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Academic Project

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IMC Plan

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Drunk Elephant

| Academic Project | IMC Plan | Drunk Elephant

IMC Plan for Drunk Elephant

A Repositioning strategy to restore credibility with the original target audience

Project Overview

A cross-channel campaign designed to reposition Drunk Elephant from a trend-driven skincare brand to an ingredient-led, compatibility-first system focused on long-term skin health.

What I worked on

Team: Hrutuja Admuthe, Nimrata Singh, Madison Watson, Michael Morgan

  1. Led omnichannel campaign planning across channels

  2. Elevated visual direction for brand credibility

  3. Aligned the budget with the IMC strategy

  4. Proposed a repositioning strategy that brought the brand closer to its original target audience

Where’s the disconnect?

  • Drunk Elephant is still widely recognized, but much of that awareness is tied to TikTok, playful packaging, and youth-driven hype. The brand is being seen, but not always trusted as a serious skincare authority, which creates a gap between its popularity and its premium positioning.

  • Drunk Elephant’s compatibility philosophy is one of its biggest differentiators, but many consumers do not fully understand how the products work together. Without clearer education around layering, ingredients, and routine-building, the brand’s system gets lost behind its colorful image.

  • The brand has expanded beyond its original audience, but that visibility has also blurred who Drunk Elephant is really speaking to. To win back intentional skincare consumers, especially those investing in long-term results, the brand needs a more mature, ingredient-led story that makes the price feel justified.

And we turned that disconnect into direction!

The campaign focuses on three key shifts:

Move from “smoothies” to “cocktails” to signal precision, intention, and a more refined approach to combining products.

1

Speak to “intentional skin investors” (consumer segment) who prioritize consistency, compatibility, and long-term results over quick fixes and trends.

2

Present product mixing as a structured, thoughtful routine built on formulation logic rather than playful experimentation.

3

The Big Idea

The Big Idea

MIXILOGY MADE EASY

A campaign that makes Drunk Elephant’s compatibility system feel simpler, smarter, and more intentional.

By shifting from “smoothies” to “cocktails,” the brand makes product mixing a clearer, more elevated way to build routines for long-term skin health.

The Big Idea

The Big Idea

Communication Channels

Communication Mix

Phase 01

1

Campaign Film

  • Introduces the concept of “skin cocktails”, ingredient-led visuals, and educational

  • Will run on YouTube for 6 months

  • Suggested casting - Anne Hathaway

Primary Medium
Digital Channels

Static Ads

  • Build credibility through ingredients, results, and before-and-afters

  • Educate consumers on product compatibility

  • Make skincare education visually engaging and easy to understand

2

Shortform Video Ads

  • Showcase product textures and ingredients

  • Explain compatibility and how products work together

  • Build credibility while keeping the content quick and social-first

3

Phase 02
Secondary Medium
Pop-Up/OOH/Website + Email Marketing

The Intensive Line

  • Enhance visual cues and design elements to communicate greater scientific credibility and prestige

  • Refine the visual language to better resonate with older consumers seeking sophistication and credibility

  • Use packaging design to signal quality, efficacy, and value consistent with the brand’s high price point

4

5

A limited-time immersive activation in key metro markets (NYC, LA, MIA) designed to:

  • Demonstrate compatibility science & educate consumers on ritual architecture

  • Offer dermatologist-led consultations

  • Visualize ingredient compatibility

01 Mini Facial/ Skin Reset Station

Influencers and visitors receive 5-minute “cocktail facials” from dermatologists, including a quick skin analysis, custom smoothie creation, application + facial massage, and a glow-check mirror moment.

02 The “Skincare Cocktail Bar”

Visitors “order” custom skincare cocktails based on their skin goals. A Drunk Elephant skin bartender mixes and layers products like the Glowtini, Velvet Colada, or Repair Spritz, while explaining the benefits and application order. Guests leave with a personalized recipe card.

03 The Compatibility System ft. the Intensive Line

Visitors explore the new Intensive Line and updated packaging through interactive ingredient stations that explain each ingredient’s benefits, higher concentrations, and how the products work together when layered.

Compatibility Lab Pop-Up

6

Authority Signaling Media (Print + OOH)

Print Media

Selective placements in prestige beauty publications emphasizing:

  • Minimal, mature visual direction

  • Clinical messaging

  • Ingredient transparency & compatibility based messaging

Out-of-Home (OOH)

  • Targeted high consumer traffic placements in NYC, LA, Chicago

  • Creative will feature restrained visuals and concise authority-led messaging

6

Owned Channels (Website + Email Marketing)

Website

The website functions as the educational anchor, featuring:

  • Interactive compatibility system explanations

  • Ritual-building tools

  • Ingredient transparency modules

Email Marketing

  • Ritual onboarding sequences

  • Ingredient education series

  • Post-pop-up follow-up engagement

  • Long-term skin investment messaging

Explore the complete process

here

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Academic Project

|

IMC Plan

|

Drunk Elephant

| Academic Project | IMC Plan | Drunk Elephant