This gives independent artists the chance to have their fan-art become officially licensed. Although rules apply, RedBubble truly gives their artists the freedom to create and submit whatever they want. With this unique selling point, it helps motivate their sales by making their customers aware they are helping artists reach their goals. As a customer, knowing you can potentially help make a difference in someone’s life by simply purchasing a t-shirt rewards you with a sense of pride. It’s important to have a unique selling point for moments like this, and gain repeat customers.