Lessons Learned From Charlotte Tilbury’s Response To The Ukraine-Russia Crisis
Since Russia began a military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the war has lasted for over a month. As the conflict between the two countries escalates, many big-name brands in the fashion and beauty industries are taking a stand by starting pulling out of Russia and donating helpful resources to people who are affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
So does Charlotte Tilbury.
How did Charlotte Tilbury react?
The British beauty brand was founded by the famous make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury and has gained great popularity across both skincare and cosmetics over the years. On March 11, the Charlotte Tilbury beauty brand shared a post through its Instagram account, pledging to donate to support those in Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion. It reads: “We are deeply heartbroken by the events happening in Ukraine. Over the last week, and as we have been marking International Women’s Day, we have been working with our long-term partner Women for Women International to consider how we can support the women affected by this devastating situation.”
The post also revealed that the brand has already donated £1 million to Women for Women International, which is dedicated to supporting women living in some of the world’s most dangerous places and conflict zones. In addition to that, Charlotte Tilbury Beauty will make another donation to Women for Women International’s Conflict Response Fund to help establish critical women-centered services in response to the war in Ukraine.
At the bottom of the post, they also encourage readers to offer their support through the link in their Instagram Stories to donate to the Women for Women International Conflict Response Fund.
Why taking a stand is important for brands?
Creating and maintaining a positive brand image means a lot to a company because it is naturally taken into consideration by customers when they are making purchasing decisions. Taking a stand on a hotly-debated topic could be a good chance for a company to speak to its customers and strengthen its brand image, as it is reflected in the research conducted by the Customer Insight Group that 67% of customers will buy a brand for the first time based solely on the brand’s position on a controversial topic.
That being said, companies should be very careful in taking a stand on social and political justice issues. According to the results of a survey of 1,000 Americans released in July 2020, customers tend to support companies that take a stand on their values. The results also revealed that in the case of the Black Lives Matter movement, 73% of respondents said it’s important that a company should be both empathetic and followed by measurable action.
In this case, Charlotte Tilbury has clearly done a good job of showing their support to women affected in the war. They not only take the opportunity to emphasize their long-term and continual cooperation with Women for Women International, the nonprofit humanitarian organization, but they also communicate their value as shown in their positioning statement saying that “Give a woman the right makeup and she can conquer the world”. Such a message will effectively leave a positive impression on customers’ minds so that they know the brand has a good social responsibility.
