Written by Ardela Nabila | Read in Indonesian

On Friday (18/11) the Reunion Re:defined was held as part of IdeaFest 2022 pre-events at HUSH!, Jakarta where Nipplets was one of the sponsors. During the event, TFR had the opportunity to chat with one of Nipplets' muse.

Yosy, talked about her participation in Nipplets' newest campaign “Freedom of Fantasy” which was launched on Friday (11/11). Yosy was first appointed as brand ambassador, but she still wanted to be the muse of the local lingerie brand.

"Actually, before I was appointed a muse, I was a brand ambassador, but in my mind, I did manifest that ‘one day I will be a muse for Nipplets’, because I'm one of Nipplet's biggest fans," she said.

A muse of the same campaign, Isvara, told TFR a similar sentiment on a different occasion.

“At first, I signed up because at that time, Nipplets was looking for a muse based in Bali. I have long been wanting to be Nipplets' muse, I have manifested it. I want to challenge myself and show the world that the more we accept ourselves, the more the world will show us opportunities," said Isvara.

Both Yosy and Isvara had the same goal when they applied to be Nipplets’ muse, namely to inspire and support the women around them as well as the community within Nipplets.

Nipplets is a lingerie brand that has been around since 2016, founded by Ida Swasti. Through Nipplets, Ida offers a variety of lingerie which are often launched simultaneously with various empowering campaigns for women who are her target consumers.

However, apart from doing business for profit, Ida as the founder has another goal, namely to build a space for storytelling and mutual support for women. At Nipplets, not only consumers can ask questions about the lingerie products, they can also tell stories and hold discussions through the community.

This strategy is also known as brand community, namely a series of relationships between a group of customers or consumers and a brand. Citing The Business Professor, this strategy allows brands to “integrate” into the consumers’ social lives.

By doing so, they are thinking about the brand in their day-to-day life when they log into their social media or they visit with the other people in the brand community. 

Even though it cannot be denied that profit is the main goal in doing business, there are actually many other aspects that need attention; one of which is community, because it can enhance and strengthen the branding of the business.

Moreover, through this strategy, consumer loyalty also increases and brands can attract more new consumers. Eventually, business continuity can be maintained.

When asked how Nipplets was able to build its community, Ida emphasised the importance of storytelling in conveying its stories. This method can indeed create a deeper relationship with consumers, especially those who can relate to the story.

“This (community) is formed because of followers (Niplets). If asked why (it can be formed), it was because I created personal branding at Nipplets to show who the owner is. I started giving personal experience, started storytelling, and so I got close to my followers and this community was formed," Ida explained.

In addition to sharing their own experience, in implementing the brand community strategy, Nipplets also embraces models which it calls muse to reinforce the message it wants to convey to its consumers and community.

Muse as a representation to convey empowering messages

Choosing a muse who has the same vision and mission is the key so that the brand message that Nipplets wants to convey can be more effectively received by its consumers.

That is because the muse will be the “face” of Nipplets. Usually, the common goals and values ​​will be reflected in the stories told by the muse.

“So if the story can be empowering and can help other women out there be more self-accepting, more able to express themselves, sensuality, that is very good. Our team is very open to accepting friends who really want to empower other women," Ida said.

In addition, unlike most other underwear brands, Nipplets does not set a certain standard regarding the body shape of its muse, as Nipplets prioritises conveying body positivity messages. This was what attracted Yosy to join Nipplets.

"Their campaigns always empower Indonesian women to raise their self-confidence. So one of the things I like the most is that Nipplets chose their muse not based on the usual standards, that it has to be like this or that, that one has to be thin or proportional," Yosy told TFR recently.

Yosy, who said that she wants to be able to support the female friends around her through her involvement in the Nipplets campaign, also admitted that she feels encouraged to be more confident after being chosen as a muse.

“Indeed, after participating in this campaign, I feel more confident, even though I have always been confident. Because the story I shared with Nipplets is my process (confidence) until now," she added.

Isvara said she also felt the same way; experiencing a positive change to better appreciate the process of loving herself.

“Being Nipplets' muse, I was met with a safe environment and interesting people. They also have their own story and that opened my horizon. We learn that everyone has their own wounds and struggles to heal them in their own way, including by loving themselves," Isvara explained.

Community as support system

Ida said that many consumers or social media followers often share stories related to the problems they face. When the story was shared on Nipplets, many people gave their support.

She said this is where the community is considered important, because it can be used as a place to support each other.

"When they told their story and it was shared on Nipplets, there were a lot of other female friends who could help encourage them, helping them regain their confidence. So this community is very important for the support system," she concluded.

Boudoir shoots to give a different experience for consumers

Apart from muse and community, Nipplets also considers the experience consumers can get through their catalogue photos.

Upon visiting Nipplets’ social media, consumers will instantly see portraits of the muse in lingerie and sensual poses. This type of boudoir shoots also has its own meaning.

More than just giving an artistic impression and accentuating the lingerie, Nipplets’ boudoir shoots aim to provide a different experience for the women who see them.

"These shoots, in my opinion, are because what I sell is not just products. What I sell is the experience behind that, the experience of feeling confident, the experience of feeling appreciated as a woman," Ida said.

That way, the message conveyed through the campaign for the variety of its lingerie products can be dispersed more optimally.

"The boudoir shoots are more about the moment, so it's up to people's fantasies; what can be extracted from this campaign, these photoshoots, both for the muse themselves and for the people who see them," she continued.

In the end, maintaining good relations with consumers is the key to maintaining the sustainability of a business. And community is one of many effective strategies for achieving that goal.

Relationships with customers that are based on trust and communication can also help a brand increase its value, especially to make them stand out from competitors.

“It’s not only for my business, but also for the business to reach the community and other people and make it strong and solid. If you ask what is good about having a community? Obviously, it's good that when we're being insulted, there are people defending us. So I'm glad to have this community inside Nipplets," Ida concluded.

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