See And Be Seen: Transformative Eyewear

In my online course with Samsung, titled "Designing For A Diverse And Inclusive Future," a key revelation emerged: the vast majority of eyewear worldwide is not tailored to accommodate a diverse range of face shapes. An often-overlooked reality is that a significant portion of glasses, whether prescription or fashion-oriented, is crafted to suit a narrow face profile characterized by Eurocentric features.¹²³

People desire products that align with their identity, complement their individuality, and provide comfort. By crafting eyewear designed to accommodate a diverse spectrum of face shapes, we can help the industry become more inclusive. This approach not only recognizes the beauty inherent in everyone but also ensures that individuals from various backgrounds feel seen and catered to.

There are business benefits, too, to making eyewear more inclusive. For companies within this space, catering to a broader audience not only unlocks access to previously untapped markets—it also elevates customer satisfaction, nurtures positive brand reputation, fosters favorable word-of-mouth, and positions them uniquely in a competitive market landscape.

Introducing Katoa Frames: a brand I've conceptualized to redefine sunglasses, ensuring they not only look good but also feel fantastic on every facial structure. The name “Katoa” holds significance, translating to “everyone” in the Māori language. Katoa wholeheartedly embraces inclusive product design. Its specialty lies in crafting sunglasses that effortlessly complement every individual, reinforcing its commitment to making eyewear that looks good on everyone.

I envisioned an email-centric pre-purchase campaign for Katoa, with the dual objectives of boosting brand awareness and driving conversions among prospects. To bring this marketing campaign to life, I researched leading eyewear brands; developed an outreach strategy based on industry best practice as well as my own extensive firsthand experience as a marketer; and wrote and designed the emails that would form the core of an email marketing series—one that would hopefully transform intrigued prospects into lifelong customers.

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¹ Naudé, Marcha, and Angus Donald Campbell. “Not the ‘Regular’ Fit: A Socio-technical Systems Approach to Designing Eyewear in South Africa.” November 2020.

² This Is Plastics.” Edge of Equity: Plastic’s role in advancing vision equity. Plastics Industry Association.

³ Jackson, Rees. “Discovering Race Bias While Shopping for Glasses.” Medium, July 29, 2019.

Strategic Blueprint For A Marketing Campaign

Elemental Components

Objective: Our focus is dedicated to enhancing brand awareness, cultivating interest, and facilitating conversions for Katoa. This will be achieved by preemptively addressing the questions of prospective customers, alleviating their concerns, and delivering customized content that’s aligned with each stage of the buyer journey.

Customer Profile: Our target audience consists of net-new prospects who are interested in purchasing sunglasses and agree with the brand’s inclusive mission. These individuals—most likely Millennials or Zoomers, as will be explored later—represent a valuable market segment because while they have yet to make a purchase from Katoa Frames, they have buying power, an interest in fashion and oftentimes a passion for issues of diversity or social justice.

Competitive Differentiator: The central question guiding our strategy is, “Why should people choose Katoa Frames over myriad alternatives in the leisure eyewear market?” Our unique value proposition contains the answer: Katoa’s products are meticulously engineered to complement the full spectrum of human facial features, which is something most eyewear brands cannot say. This differentiator positions Katoa as a standout choice in a crowded marketplace.

Methodology: The framework of this campaign revolves around best practice. Prospects will receive anywhere between three and six emails, based on their level of engagement with the campaign itself: that is, while one email will always send for each funnel stage, each stage will also have an additional message ready to send to prospects who have yet to open the initial stage-specific email after sufficient time has passed. Later on in this document, research will be shared that speaks to optimal send days and times, experiments to run, psychographic considerations and more.

Brand Identity

Our voice in copy should be well-meaning, direct and unpretentious. And the visual aesthetic that accompanies this voice should be vivid, colorful and wholesome: a dreamscape that celebrates and embraces people of all styles, ages and cultural backgrounds. The dimensions and shapes of chosen photographs can be playfully manipulated to capture the vibrant essence of this diversity.

Central to the visual identity of Katoa is a carefully curated color palette—Lemon Yellow (#fffc52), Neon Blue (#5254ff), and Brilliant Rose (#ff52ab). This harmonious combination is more than a visual delight; it’s a strategic choice. It's a palette designed not just to be seen but to be felt—a reflection of the ethos we stand for: inclusivity, joy and a touch of the extraordinary in every frame.

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Yellow exudes warmth and cheerfulness,¹ inviting consumers to feel good and look good, and to feel good because they look good. Blue, a beacon of trust, honest and reliability,² speaks to the brand’s commitment to making legitimately high-quality eyewear. And as an accent, Brilliant Rose introduces an element of fun and novelty³—grabbing attention, speaking to cultural phenomenons, “creat[ing] great excitement and commotion,” to quote Pantone, as it “define[s] a global conversation around identity.”

¹²³ Sources on color theory for yellow, blue and pink.

How This Was Made

• Email mockups: Created in Mailchimp by me, written by me, photos by many creators who can be found on Pexels and Shutterstock.

• Logo for Katoa Frames created by Stefan Ilic, who can be found on Fiverr.

• Digital book created by Eva Schuil, who can be found on Fiverr.

• Research conducted by me on the email marketing and aesthetics of Mohala Eyewear, Raen Optics and Warby Parker.

• Charitable program The Loveland Foundation explored in the Decision stage is real and important.

• Customer review in the Decision email generated by ChatGPT.

Click here to go to the first stage in this campaign: Awareness