On Tuesday, the retail company’s chief marketing officer, Brian Beitler, hosted an hour-long Twitter chat and asked users to tweet questions under the hashtag #AskLane Bryant.
ICYMI: @Refinery29 + our CMO Brian are hosting an #AskLaneBryant Twitter chat tomorrow at 1pm. (So get those questions prepped now!)
— Lane Bryant (@lanebryant) December 8, 2015
It didn’t take long for Twitter users to flood the hashtag with tough questions, snark and criticism:
Why don’ t you have pretty bras for really plus sized women? Or…bras for really plus sized women at all? #AskLaneBryant
— Autumn (@AutumnInBuffalo) December 9, 2015
#AskLaneBryant I would love to see more diversity (size/shape/ethnicity) in the women you use to represent your brand. @lanebryant
— Curves and Chaos™ (@CURVESandCHAOS) December 8, 2015
#AskLaneBryant have you considered having a plus size fashion expert who is actually plus size manage your buying? Might help!
— Re/Dress (@ReDressLuvsU) December 8, 2015
#AskLaneBryant when will we see size22+ model not only in a campaign/ad but also product shots on website?
— Chanté (ECAC) (@ecurvynchic) December 8, 2015
Why do you hire thin women to work in yr stores and then apparently encourage them to tell me about how “slimming” stuff is? #AskLaneBryant
— indecent thexlogian (@femmina) December 8, 2015
The #AskLaneBryant tag looks to be going horribly wrong for @lanebryant but incredibly right for all the frustrated consumers..
— Hi, I’m Dani. (@DanielleMonifa) December 8, 2015
If “Plus is Equal” why are fat employees working the lowest paid job in your company? See - https://t.co/eA60xMpP8i … #AskLaneBryant
— Amanda Levitt (@FatBodyPolitics) December 8, 2015
Why do you refer to your customers as “Real Women” as if slender women are somehow imaginary? #AskLaneBryant
— On Dawner On Blitzen (@jdhowa2) December 8, 2015
Why is everything in Lane Bryant outrageously priced? We’re plus sized, not the 1%. #AskLaneBryant
— PoppyThot (@tres_stimulante) December 8, 2015
Do you ever run your designs past actual fat people in any demographic before mass producing that crap? #AskLaneBryant
— ☆ Cinnamaldehyde ☆ (@cinnamaldehyde) December 8, 2015
Can you stop pretending you cater to fat women when you shove Spanx down our throats? #asklanebryant
— Thot Queen Regent (@SourceDuMal) December 8, 2015
Have you ever stopped to think that you can’t take fashion that is designed for a size zero and stretch it for a size 20? #AskLaneBryant
— Christy Oldenkamp (@VegasChristyO) December 9, 2015
#AskLaneBryant Why do you think fat people have huge heads? Can we sell true crew neck & v-neck tees? Same question to #Torrid
— Beth Roberts (@queenB_style) December 8, 2015
To the brand’s credit, Beitler addressed several concerns during the hour, and the brand’s account tweeted its thanks for the “candidness” from chat participants:
@CURVESandCHAOS Well said. We believe more brands and designers need to engage. And our goal is to lead the way.
— Lane Bryant (@lanebryant) December 8, 2015
@TrendyCurvy :( that makes me feel a little sad. there is a whole family of associates who truly love women.
— Lane Bryant (@lanebryant) December 8, 2015
@CheneseLewis The plus community but we need mainstream media to come along for this longer-overdue journey.
— Lane Bryant (@lanebryant) December 8, 2015
@readytostare Great question! Two part answer! 1) Our primary goal is to shine a much needed light on the question around body diversity.
— Lane Bryant (@lanebryant) December 8, 2015
2) We are learning just how broad we need to be in our own inclusion in body diversity from our customers and our fans.
— Lane Bryant (@lanebryant) December 8, 2015
@heygorgeousny We are happy to share the limelight. We believe women need more choices! Share the space?
— Lane Bryant (@lanebryant) December 8, 2015
We’re so grateful for the candidness and openness today. We had such a short amount of time but want to keep the convo going. #AskLaneBryant
— Lane Bryant (@lanebryant) December 8, 2015
Lane Bryant’s social media team has also been responding to tweets that question or criticize its #ImNoAngel campaign. Some users even complimented the brand’s effort:
Plus-size clothing often doesn’t reflect the needs of the people who wear it. Loving the conversations on the hashtag #AskLaneBryant today
— Pretty Powerful (@PrettyPowerfulx) December 8, 2015
I don’t think the @lanebryant thing went badly. Before #AskLaneBryant happened, I thought they had gone out of business in 2008.
— Tizz (@staycationgigg1) December 9, 2015
Props to @lanebryant for keeping it professional during the debacle of #AskLaneBryant.
— Mertle (@MizAnnThropic) December 8, 2015
Others said the chat did nothing to address underlying problems brought to Beitler’s attention:
#AskLaneBryant mainly revealled that they need to better align their ‘desired’ vs 'actual’ customer profile, stat
— curvesmart (@curvesmart) December 8, 2015
The #AskLaneBryant tag ignites so much passion. It’s time to stop fighting @lanebryant and start spending with companies that get it.
— Aimee Cheshire (@Amebeca) December 8, 2015
Let’s be honest for a bit. @lanebryant isn’t going to be answering anything of substance in this chat. #AskLaneBryant
— Amanda Levitt (@FatBodyPolitics) December 8, 2015
PR and marketing pros may say that Twitter chats and branded hashtags are never a smart idea, but there’s no denying their power to boost conversation about your organization. Brand managers can take a few lessons from Lane Bryant’s Twitter chat.
[RELATED: Escalate your social media game at Ragan’s Disney best practices summit.]
It will probably not go as planned, so if you want to interact with consumers under a customized hashtag, be prepared to relinquish control of the conversation. Also be prepared to handle criticism, and respond when appropriate.
Beitler didn’t address comments that slammed the brand, but responded to a few negative comments during the hour. Doing so showed consumers—and critics—that he was listening. That’s important for any organization who professes to keep their consumers in mind.
Brand managers should also remember that an organization’s actions following a Twitter hashtag effort are integral to building consumers’ trust. Time will tell whether Lane Bryant will integrate its feedback into future marketing campaigns and product offerings. During that period, Twitter users will be watching.
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