THE HONEST COMPANY SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIT

JOHANNA GONZALEZ

STUDENT NUMBER: 124 679 150

10th February 2016

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Honest brand was launched in 2009 by Hollywood star Jessica Alba and 2 business partners with a background in launching successful businesses. The company has grown to have multiple products ranging from a multi-surface cleaner and dishwashing gel, to sunscreen, bubble bath, baby wipes, and the product they first became known for, diapers. All products are 100% free of SLS, parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrances & dyes, glycol, enzymes, caustics, phosphates, 1,4-dioxane, chlorine and DEA. Although only established quite recently, the company has revenues of over $200 million, is valued at over $1 billion and rumored to be well on its way to an IPO. Having seen success in such a short space of time and across various ways, from its on-line retail strategy to its savvy social media positioning, the Honest Company is a success story in the making, which we can learn from in a many ways.

THE ARCHETYPE OF THE BRAND

The Honest Company brand predominantly falls in the Innocent category associated with self-knowledge, purity and simplicity symbolising the brand ethos. It can be argued however that it could also fall into the Caregiver category by putting order into its relations and stands for nurturing and protection of its environment and customers. Visually, the brand steers away from predictable “green” themes and appeals to the young, hipster eco mum through whimsy with the use of playful shapes, patterns and images.

BRAND VALUES

At the core of the company is a culture of honesty and truth. This ties in with their mission to produce goods with plain and simple ingredients, free of any dangerous chemicals and additives. At the heart of the brand is also beauty and aesthetic appeal, which was important to Alba who at the time of founding didn’t see any eco or green products that were packaged beautifully or smelt good. Honest has set the bar high for functional products being delivered with simplicity and beauty. Giving back is also a brand value in that the products don’t have to take away from the environment in order to deliver high functionality. As well, the company through various product collaborations gives a part of its profits to charity. An element of fun and whimsy are deeply entrenched which is visible in their packaging, graphic design and social media presence.

THE ANTICIPATED AUDIENCE

The target audience is that of women, mothers or expectant mothers to a high degree, between the ages of 25 and 40 years old. They are most likely to have mid to high income, be eco conscious and aware of environmental issues and the impact of harsh chemicals in household and baby products and want a solution free of toxins, parabens and sulphates. This would traditionally lend itself to college educated level who are independent, working and self confident in their decisions to take a stance against traditional “mainstream” products and advertising. Their customer wants safe, healthy and stylish baby related products whether that is a baby bag or wipes or a diaper rash cream.

“We are dreamers. But, more importantly, we are doers. So, we tried to think of all the qualities we would want in a dream brand – savvy style, sustainability, and extraordinary service & convenience all wrapped in a passion for social goodness, tied with a bow of integrity and sprinkled with a little cheeky fun. We knew it wouldn’t be easy juggling all these demands, but we’re parents, we’re used to multi-tasking.” The Honest Company

SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS (a sample of only 4)

At the heart of all the Honest Company’s social media channels is the main goal to create a community based on trust, sharing of ideas and the aim to improve the customer experience and their lives in general.

Honest Facebook (Honest Facebook, 2016) account has 1.6 million followers and this is the biggest social media channel of all for the company. The company posts different topics in rotation from healthy recipes, inspirational and funny quotes, pictures of Honest customers in their everyday lives with the products and their children, new products for promotional and educational purposes as well as prizes and competitions. It is a good and balanced mix and not skewed in one direction or topic. The page is fun, light, engaging and invites the viewer to leave comments and suggestions. A past social campaign promised to donate $1 to the Max Love project for every “like” on Facebook.

The Honest Instagram (Honest Instagram 2016) account (I am a follower) has 470,000 followers with a very similar strategy as that of Facebook. Pictures of customers in their everyday lives, inspirational quotes, healthy and delicious recipes are posted daily with interesting and varied content appealing to its target audience. The images are visually rich and aspirational, have good use of lighting and filters and show happy positive images to leave one feeling uplifted.

Above: Inspirational quote from the Honest Instagram account

The Honest Twitter account ( Honest Twitter, 2016) has 94,000 followers and is light, airy & can be seen to be quite modern. Alba also uses her own page to Tweet messages on behalf of the company and relevant topics that the Honest audience would find of interest and engage them in a conversation. Tips on different uses of the products ie. Rub the chest rub into your feet and apply cosy socks, is an example of their clever use of product promotion and instruction on how best to use their products. Customers are also encouraged to tweet about how they use the products in their lives and homes and suggestions about possible gift ideas. Interestingly, it was across Twitter and Facebook that concerned and angry customers let the company know about the ineffective sunscreen that went on to become a PR blunder on the Honest Company’s part due in part to lack of acknowledgement that the sunscreen did not protect children as it was supposed to and trying to play down the public concern.

The Honest Company @Honest 14h14 hours agoRT @LittleHouseNYC: New @honest overnight diapers? Sleep training? Not so much.

The Honest Company also has a very widely read Blog (Honest Blog 2016) on its website that is broken down into 5 main sections including living, food, wellness, design & style. It functions as part newsletter and part blog with staff contributing sections such as Mindful Monday about issues to ponder. It is yet another interactive way in which to engage its customer in a meaningful and deliberate conversation on topics that matters to the them and reinforces the ethos of the brand. Again, good photography, fun and lively language and choice of words make the reader wants to continue on and be engaged with the content. From a great soup recipe to make for dinner for the family that night to a craft project to do with your five-year-old child to a discussion on the impact of probiotics in children’s diets, all is relevant and readable and easy to digest in a few minutes.

Left: A tortilla soup recipe for Meatless Monday posted on the Honest Blog

IN SUMMARY

All aspects of the Honest Company social media strategy fits seamlessly together with the ethos and founding principles of the brand and company. The company is very active across various social media channels matching its demographic that uses social media to make decisions, engage with its brand and make choices on its various products. It is positioned as an authority on clean, non-toxic products, having a direct and honest voice and discussion with its millions of customers. Looking forward there is room for growth in its social media followers in order to reach more customers and future customers and bring the reach and impact of the brand to an ever increasing and eco- aware audience.