Should a purpose-driven business 'use' social media to raise brand awareness, market its products, and campaign for its values and mission? This is the question we ask ourselves in this month's issue by looking at the cosmetics brand Lush and its successful anti-social media strategy. Enjoy the read!
Anti-Social Media
How to quit social media, the purpose-driven way!
The Problems With Social Media
Do you also have a love-and-hate relationship with social media? Why are we actually still using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, or Twitter? Especially as purpose-driven business professionals?
And if this wasn’t even enough, we’ve got a very understandable social media fatigue growing amongst young generations, new, authenticity- (BeReal) and compliment-focused (Slay/Gas) social apps gaining traction, and a deinfluencing trend trying to combat social-media-induced overconsumption.
So, as a purpose-driven brand, is it finally time to ditch harmful social media and explore more purpose-driven marketing and brand-building avenues? Was it maybe never good to combine social networks – tools that aim to bring people together – with marketing and consumption, to begin with? 🤔
How Lush Went Anti-Social...With Success!
In November 2021, cosmetics company Lushannounced a new Anti-Social Media Policy deleting their accounts and ditching the likes of their 12 million followers on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat until the platforms take action to provide a safer environment for the mental health of users. By the way, Lush decided to stick with YouTube for sharing videos, Pinterest for inspirational content and Twitter for customer care – so not a full social media quit, but still... The decision to delete most of its social accounts was taken in response to headline allegations of corporate misconduct from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, but was kind of years in the making.
“Social media was not designed to look after people’s health, but our products are. It is counter-intuitive for us to use platforms that keep you hyper-tense, engaged and anxious.”
Jack Constantine, Lush’s Chief Digital Officer
So, How Is Lush Doing Without – I Mean With Less – Social Media?
We are more than a year in, which begs the question: What happened? Well, Lush’s business numbers are actually quite up and its brand position seems to be as strong as it has always been, despite being very quiet on social media. But how is the company connecting with potential customers, marketing new product launches, and building brand value without social media? In short: Lush is focusing on more authentic, collaborative, and niche communication strategies. Here are our top five examples of how Lush spreads their messages these days:
1/ Collaborations
Lush collaborates with other brands or organizations that share similar values and have strong fan communities. For instance, product collaborations with the Japanese anime ONE PIECE and the Netflix series Stranger Things saw record-like attention and sales.
2/ IRL Experiences
Lush offers its customers quite unique experiences to not only get products into people’s hands but to also let them experience the product stories in real life. Such as the Bath Bomb Makers on Tour: Throughout April 2022, factory workers from Dorset visited over 60 Lush shops in the UK to produce bath bombs live in the stores.
3/ Retail Investment
While Lush’s retail strategy might not work for any brand, the company bets a lot on physical stores at nearly any high street and larger train stations in major cities. In 2022, the brand invested £7.6 million in physical stores across the UK and Europe to elevate its customer experience and to facilitate local community hubs.
4/ Corporate Activism
Although Lush cannot activate their 12 million followers on its socials anymore, the brand is still fighting for its various causes of animal welfare, climate justice and mental wellbeing for all. How? By spreading messages through their leftover and new communication platforms (e.g. their newsletter and website) and partnering with charities to support various initiatives. To name just one partnership: Lush and I Am Whole launched the Digital Detox Day to spread mental health awareness. Interestingly, when visiting Lush’s YouTube channel, the first video calls out the UK on conversion therapy!
5/ Wellbeing App
In June last year, Lush launched its own digital platform. Bathe is a self-care app designed to track and maximize the benefits of bathing, assisted by immersive audio-visual experiences created in collaboration with experts and practitioners. If users wish, they can link the app to their health data to understand and identify the physical effects of bathing. I tested the app – my review: the sounds and guided meditations are very relaxing (and for free), also without a bathtub in my apartment. 🛁
Next to the strategies above, Lush has a few other means to raise brand awareness and attention, such as pop-up initiatives, its newsletter, and even publishing books and a magazine.
While Lush's anti-social strategy might not fit every brand, the evidently harmful effects of social media should at least raise some questions for a business that strives to do good.
So as a purpose-driven business, what does social media mean to you in today’s world? Should you maybe rethink how you use it? 🤔
If you are interested to learn more about the topic, dig into the articles below:
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Erick Evans from the You Can't Eat Money podcast has released new episodes from his latest season. Check out this one!
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