LILY-LARK – social media, website

Lily-Lark

Lily-Lark is my side hustle, and I make UV-protective bamboo sun parasols and matching hand fans. It’s the first unique sunsafe accessory for women to use in a more fashion-forward context, while protecting themselves from the harmful and aging rays of the sun. With a UPF 50+ coating, the parasols protect the user from over 99% of the sun’s UV rays, and the canopies are printed with contemporary fine art. With the planet getting hotter, standing under the shade of a parasol and using a hand fan are getting more popular by the minute.

I developed the name, logo, website, and products. I find art from surface textile designers and artists from around the globe, and print them digitally on the fabric to make canopies. Last year, a lower-priced line with all new fabric prints was developed. That, in addition to the hand fans, was a game changer.

Media has mainly been social, digital, email, promotional, and influencer marketing.

Social

I couldn’t help but have fun with the fact that the Suffragettes used umbrellas with slogans on them in the last century. As women’s rights have been forefront of the current election, it was a no-brainer to connect Lily-Lark.

Influencer marketing

I have some of the coolest influencers, because parasols are...well...fun!

Social Impact Promotions

The hand fans have a totally different target audience than the parasols, which are mostly about sun protection, and fashion. The hand fans are used by parasol users, but also purchased and used by women of all ages, and women who are not as focused on sun exposure. They are more about temperature control and comfort. As such, they appeal to women of all ages.

The intention of this first campaign is to use A-list celebrities who have started non-profits that benefit disadvantaged young people. While there is the opportunity to do a lot with skin cancer fundraising and research with the parasols, the hand fans allow us to focus on other areas where we can make a contribution.

Offering celebs their own custom hand fan, which largely goes to support their non-profit is a win-win. As a small brand, you can’t purchase that kind of publicity.

There are so many things that we can do with the hand fans that are aligned with the product. With climate change and hotter temps, the sea ice is melting in areas like The Hudson Bay, in Churchill, Canada, which is where polar bears live during the colder months. With shrinking sea ice, it becomes harder for them to survive out at sea. I photographed the polar bears there a few years ago, so we are using my photos to do a line of hand fans that give a percentage to Polar Bears International, a non-profit that helps educate people and protect the bears. Each fan has a chop that says “Be Cool and Save a Bear”.

Social Media

And...we all know Santa deserved a break after Christmas this past year. Retail sales were through the roof, and this guy really came through, delivering his share of chotckes and goodies for all the well-behaved kids amongst us. So it comes as no surprise that we found him the day after, taking a well deserved, but sun-safe holiday...

We’re running a sale and having fun with the fact that our unique products are so colorful. These are some social media posts for our WINTER BLUES SALE.

In one of our first social media campaigns, Lily-Lark showed how beautifully the varied line of parasol prints pair with current designers' ready-to-wear offerings.

This was for a promotion with a favorite influencer, Dr. Colleen Darnell, aka Vintage_Egyptologist, who keeps growing by leaps and bounds. When we met in 2018, she had about 60K followers. When this promotion ran, she had grown. We ran this on Instagram and had her followers like Lily-Lark and comment on this post to be in a drawing for a free parasol. It was delightful to see women’s reactions to having a Lily-Lark. Last year, we collaborated on a really cool print with her. She was recently in Egypt, and did some photography with the new print. Now she has around 230K followers, and there will be a bigger launch of that print this spring in 2023.

Promotion on Social Media

Email

Website

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