<\/p>\n
The beauty brand known for bath bombs and body scrubs has scrubbed itself from the internet\u2026for the most part.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been more than three years since Lush announced it would no longer post to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat from its brand accounts as part of its \u201canti-social\u201d policy, which it said was created in response to concerns over content moderation, addictive algorithms, and platforms\u2019 data collection policies. In that time, the brand\u2014which previously left social in 2019 before returning during the early days of the pandemic\u2014has also ceased posting on X and has previously shared plans to cut spending on Google, Apple, and Microsoft. Its previously used accounts still stand as reminders of the brand\u2019s anti-social stance.<\/p>\n
Jack Constantine, chief digital officer of Lush, told us that \u201cthings have gotten worse\u201d with social media platforms since Lush logged off. Case in point: Meta\u2019s new content moderation policies, pro-Nazi hate speech proliferating on X, and continued concerns about third-party data usage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more and more evident that the tech billionaires in charge don\u2019t really care,\u201d Constantine told Marketing Brew. \u201cThey just want to make sure that the platforms are making money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Lush is not entirely offline\u2014and its anti-social stance has a little wiggle room. As of now, the brand is still active on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, and it operates an affiliate marketing program, which Constantine said is part of the brand\u2019s larger word-of-mouth marketing strategy. With that said, the focus has largely been on building up the brand\u2019s owned channels, including its newsletter and shopping app.<\/p>\n
With concerns about the future of social platforms at a fever pitch, Lush\u2019s social media hiatus feels more prescient than ever. We spoke with Constantine about what the brand has learned from its time offline and what it takes to embrace anti-social marketing.<\/p>\n
Lush\u2019s pullback from social in 2021 was met with some eyebrow-raising and eye-rolling, but in recent months, Constantine said he\u2019s seen opinions around the brand\u2019s stance on social media shift from confusion to understanding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very clear now to people why we\u2019re doing this, and I think that\u2019s been such an interesting transition,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were very early adopters in something that felt crazy [at the time], and now, social media feels crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
There were real internal concerns about losing reach and access to social audiences, Constantine said, so Lush has invested in its own platforms. Its email newsletter has more than 500,000 subscribers, and its app has 1.75 million users, with around 60% of them opting to receive push notifications, Constantine said. To encourage customers to log in on the app, the brand offers a rewards membership with early access to products and points on purchases.<\/p>\n
There are some challenges to leaving the biggest social platforms. At Lush, many of the brand\u2019s 900 shops used to post content to unique, location-specific Instagram accounts and \u201creally create their own personality,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Without the platform, Constantine said the brand is focused on finding ways for those shops to engage with customers on a local level. Lush is working to create a similar experience in the brand\u2019s app, he said, and right now, users can build a profile, connect with the shop closest to them, and receive push notifications about what\u2019s happening there. The brand is also trying to build out event schedules at its locations for more IRL engagement opportunities, he said.<\/p>\n
Some observers have pushed back on Lush\u2019s labeling its moves as \u201canti-social,\u201d with some noting its continued presence on certain platforms and its Friends of Lush affiliate marketing program. Constantine said Lush remains on YouTube because it feels less like a social media platform and more like a TV channel. Similarly, he views LinkedIn (which is owned by Microsoft) differently than other platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Those assessments aren\u2019t set in stone, however, and Constantine said Lush conducts regular reviews to assess whether to remain on certain platforms; YouTube, he said, is currently up for review.<\/p>\n
Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Constantine also defended the brand\u2019s affiliate marketing program, describing it as a modern-day version of word-of-mouth marketing, which he said has been central to Lush\u2019s marketing since its early days in the \u201990s when customers posted to online forums. He noted that Lush\u2019s affiliate program also allows the brand to reward people who contribute to sales\u2014even if it\u2019s happening on platforms that the brand no longer has a presence on. Ultimately, he said, consumers can decide which channels they want to use.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople will go and share a product on TikTok or on a channel,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re never going to stop them from doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the brand has worked on paid posts with influencers in the past, Constantine said he doesn\u2019t see the brand reviving that strategy, but would consider product collaborations or community engagement efforts involving creators in the future.<\/p>\n
Three years ago, Constantine said the goal of leaving some of the big social platforms was to encourage other brands to follow suit. \u201cWhat brands don\u2019t understand is they are giving the platforms power by being on them,\u201d he said. \u201cIf all the big players stop spending on ads and detach from social, you\u2019d have a massively different environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite sensing a shift in social media sentiment (including among the general public), and being hopeful that brands will think beyond existing platforms in the coming year, Constantine said he\u2019s yet to receive inquiries from fellow brand marketers about how to log off for good.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think they\u2019re still figuring out what the hell is going on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While it may seem tempting to stay the course, Constantine said brands risk forfeiting control, and perhaps are only delaying the inevitable, by not investing in their own platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, you\u2019re on borrowed platforms\u2014you don\u2019t own them. They can change,\u201d he said. \u201cNever rely on anything you don\u2019t own.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n