I. Current Situation

Headphones are so much more than devices that render sound. They are also fashion accessories, status symbols, and tools for communication. And they offer us freedom—the opportunity to temporarily escape from all of the meaningless noise that surrounds us.


In 2016, TRNDlabs, a design-focused tech company, will release two new models of headphones that will disrupt the current market, delivering innovative features at a respectable price point. The first of the two models, “Ventura,” is designed for style and elegance; the second, “Franklin,” is foldable, practical, and tough; both offer incredible fidelity and performance.

II. Challenge

From 2014 to 2015, headphone sales rose 18%, generating $2.9b in revenue. Sport headphones and Bluetooth headphones performed best; sales of Bluetooth headphones have more than doubled over the past year, while sales of fitness headphones grew by 88 percent. Sales figures demonstrate that there is plenty of room for TRNDlabs to capture market share in these segments, if the company can capture and hold the attention of shoppers.

III. Proposal

Campaign Idea 1: The Birth of Ventura & Franklin
  1. Origin stories that tell about the births of Ventura and Franklin would create memorable narratives, while setting TRNDlabs’ communication style apart from competitors. Such product insights will foster the feeling of early discovery in customers, which drives loyalty; hosting original narratives on Fabl reinforces the principles of innovation and clean design. The campaign would highlight TRNDlab’s creativity and dedication to producing innovative headphones that suit varying needs of consumers.
Campaign Idea 2: Lifestyle Storytelling
  1. A lifestyle series would help customers envision themselves using the headphones. Some examples might be wellness, travel, music, dating, or fashion. Storytelling that humanizes the products increases shareability and drives customer acquisition. This type of campaign also presents powerful opportunities to align with customers based on shared values.

We strongly encourage TRNDlabs to promote the content it publishes on Fabl on content discovery services like Outbrain, Quark, and/or Taboola; these services can target online users browsing tech sites or searching for similar products. Investment is low, and return has proven to be high; we have seen 5-day campaigns generate nearly 750,000 impressions with 1,500 direct reads, using a budget of only $500.
TRNDlabs should also consider promoting one or more posts on Facebook to achieve maximum reach and spread. With this type of promotion, we have seen 5-day campaigns generate 40,000+ impressions and 1,000+ posts with an investment of only $450.

IV. Impact

The proposed native content campaign, when distributed and promoted on cross-channel native content solutions, will target tech fans as well as casual shoppers. Across its 90-day campaign, the published native stories will drive a projected 2M impressions; the conversion target of 200,000 measurable engagements will include story reads and social shares in addition to headphone purchases.

The Fabl platform uses immersive content that is proven to increase reading time and decrease bounce rates. The average reading time is 2-3 minutes; purchase opportunities, using our integrated ecommerce tools, will be embedded before the 1:30 mark, with another at the conclusion of the story.

  • $49.00
  • Wireless audio solution that allows you to move freely.
  • 6 hours of music or talk time.
  • Entire unit is sweat-proof.
Spend a day in the #sun while listening to your favorite #jams. #tranquilsunday
Spend a day in the #sun while listening to your favorite #jams. #tranquilsunday

Social share buttons are embedded at notable quotes and alongside product shots, and give readers the option to share the news of a purchase or the intent to purchase on Twitter and/or Facebook. The enhanced shareability has the added benefit of boosting SEO rankings in popular searches.

V. Scope, Recommendations

The proposed story will be built on the Fabl platform, with all content development and story build to be completed by TRNDlabs. Client retains ownership of implementation, cross-promotion, media buying, and all other related marketing efforts and associated costs.

A. Editorial

Words matter as much as design. While images, video, and quotes capture attention, meaningful written content holds it. Text is an infinitely scalable tool that can define your brand’s values and explain your products’ unique selling propositions. Readers look for text that is engaging and conversational, and that mirrors the personality of the brand. They also look for text that is grammatically correct and error-free.


The average read time on Fabl is just under three minutes. That’s approximately 700-800 words, which should be the target length of each story.

B. Multimedia Design

Immersive storytelling is fueled by high quality images and videos. Optimal image resolution is greater than 1000 x 1000 pixels. For videos, 720p (also known as HD) allows for non-pixelated viewing. Acquiring high-resolution content will provide TRNDlabs’ team with design versatility, from thumbnails to full screen content.

C. Story Build

Story building will vary depending on the amount of text and visual content available. For optimal, immersive results, every paragraph (4–6 sentences) should be followed by alternative content forms.

Fabl offers the ability to break up text-heavy content with images, videos, buttons, products, pull quotes, and audio—diverse content replenishes engagement throughout the story, leading to longer reading times and lower bounce rates (see IV, Impact). Reading experiences that are crafted to TRNDlabs’ audience add consumer value and foster B2C relationships, built on aligning brand and consumer values.

D. Native Content Distribution
The sky’s the limit when it comes to #native news discovery.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to #native news discovery.

Client has the option to manage Quartz, Outbrain, and Taboola campaigns for native news discovery. Client will retain responsibility for fees generated by these outlets. TRNDlabs will have the opportunity to follow Fabl’s content destination, Storyboard, to keep up with the latest content marketing tips.

E. Cross Promotion

Fabl stories will simplify cross promotion of TRNDlabs’ campaigns through shareable content. Any content caption field can be filled with “social media approved” phrases (tags, hashtags, word limit) that will be ready for post promotion. Good news; cross promotion is easy and exciting with visual content built on the Fabl platform.

Ride the wave of #socialmedia. Spread bite-sized #content in your @Fabl story. #contentmarketing
Ride the wave of #socialmedia. Spread bite-sized #content in your @Fabl story. #contentmarketing

VI. Investment

Solution Proposed Investment
One - Time Setup/Integration $ 2,500
90 - Day Campaign Solution $ 15,000
Total $ 17,500