![]() “It’s an exciting challenge, figuring out how to engage with them in other ways, but it won’t happen overnight.” CEO Mark Constantine - one of Lush’s six co-founders and Jack’s father - has a dedicated email address for customer feedback, and the brand has an active Reddit page instigated by its followers. “We have ten million followers across our social media platforms that we won’t be able to talk to using those tools,” he says. Consumers might feel closer to the brand because it isn’t trying to communicate with everyone.”Ĭonstantine is prepared to be patient. “ if you have other ways of reaching your community and strong word-of-mouth referrals, coming off social media could increase perceived exclusivity and authenticity. “If you don’t have brand awareness and customer loyalty, a move like this could be detrimental,” says Watson. Reaching people on other platforms might surpass that.” “On social media, our persuasion knowledge is activated, which means we’re aware that marketers are trying to convince us to purchase. There are other benefits to marketing in less obvious places such as owned print magazines, email newsletters and community activations, says Watson. Lush is hoping to reach customers through its website and app, as well as physical activations like its Snow Fairy tour stall at Comic Con (left). If all companies do it, we might see a cyclical pattern of people expanding and contracting their own marketplace – similar to the shift in digital media from fragmented television channels to cable bundles, and individual streaming services to streaming bundles - so we’ll come back to where we are today.” That might instil brand loyalty, but it makes it harder for Lush to win back customers that defer for whatever reason. “If we go into this hyper-compartmentalised approach, there will be less variety-seeking from consumers. Watson argues that the growing apprehension and mistrust around social media gives companies such as Lush the opportunity to create “a zero-party relationship” with customers, but how that will pan out long-term remains to be seen. “The move will create a buzz for Lush, and people will start seeing the company as a champion of this movement,” suggests Jared Watson, assistant professor of marketing at New York University Stern School of Business, but he points out the need to stay with it: “The fact that Lush has tried this before might undermine the perceived authenticity of this strategy.” Risk versus reward While other brands sit back and watch, there are potential benefits to pioneering a shift such as this. Now feels like a more stable time to re-establish our position and stand by our digital ethics.” During the pandemic, shops were closed and social media was the best way to engage with customers, so we used those tools again. “Social media is addictive, and we struggled to convince our team to go cold turkey. “We were a bit ahead of the curve,” he says. After that, the pandemic hit and its digital team saw little option but to return to social media.Ĭonstantine acknowledges that the company faced difficult choices. ![]() During the nine-month break, Lush encouraged customers to engage with its staff and stores’ individual social media accounts, Lush hashtags, its e-commerce site and the Lush Labs app. In March 2019, the company announced it was switching off - or, as Lush put it, “switching up social” - tired of fighting algorithms and unwilling to pay for newsfeed real estate. Lush has taken a stance against social media before. “It is counter-intuitive for us to use platforms that keep you hyper-tense, engaged and anxious.” Second time lucky? “Social media was not designed to look after people’s health, but our products are,” explains Lush chief digital officer Jack Constantine. For Lush, the move was prompted by broader news about social media whistleblowers and the negative impact algorithms have on users’ mental health - an issue that is particularly relevant to Lush’s core demographic of young girls.
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