Lessons Learned From Kimono Crisis

Certainly we have entered an era in which it’s critically important to use social media for listening and learning from customers. And if your brand is not well-known or well-developed, conversations on social networks can be a valuable source of insight on how your ideas and messages are interpreted and how well they resonate with your target audience. But harsh criticism doesn’t necessarily require you to change your course—especially when it involves a last-minute, costly scramble as it did for Kardashian West, whose company had to relabel two million garments, just weeks before the scheduled brand launch.

The predicament Kardashian West found herself in after she announced her brand’s offending name was unique—and all her own doing. By examining her missteps, we can glean valuable lessons for selecting names that brands can, and should, stick with.

Ripe for backlash
Kardashian West built her brand—and her stardom in general—by baring herself (literally and figuratively) to her fans on social media and provoking viral conversations about herself through over-sharing. In doing so, she made herself vulnerable to the power of social-media backlash. She excused her problem in an interview with WSJ Magazine as the consequence of being held to “a different standard” because there are “more eyes on me and my brand.” But her situation isn’t distinguished so much by the amount of scrutiny as it is by the self-inflicted nature of it.

The lesson for other brands is to not mistake social-media participation with brand-building. Social networks are terrific media for storytelling, but brands should first concern themselves with story-doing—creating real value for customers through relevant and differentiated products, services and experiences. If you use social media to become “famous for being famous,” you obligate yourself to change according to the whims of its followers.

Kardashian West also brought the problem upon herself by ignoring earlier warning signs. Plenty of negative response had been expressed back in May of last year, when it was first reported that she had filed documents to trademark “Kimono Intimates.” And yet, she feigned innocence when she posted on Instagram about the recent name change, saying, “When I announced the name of my shapewear line, I did so with the best intentions in mind.” It doesn’t seem plausible for someone who is so attuned to her social-media audience to have not heard the previous concerns. It’s more likely that she simply ignored them.

Instead, it’s important to listen carefully to customers and engage in authentic, thoughtful conversations about criticisms. You need to get out in front of any potential escalation. Most critics primarily want to be heard and valued—and if they’re engaged at the right time and in the right way, their concerns can be satisfied or at least softened.