Case study
Process
In Spring 2025, I led a four-person team at Edulis, a hair care startup, to develop a go-to-market strategy for a new beauty tech product. The project culminated in a design experience walkthrough, where founders flew in to see our proposed ‘One Chair Model’—a scalable approach that partners with high-end salons by introducing a single Edulis chair as the entry point. Using a six-phase timeline, user research, and targeted partnership outreach, we secured founder adoption for the 2026 launch and achieved strategic brand alignment.
Background Market Research
To begin our go-to-market strategy, I organized a comprehensive competitive analysis of 15+ beauty companies, creating detailed evaluation matrices across innovation, pricing, and market positioning. My systematic approach to organizing this research revealed there was a gap in the market for brands that focused on longevity-luxury and scientific innovation; this became our strategic opportunity.
User Personas
With the market opportunity defined, we interviewed stylists, colorists, and longevity-focused consumers to uncover emotional drivers and professional pain points. The key insight: hair is deeply vulnerable—users needed a brand they could trust that felt credible, scientifically backed, and aligned with their values. We synthesized these findings into user personas that shaped our brand positioning.
Brand Development
Based on our competitive analysis and user research, we positioned the brand around scientific innovation, longevity, and aspirational beauty tech.
Grounded in user research, we developed the final logo, branding, messaging, and color palette—securing stakeholder buy-in at each stage. We validated design choices through surveys, ensuring colors resonated emotionally and reinforced associations with trust and credibility.
Launch Strategy
With our brand positioning established, we developed a six-phase launch strategy. Using a geographic-demographic approach, I identified high-density customer areas in West LA and pursued partnerships with brands targeting similar demographics. This ensured our launch met users where they lived and shopped while building partnerships grounded in shared brand values, authentic connections, and customer accessibility.
Social Media Outreach Plan
Targeted 1,500+ beauty and lifestyle creators for a 90-day intensive campaign
Launched #EdulisEffect challenge showcasing before/after hair transformations
Implemented an OLAPLEX-inspired model to generate user-generated content
Focused on creators aligned with conscious beauty and scientific innovation values
Outcome
Results & Success Measurement
Our recommendations were ultimately adopted by the founder as the strategy for the 2026 launch, demonstrating my ability to deliver client-ready solutions that support long-term business growth.
The Edulis team flew in to experience our immersive demonstration, showcasing our strategy of implementing beauty tech one chair at a time in existing salons. Each design element was validated by market research and user surveys, confirming alignment with our target demographic's luxury and safety expectations.
Key Takeaways for Future Projects
This project taught me that effective marketing coordination requires balancing creative vision with analytical rigor. I learned to build consensus through data, anticipate roadblocks, and create flexible systems that adapt to changing requirements, while also managing event planning, maintaining budgets, and developing pricing insights to guide the
