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Background
The beauty industry thrives on virality, but in the age of social media, that can be a double-edged sword. One viral TikTok video can catapult a brand to success â or bring it to its knees. From Youthforiaâs foundation shade controversy to Huda Beautyâs mislabeling error, brands are discovering that managing customer expectations and addressing backlash swiftly is critical to their survival.
âIt happens pretty fast when it does happen. ⦠Sometimes itâs an unknown creator who can make [a product] go viral for all the wrong reasons,â says beauty correspondent Daniela Morisini. âYou have to be willing to listen when they tell you that you got it wrong.â
Key Insights
- Building a strong brand community involves more than just creating a product; it means engaging with your customers and allowing them to have a meaningful role in your brandâs development. âIf youâre going to create a community to help your brand grow, you need to understand that those customers want a seat at the table,â says Morosini. Listening to customer feedback, especially when things go wrong, is crucial.
- Being proactive in addressing customer complaints is crucial. As demonstrated by Huda Beautyâs mislabeling issue, taking responsibility early on and offering solutions can stop a backlash from spiralling. Morosini notes, âShe took full accountability and offered to make everybody whole if theyâd bought the wrong shade.â
- Hair care products, especially those tied to hair loss, tend to evoke emotional responses and intense scrutiny. The stakes are high as hair loss is a sensitive, deeply personal issue. As Morosini points out, âThere are so many factors that can cause hair loss⦠people donât want to roll the dice if thereâs even a 1% chance a product could be the cause.â
- Complexion product mishaps can be particularly damaging for beauty brands, as they quickly highlight inclusivity gaps. âItâs just so obvious when a brand has missed the mark with complexion,â says Morosini. âOftentimes the scandals that seem to cause a lot of blowback, they come back to that exclusionary point,â she adds. âNobody likes to feel left out.â