COMPETITIVE REVIEW &
RECOMMENDATIONS
COMM 410
Rachel Allen, Micah Matic, Kelli Newton, Ashlee Juge
STELLER: COMPETITIVE REVIEW
SITUATION ANALYSIS
The new photo-sharing app, Steller, is not being marketed well enough to gain brand
recognition. The current marketing plan does not help Steller outshine its competitors.
Steller needs to be branded and marketed better so that it can be one of the bigger
competitors within the photo-sharing app community.
Exploratory Research
Photo-sharing app user profile:
Instagram: Users are 35 years old and younger. 68% of Instagram users are
female. About 17% of its U.S. users come from urban areas while 11% of them come
from suburban and rural areas. Users are more likely to post multiple photos in a day almost documenting their lives through Instagram photos. Its users range from average
teenagers to celebrities.
Pinterest: Users are mostly 49 years old and younger. 68.2% of Pinterest users are
female. About 18% of its U.S. users come from rural areas, 16% from suburban areas
and 13% from urban areas. Pinterest attracts more educated and affluent
women. Pinterest users post and view photos for shopping inspiration, which accounts
for its high-income user base.
Tumblr: Almost half of its users (46%) range from the ages of 16-24. Men and women
are equally represented in this demographic. Its users are skewed towards those who
live in rural areas and are educated. People use Tumblr for self-expression and they
use it to create and digest what they see on it.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
Opportunities
Steller encompasses the combined features
Identify and market directly to key
of Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr, and also
demographic. The most opportunity
presents itself as a creative outlet by
would come from marketing Steller to
allowing its users to create their own stories
females who are under 49 years old,
using photos and captions. These features
specifically 16-35 years old, who are
should be marketed in order to attract
educated and pursue creative hobbies
attention and interest from new users.
(i.e. photography, crafting, traveling)
Weaknesses
Threats
Steller gives users the power to create a
Existing successful competitors –
story, however this is more time consuming
Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr
than simply posting photos and writing a
short caption. Steller needs to try to
Similar to “boards” on Pinterest, which
convince users that it is worth the time to
group similar photos together in
use the app via marketing its efforts.
categories, much like Steller does with
its “stories”
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
Identify the best ways to market and reposition Steller’s brand.
STUDY DESIGN
The study is descriptive. The study is descriptive because the purpose is to
recommend/identify a better marketing plan for Steller, not test the any part of the plan
to see if it is effective.
RESEARCH METHOD
The study was conducted using a Content Analysis. The purpose of this study is to
identify a marketing plan for Steller that will help the app gain momentum, as well as
gain more brand recognition and traffic than their competitors. The content analysis will
look at Steller’s biggest photo-sharing app competitors – Pinterest, Instagram and
Tumblr. The content analysis will look specifically at the marketing efforts of these
companies, including web copy, proactive public relations, media coverage, marketing
communications and partnerships/promotions. The timeframe will cover January 1,
2013- December 1, 2014. Based on the findings from this content analysis, Steller will
be given recommendations to help them reposition their brand and better their own
marketing efforts so that they can compete with photo-sharing’s current players.
DATA ANALYSIS
Content Analysis
Methodology
-Web copy
-Proactive PR
-Marketing/Partnerships
-Media Coverage
Timeframe
January 1, 2013- December 1, 2014
Competitors Reviewed

Pinterest- The Trendy, Brand-Focused, Scrapbooker

Tumblr- The Indie, User-Focused, Developer

Instagram- The Easy-to-Use Editor

Steller- The Sleek Storyteller
Pinterest
Messaging
-“Discover ideas for any project or interest, hand-picked by people like you”
-“Discover more of your favorite things”
-“Pinterest is a tool for discovering things you love, and doing those things in real life”
-“Pin it” has become a recognizable verb in day-to-day language
-“Pinteresting”
Proactive PR
-Introduced Pinterest in countries: Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Romania, Greece,
Hungary, Thai and in Hindi language
-Announced Pinterest Web Analytics- gives business owners insights into how people
are interacting with pins that originate from their websites.
Marketing/Partnerships
-Stable partnership with Buzzfeed
-“We think of Pinterest as our newsstand,” said Emily Fleischaker, BuzzFeed’s
creative director. “We have to think of what works on Pinterest and mobile
Pinterest every step of the production process.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/22/business/media/publications-see-pinterestas-key-ally.html
-Pinterest partnered with brands eBay, Target, ModCloth, Sony and Netflix to add more
brand information to pins – creates more useful pins
http://mashable.com/2013/05/20/pinterest-brands-upgrade/
-Teamed with Funny or Die: Pin Picks: Homemade Halloween – first co-marketing
campaign
http://adage.com/article/digital/pinterest-touts-editorial-product-funny-dieehow/295282/
-Pinterest has “Pinterest for Developers” and “Pinterest for Business” to attract more
people to be professionally involved with Pinterest
-Introduced partnership with VEVO – users can create video collections on Pinterest
with VEVO
http://blog.pinterest.com/post/94631758934/create-video-collections-on-pinterestwith-vevo
-Announced promotional pins
http://adage.com/article/digital/pinterest-announces-test-promoted-pins/244258/
Media
-Noteworthy story: Cover of Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbercovici/2014/10/15/inside-pinterest-the-comingad-colossus-that-could-dwarf-twitter-and-facebook/
-Pinterest has widespread coverage in online community and blogger world with
bloggers adding the pin it button to their photos
-NY Times Article: Pinterest is the #1 source of reader referrals for magazines
http://m-cause.com/21st-century-magazine-content-discovery/
Tumblr
Messaging
-“Tumblr lets you effortlessly share anything.”
-“Tumblr is so easy to use that it’s hard to explain”
-“Tumblr are 202 million different blogs, filled with literally whatever”
-“Seriously, put anything you want here.”
Proactive PR
-Press release of Yahoo! acquisition
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130520005659/en/Yahoo!-AcquireTumblr#.VIkBx045B7c
-Staff announcement about the end of “storyboard” (an independent journalistic
publication housed within Tumblr) and the firing of several employees
http://staff.tumblr.com/post/47584806521/a-year-ago-tumblr-did-somethingunprecedented
-David Karp: CEO and face of Tumblr, pegged as a minimalist/the underdog, compared
to the likes of Mark Zuckerberg
-Featured in several magazines:
-Entrepreneur - http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226788
-Businessweek - http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-30/charlie-rose-t
alks-to-tumblrs-david-karp
-USA Today - http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2014/11/04
/tumblr-david-karp-talks-socialmedia-diversity/18406825/
-Cover of Forbes – January 2013
Marketing/Partnerships
-Acquired by Yahoo! (2013)
-Tumblr is ranked #1 in social sentiment towards brands. 95% of users who follow one,
recommend them to others
-Tumblr partnered with Viacom in April 2014 - Viacom is the parent company of
networks such as Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central. The partnership started
during the MTV Music Awards where MTV posted relative material on Tumblr.
Media
-“Tumblr harnesses the enthusiasm around a particular topic and coalesces into a
community.” - Forbes
-“Tumblr continues to be the foremost place where creative individuals congregate to
share their ideas and creations.” - Reuters
-“Tumblr is playing an increasingly important role as an arbiter of arts and culture in the
cyber landscape.” - Vice
-“Setting up a Tumblr couldn’t be easier, and you can use it for showing off every kind of
media: images, video, text, podcast/audio, you name it.” PC Mag
Instagram
Messaging
-“Capture and share the world’s moments”
-“A Fast, beautiful and fun way to share your life with friends and family.”
-“Take a picture or video, choose a filter to transform its look and feel, then post to
Instagram — it's that easy.”
-“It’s a new way to see the world”
Proactive PR
-Launched own app, “Hyperlapse”
-http://www.wired.com/2014/08/hyperlapse-instagrams-new-app-is-like-a-15000video-setup-in-your-hand/
Marketing/Partnerships
-In October 2013, Instagram introduced brand sponsored photos and videos.
-Partnered with Omincom – first agency partnership; Omnicom represents companies
including Nissan, AT&T, Pepsi and Bud Light – Instagram will produce Omnicom ad
content in sponsored picture and video ads
-http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/instagram-omnicom-dealactually-worth-40-million-156200
-Partnered with Nordstrom/LikeToBuy for instant shopping experience through
Instagram page
http://press.nordstrom.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=211996&p=irolnewsarticle&ID=1961059
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140828005103/en/CuralateIntroduces-Like2Buy-Enables-Brands-Monetize-Instagram#.VIktk045B7c
-Fashion Brands, such as Michael Kors, use Instagram as a platform for advertising
-http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d20c1bbc-d156-11e3-81e000144feabdc0.html#slide0
Media
-Featured story in Vogue: Why the World’s Most Talked-About New Art Dealer Is
Instagram
http://www.vogue.com/872448/buying-and-selling-art-on-instagram/
-Feature on Instagram photographers
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/feb/06/urban-instagram-photographersyou-should-follow
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The “Community” Trend
-Users are looking for a place where they can share and interact with other people
who have similar interests and hobbies. Users want to be individuals, however they
want to be connected with other people.
The “Convenience” Trend
-Users are looking for something easy to use that can be accessed from different
devices.
The “Discovery” Trend
-Users are looking for a place where they can see new things and be inspired by
other people.
The “Brand” Trend
-Successful apps have a variety partnerships with notable brands
REPOSITION STELLER TO DIFFER FROM COMPETITORS
Steller lets you:
• Simply create beautiful multi-page stories using photos, videos and text on your
iPhone
• Discover and follow stories from friends, family and inspiring creators around the world
• Republish stories from the community into your own collections
• Interact with friends and the community by giving and receiving likes and comments
• Share stories to social networks, your blog and website
• Send stories via email and sms
• Explore new featured stories each day on food, adventure, DIY, travel, photography
and much more
Current Messaging Strategies
“Everyone has a story to tell”
“Tell yours with photos, videos, and text”
“Happy Story Telling!”
Current PR/Media
-Press Release announcing launch of app in March 2014
-http://d2rbodpj0xodc.cloudfront.net/web/press/launch-press-release.pdf
-Apple names Steller one of the Top Apps of 2014
http://time.com/3623190/apple-best-apps-iphone/
RECOMMENDATIONS
-Unlike the other photo sharing apps, Steller allows you to do more - it allows you to
become an author and an illustrator. Ultimately, Steller allows you to be a storyteller.
Steller is not the typical “photo sharing” app. By repositioning to a storytelling
experience, Steller has the opportunity to be different than its competitors and be in its
own category. Steller needs to capitalize on the storytelling aspect of the app/brand.
-Steller is not a photo sharing app or a social network. Steller is a storytelling community
– aim to become the “Sleek Storyteller” and join competitors.
-Steller is somewhat of a combination of all three of its competitors, as it uses aspects
that its competitors use – like, follow, variety of categories to post in/browse through –
and even has Pinterest and Instagram accounts. However Steller is different and should
be marketed differently and in a category of its own. Instead of doing multiple posts in
one day, which is annoying to some followers, Steller allows you to post multiple
pictures/videos at one time, in one book, with no limit on characters. Stellar is a way to
express yourself through your pictures but a more intimate story than Tumblr, Pinterest,
or Instagram. Its specific, cohesive picture sequences allow you to tell small stories
about who you are and what you are into with comments and strategic storylines. Steller
has the capability to take much more professional pictures and allows you to dive
deeper in meaning than other apps.
-Steller needs to separate itself from larger “photo sharing” apps so it can stand out in
its own world.
-It’s all in the name - Steller- “Be a Storyteller, Be Steller.”
-Emphasize the importance and benefits of storytelling. Storytelling is an innate form of
communication – it is how humans have communicated with each other and gathered
knowledge from each other for centuries. The brain is activated more during storytelling
than it is when one simply looks/views something – it is a way to exercise the brain.
Storytelling is a mechanism of passing on wisdom and information – it is part of the
human experience and is deeply engrained in human culture.
-Steller should concentrate on marketing to potential users who have a story to tell, i.e.
fitness enthusiasts, travelers, designers, crafters, chefs, photographers, etc.
-Target businesses and brands, for example fashion designers/brands, chefs, and
interior designers, to create look books, just like its competitors have established
themselves among brands.
-Steller needs to reach out to other types of news outlets, i.e. Home & Garden, SHAPE,
Food & Wine, Travel, etc. - Steller is relevant and can be marketed to many kinds of
users.
-Connect with different celebrities and/or professionals to do frequent “take-overs” of
brand’s Steller accounts.
-Emphasize the “On-the-go storytelling” capability; appeals to a wider audience who
doesn’t necessarily have to be a design professional, but can make thoughtful posts.
-Stress the easiness and convenience of using it, as well as its sleekness.
-Needs to branch out to Android devices.