Let’s talk about how brand accountability can make or break your business

While it is inevitable that every product or campaign launch goes as planned, how you choose to address the mistake can make or break your company. In modern business, the value of brand awareness cannot be overstated. It serves as the cornerstone upon which successful marketing strategies are built, fostering a robust market and consumer presence, and ultimately securing a competitive advantage. However, in today's consumer landscape, brand accountability has emerged as an equally pivotal aspect of brand management. It acts as a guardian of trust and aids in upholding your brand's reputation which ultimately has determined the longevity of brands.

“Consumer expectations for brand accountability have risen recently, with consumers wanting brands to own their mistakes and be transparent. In my PR and social media work, I focus on creating content and building a platform for these brands that highlights this transparent communication between the brand and its audience” says Yonna Chambers, Public relations and social media manager. 

Recently, beauty brand Youthforia has missed the mark yet again and lacked both brand awareness and accountability. Unlike many of Youthforia's competitors, they lacked diversity within their shade range and faced backlash in 2023 due to this matter. In light of this issue, the Asian-owned beauty brand launched its shade expansion campaign in March 2024 with multiple new shades, the darkest being “600”. However, what should have been a redemption for the brand only dug them deeper into a hole. 

Beauty influencer Golloria George is known for her TikTok series where she tests the darkest foundation shades of various makeup brands. After initially finding Youthforia's shade too light in September, she revisited the brand following its shade expansion. On April 29, she sparked controversy by applying the darkest shade of Youthforia’s Date Night Foundation on one side of her face and black face paint on the other. “Which side of my face is the black face paint or the Youthforia foundation?” she asked followers. “Tea, you can’t tell. Do you know why? Tar in a bottle.”

This sent an uproar in the beauty community as their lack of research on pigments and beauty standards within the black community was ignored. Cosmetic chemist Javon Ford pointed out that Youthforia's 600 Deep contains only one pigment: CI 77499, or black iron oxide.  Many brands have removed Youthforia products from their sites including Revolve and Credo.

Months after controversy was raised Youthforia finally released a statement on June 4th stating "We care about our customers and as we continue to drive change, we are creating a new position internally dedicated to examining both our current products and those in development so we can best meet your needs. You can read more about our values on our website and learn more about the role on our career page”. 

Given the scrutiny they faced, many would have expected their team to take stronger measures to assure consumers that this matter is serious to them. Yet, in their statement, they issued no apology. The shade in question remains available for purchase, and they continue to delete negative comments on previous posts. This has left consumers unimpressed with their attempt to make amends.

Chambers shared her thoughts on Youthforia's recent mishaps, stating, “The first thing Youthforia should do is address the issue fully, take accountability for the problem regarding the new shade, and pull the foundation shade from the shelves/website. In addition, have an open and honest conversation with consumers and influencers to discuss future DEI efforts. Announce concrete plans to expand the shade range for future launches to be inclusive, or if the budget doesn’t allow for this, refrain from releasing new foundation products until they can meet these standards.”

One significant change is how quickly brands now need to react to backlash. In the past, they could take their time crafting a response, but with social media, they must reply almost instantly. Brands are also under more pressure to be honest and genuine, owning up to their mistakes rather than blaming employees. Furthermore, with consumers having a larger voice on social media, brands cannot just issue a statement and be done; they need to keep the conversation going and actively engage with their audience, which can ultimately be advantageous for the brands themselves.

“Two brands that have stood out to me for successfully navigating controversies are Glossier and Nike. Glossier faced backlash over diversity and inclusion issues, and they responded by admitting they ‘failed to create’ an ‘inclusive, safe environment’ and inviting dialogue for further feedback and ideas to achieve a shared vision. Nike strengthened their brand loyalty after criticism of their Colin Kaepernick ad by standing firmly behind it, which built trust with their consumers,” Yonna stated.

The question remains: Can Youthforia ever bounce back from its lack of brand accountability, or will it destroy the company?