How can a brand regain your trust?
It’s hard, I think, because there are so many brands out there that it often doesn’t make sense to keep bothering with a brand that has done something wrong. If it’s less egregious and more surface-level, then time and proof of a corrected course. When it comes to no longer trusting product quality, then I have to see traction with others (who have tried new releases) that they’re getting better or, if I still review them, then see that quality is getting better over several launches.
I guess it depends on what caused the lack of trust. If it’s a company’s/owner’s nasty treatment of its staff, I think that’s a hard one to come back from for me. Saying “sorry” isn’t nearly enough and I don’t know that – when it comes to things like systemic racism, an openly racist, anti-semitic or sexually harassing environment that has been tolerated (or, indeed, encouraged) by the owner, then, sorry – it’s a no go for me. Pushing unproven scientific or medical beliefs is another one. I recently found out that a writer I really enjoyed is a virulent anti-vaxxer (she’s also committed a lot of crooked financial stuff too – tax evasion, breaking contracts, etc.). As much as I enjoyed her writing (not sure if she’s written anything recently), I won’t buy or even borrow her books. Ditto Kat von D – she’s free to hold her anti-vaccine beliefs but don’t try to use your voice as a makeup person to shove those beliefs down the throats of others. lululemon, the yoga and workout wear company that charges $125 for a pair of leggings of lower quality than I can get from Amazon for $25, is another company I won’t buy from. When they moved their manufacturing to China, quality dropped. Customers complained about embarrassingly see-through yoga bottoms and seams coming apart in just a few wearings and the company insisted it was the customers’ fault for buying pants too small. This went on for months and months, with them denying it was anything to do with them. I think they finally fessed up, in a pretty namby pamby way but what’s interesting is that none of this has “stuck” – they’re like a teflon company. At the mall, they’re pretty much the only store that has people lining up for ages just to get INSIDE the store while other stores have no customers at all (we’re still in a phase of stores having to limit the #’s inside). The hypocrisy of this company has been enough to stop me buying their stuff – one of their “mantras” – friends are more important than money – HA!
Now, if it’s “simply” a matter of a drop in quality (rather than business practices and how they treat staff and customers), if a brand releases something good (by Temptalia standards, that is), I am more than willing to give them another go. So if UD comes out with something great and it something I need, I’ll purchase.
Lululemon is just a brand I don’t understand the popularity of in the first place. It was so named because the founder, Chip Wilson, thought, “it’s funny to watch them [Japanese people] try to say it.” He not only blamed his clothes looking crappy on customers’ poor size selection, he blamed it on their *anatomy* with this fatphobic dogwhistle: “They don’t work for certain–some—women’s bodies.” And finally, actually the first thing I disliked about the brand was their tote bags with messages including “wear less sunscreen.” Most people already don’t wear enough!!
Like I said, they’re “teflon” – there have been lots of negative things with that company (how employees have to “buy into” the philosophy/religion, for starters…) but anywhere you go, while other shops are dying for business, they’ve always got a full store (or lineups). It’s only quite recently that they have started to make clothing items (some, not all) available in sizes above size 12. So much for their whole “inclusivity” and “yoga is for every body” malarky. Some years ago, they had one of their big “sale” events in my city (before we had a lululemon store). They rented out the convention center – a huge facility – to stage this weekend long event which was even covered on our news because people driving by thought there had been some sort of disaster because of all the people lined up on the streets around the convention center. The wait to get in was anywhere from 3 to 5 hours – standing IN A LINEUP!!! And yet, their messages on their bags – stuff about using your time mindfully, enjoying nature, blah blah blah – this was the very opposite and really, their bags should say “nothing is beneath us when it comes to getting people’s money”. A co-worker actually did wait and she got in and reported back that there was nothing worth buying – it was all the stuff in ugly colours like tangerine or baby poop green, or else headbands – I think she bought a headband because after waiting all that time, she didn’t want to leave without “something”. I didn’t know that about the reason behind the brand name but that is disgusting. But, again, TEFLON – nothing negative seems to stick.
Don’t even know what or who Lululemon is but this makes is clear for me that I don’t even want to look at their stuff. Why you ask (which I know you meant the question as a rhetorical one), because of FOMO (not wanting to miss out). Lots of people (more and more perhaps due to the internet and social media) wanting to look “unique” when actually they look like everybody else when they dress.
I don’t think they can. I’m pretty brand loyal and by the time I choose to walk away, I don’t look back.
There was a brand that I had kept my eye on for about a year and a half and finally decided to purchase only to give away everything I bought because I did not like owner behaviour and the quality was not what it once was (per reviews, comments). It’s a catch 22 because if they were to try and win back consumer trust (mine), I would see that as an admission of guilt so their damned if they do (try to correct course) and damned if they don’t (just continue with undesired activity/behavior, ignore issues).
I think I am more forgiving of poor quality or a bad batch than I would be poor owner behavior. Social media has become quite the equalizer.
There are so many brands out there now, consumers can be as discerning as they like.
If I no longer trusted a brand because of quality issues, I would give them a second chance if I saw enough positive reviews from people I trusted — although even then I probably wouldn’t buy anything without a review, because we’ve seen so many brands be really hit-or-miss.
If it was a matter of bad behavior — employee mistreatment, racism, transphobia, cursing out unhappy customers on the internet — I’m not sure they would ever regain my trust. I mean, even with Kat Von D no longer being part of her former brand, I haven’t felt particularly inspired to give the new “rebranded” KVD a try.
I feel the same way about restaurants, by the way. There are so many options that if I get bad service or bad food without any real attempt to make it right, why would I give them another chance when I could go someplace else? I don’t feel like any makeup brand has something that is so unique that I can’t find some equivalent elsewhere.
Well, it depends on the reason they lost my trust for.
Usually for me the trust with cosmetic brands is lost for reasons of quality: lack or decline of it, issues raised by independent testing or other consumers (especially if related to health or efficiency of ingredients).
To get my trust back I would really need to see constant good reviews. And also I would need to see the brand being more transparent and actually getting more backed up research, investing on improving already consecrated formulas / products (rather than churning new products each month).
It all depends on how how they broke my trust or if I ever trusted them in the first place (J*). Sometimes trust can never be earned back. Other times, a sufficient apology and true changes in behavior can bring it back.
Still working out what I think of J*. Did he/can one seriously ‘repent’ racism? Is it true colors or regret of stupid and offensive language used in the past? The influencer drama is tacky, but basically just assholic. Bad publicity is better than being overlooked. It all boosts your socials. Almost caved on Cremated on sale at Beautylish, but kept thinking of how problematic and basically dreadful….and what are the pronouns anyway?….is. I do like most of J*’s work. Actually it’s easy to find other choices, and in this we are very fortunate.
As far as I know he uses he/him. I used to be a customer and his liquid lipsticks imo are the best formula hands down. But at the end of the day I believe him to be a truly horrible person who doesn’t care how his behavior has effected anyone but himself. I have seen no indication that he wants to change much less would change. So for me, its just lipstick its not worth me feeling ANY conflict over. And I would much rather support the people who need support by not supporting someone who has hurt them. I also see his behavior as detrimental to this community over all, the pattern of drama preceding product release and rinse repeat. It’s an abhorrent business model. Just how I came to see the situation with him specifically.
I have bad allergies and unfortunately, a big part of what drives a purchase for me is whether or not I will have a reaction. That means that other concerns like being cruelty-free take a back seat by default. So far, I’ve been able to avoid the major storms (Jeffree Starr, Kat Von D, etc) because I can find better products elsewhere. However, if it’s a staple product like foundation and they’re the only place I can find it? Then I’ll likely continue to just buy that one product there. Most of the companies that have had serious product quality issues are also companies that don’t make things I need/want anyway, so I’d go back to them if they had a product that met my criteria.
A brand can regain my trust by putting out some consistently good products, with decent names to their products and letting those products be the hero.
If the brand’s owner is consistently engaging in twitter, instagram or whatever issues that are denigrating their customers, spouting their own questionable opinions and beliefs, I just don’t buy their products.
eg Kat Von D., Jeffree Star etc.
If a brand turns out to be treating their staff badly, nope – I don’t buy from them either.
If a brand consistently engages in using sexualised names for their products – that is their mindset – like Nars, I don’t buy from them.
I generally only buy my more expensive makeup items, like eyeshadow palettes, when it has been Temptalia approved.
The only way to have me buy a similar item again is to have an item I really like and want and to get a stellar Temptalia review.
For example I bought a naked palette may have been 3? It sucked. Never bought another UD es since. Zero interest in their powdery terrible products.
Definitely depends on what caused the lack of trust. Brands who have gone about being deliberately dishonest (i.e. Sunday riley and the fake positive reviews posted by employees thing) will never earn it back. Brands that I’ve turned away from for quality issues can come back if I see positive reviews (that are not sponsored).
There’s a difference between wrong and right and if some brand crosses that line I can’t in good conscience deal with them. If the reviews are improving I will give a brand a try again.
It definitely depends on how the trust was broken. If it was broken because they did something horrendous like being caught treating people differently because of the color of their skin or what their sexual orientation is then they wouldn’t ever gain my trust back. If they lost my trust because of quality issues or something of that nature I would definitely give them another chance after they fix the issue. If the issue is indeed fixed then I would continue to trust them unless issues like that arose again.
Y’all are a better person than I. Once someone break my trust, it’s game over and never the same again. Same with brands. It takes a lot to lose my trust but when that happens, I move on and don’t look back.
There are so many brands that will work hard to gain my trust, why should I waste my time on one that won’t?
You’re right, it’s hard due to the competition and other brands getting it right, so they take your customer’s focus away from your company. But, if they REALLY go all out and receive legit (that’s the hard thing to figure out nowadays) praise from influencers that I trust, plus I try and enjoy two or more products from new releases, that helps me show a renewed interest. Also, in today’s market I don’t know if there are companies that I totally trust. I would say Natasha Denona is on of them, but I know what I like of hers and what I don’t, so then even with that brand I would say I don’t TOTALLY trust it.