How could a supposedly social-first brand miss the mark on inclusivity not once, but twice?
Working in social, your ears are constantly to the ground - eagerly soaking in what your community and the internet are saying. Every trending whisper or pump-specific complaint, all hurled at you with velocity. A mere account toggle separating you from your personal feed of proposals and bagels and the, at times whirlpool of online vitriol.
Brands who face this backlash once have the opportunity to learn from it. Be it deserving or not. Lick their wounds and level up. Hiring the right people, paying them deservingly and investing in different voices from different backgrounds. To help ensure diversity of thought from the development process to the launch upload.
Instead, what too often happens is ego interrupts. Social teams ignored (ha! “team”). CX flags are negated as micro moments in isolation. PR pros put on pause. And the inclusivity issue remains. Halted at the top. By old-school, distinctly beige, pre-Fenty thinking. Or even selfish, faux-universal, new-wave thinking.
The moral of the backlash-behold story? Embrace your diversity practices with two hands and your social listening with all ears.
#beautyindustry #socialmedia #brandsafety
Community @ LinkedIn I Mental Health Advocate I Mother
6moGreat opportunity! Commenting for viz!