What NOT to do if you get boycotted on social media: A step-by-step guide.

How do you damage-control a social media campaign gone awry? Let’s not learn from Ulta.

The Internet is a funny place and using social media for business is more challenging than maintaining a personal account. In a world where companies compete for attention, and where “earned” media coverage is prized, a single misaimed post can spark instant controversy along with accusations of sexism, economic bias or racism, leaving you to field an overwhelming amount of uncomfortable comments and #boycott movements, and possibly even remove products from your inventory.

How do you damage-control a social media campaign gone awry? A guide on what not to do inspired by Ulta Beauty.

But first, some context..

In January 2023, Ulta Beauty faced a social media crisis after inviting transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney onto a podcast episode entitled The Beauty of… Girlhood, where she spoke about her journey and desire to be a mother.

The episode quickly went viral, and enraged the female customers of the brand. People were upset that Ulta chose her to represent the topic of girlhood. The conversation was deemed as misogynistic and Mulvaney was accused of appropriating womanhood and simply wearing it as a costume. It was said that “she claims to play or act parts of a woman she enjoys, with none of the misogyny faced by females on a day-to-day basis.”

And soon, #BoycottUlta began trending.

Step 1: “if you ignore it, it’ll go away”

Ulta took it too literally and stayed silent on the controversy hoping it would die on its own. Grave mistake– it got worse. Twitter was raging with hate tweets against both the influencer and the brand.

Step 2: “hide it till you can”

Ulta turned off the comments section of the podcast, and started hiding hate replies under their tweets. This move angered the customers even more as they felt oppressed and unheard by the brand.

Step 3: “defense is the best strategy”

Instead of acknowledging the mass sentiment and apologizing, Ulta decided to defend the influencer, while preaching to the angry mob to respect everyone and their journeys.

Step 4: “lose your stocks and panic”

Looks like the boycott was real as Ulta’s stock value also seemed to reflect the controversy that week.

Step 5: : “post a preachy apology”

In a final bid, Ulta finally pleaded for dignity and empathy by releasing an email statement by VP of PR Eileen Ziesemer.

Moral of the story?
KNOW. YOUR. AUDIENCE.

Ulta’s positioning is clear as a brand. It identifies itself as a woke, inclusive and diversity-forward brand which reflects well in their marketing approach and campaigns. The podcast featuring queer influencers also was in tune with their ideology.

According to research, young adults are more accepting of transgender men and women than their parents. And it looks like Ulta is betting on the young progressive market and not the social conservatives. However, Forbes reports that:

Ulta’s customer base skews a little older than its competitor Sephora. “While Ulta is particularly strong among the under-34 set, as is Sephora, Ulta attracts a wider age range of customers. In terms of its online traffic, 32% of Ulta visitors are 45 years and older, as compared with 25% for Sephora.”

Fact remains: Ulta is favored by older shoppers who are less likely to embrace transgenderism.

Are we surprised now that the campaign backfired?

To begin with, while hosting the podcast with Dylan was a cool and inclusive campaign, the brand should not have underestimated the sentiments of its conservative female audience which comprises a huge chunk of their customer base.

Tip to all marketers: It can be daunting to handle a social media crisis. Firstly try to avoid it altogether by knowing your audience. Secondly, please do not hide comments. Address it. Create a conversation around it and apologize to the customers who spend on you.

While Ulta is still reeling from the uproar and boycott, it gives the company an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to inclusivity and diversity, and be more mindful of its messaging, keeping in line with its true audience, rather than its aspired audience.