Mental health, addiction, self-image… The negative impacts of social networks on users are multiple and concern both the platforms themselves and the companies that place them at the heart of their communication. A problem taken head on by the cosmetics brand Lush, which decided in 2021 to close its Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat accounts. But what are the consequences of such a distancing? A year later, a look back at a decision that is as ethical as it is strategic.
Leaving social networks when you are a company, mission impossible? In any case, this is the decision that was taken in November 2021 by the cosmetics brand Lush. A few weeks before Christmas, the English company had paused all of its Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat accounts in 48 countries, the latter accumulating more than 12 million subscribers. Lush then explained that he no longer wanted to communicate on these platforms as long as they did not offer a safe environment to Internet users. “In the same way that evidence of climate change was ignored and belittled for decades, concerns about the severe effects of social media are now largely ignored”she said in a statement.
“The idea was to pave the way, to create awareness”, tells Novethic Chloé Chazot, Communications Manager at Lush for France, Belgium and Luxembourg. Two months earlier, in September 2021, the revelations of whistleblower Frances Haugen shook the press. The engineer revealed serious dysfunctions within Facebook to the Wall Street Journal. She notably accused Meta of being informed of the harmful effects caused by Facebook and Instagram on young women, “aggrav[ant] body image issues for one in three teenage girls”, without taking any action. A trigger for the management of Lush, which claims to want to create secure spaces for its customers, and which adds to an ongoing reflection within the company.
Communicate beyond social media
In 2019, the British headquarters had decided for the first time to close its local accounts on social networks. “This decision is part of a journey that had germinated further upstream”says Chloé Chazot. “We already had a step back from these platforms. Lush has never sponsored content or made paid partnerships. We had a very organic relationship with our community, which the algorithm undermined.” However, the health crisis and confinement prompted Lush to retrace its steps, then forced to close its shops for several weeks. It is therefore only in 2021 that the brand definitely turns the corner, promising to create new channels of conversation. But a little over a year later, what about this strategy?
“It was a challenge not to lose contact with our community. These millions of subscribers, we found them differently”, says Chloé Chazot. To maintain the link with a clientele accustomed to the omnipresence of cosmetic brands on social networks, the company had to be imaginative. Collaboration with world famous licenses such as the One Piece manga or the Stranger Things series, creation of an island within the Animal Crossing video game, launch of an inclusive podcast (in English) with the American poet Aja Monet on the “personal, social and environmental well-being”… Lush favored topics and channels rooted in the habits of its target audience, young adults. The brand has also worked on reorganizing its network of stores.
A day-to-day reflection
Because the company relies heavily on its customers to fuel conversations about it on social networks. “Many of our customers will create content spontaneously about the use of products. They are the best ambassadors”, believes Chloé Chazot. Influencers are also solicited, but on a “organic way” says the communication manager. “We have never imposed elements of language or hashtags. There is a real freedom of tone that is left to our community.” Not having accounts on social platforms does not necessarily mean no longer being present. And the brand’s financial results seem to corroborate this choice, which is as ethical as it is strategic. In the UK, Lush announced sales of more than 45 million euros in December 2022, a key month for the brand, an increase of 11% compared to sales in 2019.
Attached to a certain militancy, the company hopes to lead to a reflection on the impact of social networks and the involvement of brands on these platforms. “Lush was created by activists. We believe change can happen through our ethical actions and campaigns”, recounts Chloé Chazot. The brand, which is also still present on Twitter through an account dedicated to customer relations, on Youtube or even on Pinterest, remains vigilant as to the evolution of the networks. “For the moment, our analysis does not show us any significant development that would guarantee the safety and benevolence that one expects to work on Facebook or Instagram”, according to the communication manager. A day-to-day reflection, which could still evolve in view of the scandals that have targeted Twitter in recent months.
