In June 2024, I began work on the Elevate U Beauty campaign, launching in 30 stores—a bold new initiative for Follett, a company traditionally focused on selling textbooks and school-branded apparel in college campus bookstores. Venturing into the beauty industry was uncharted territory for us, but we embraced the challenge and learned a great deal along the way.

Each store faced unique installation challenges and had different launch dates, which added complexity to the rollout. After discussions with the VP of Hardlines Merchandise, we decided to host Grand Opening events at all 30 stores two weeks after classes began in Fall 2024.

As the marketing and brand management lead, my responsibilities included:

• Collaborating with the graphic designer to create the Elevate U Beauty logo.

• Developing a comprehensive marketing and promotional calendar extending through 2025. This included market research on other retailers as well as consistent meetings with each brand to discuss activations.

• Securing samples from makeup brands for giveaway bags. 4500 sample bags were distributed among the 30 stores. All products were donated by the various beauty brands.

• Leading the planning and coordination of the Grand Opening events and following up with all 30 stores.

• Working cross functionally to launch “Coming Soon” and “Available Now” email and social media campaigns.

• Partnering with store managers and campus administrators to promote the events and highlight the new Elevate U Beauty collection.

This project was a significant step forward for Follett, and it showcased the potential of innovation within the traditional college bookstore model.