March 4, 2022
What do you do when an influencer posts a not-so-favorable review of your product? Great question. I would love to tell you.
For those of you that may not know, Elyse Myers is probably one of my favorite people on the internet. She’s authentic. She’s kind. And her videos make me laugh out loud. Watching her videos is definitely a favorite pastime of mine after the kids are in bed.
Since October 2021, Elyse’s TikTok following has grown from 1 million to 4 million, and she has a million followers on Instagram. Safe to say, she’s got some influence over people.
Her content typically focuses on real and silly stories about her life, but she has been known to do some sponsored content with brands like Hyundai, Peacock, Dunkin’ and others. (Which, for those brands, I say congratulations to you for securing such an authentic and real partner for your brand!)
HOWEVER, one brand that may be shaking in its boots right now is Dyson. Elyse recently shared her personal review of the $600 Dyson Airwrap (essentially a blow dryer/curler combo) and gave it a 2 out of 10. She shared that she purchased this on her own so she could share her honest feedback on it, and it did not fare well for Dyson.
Followers are posting things like, “Thank you for being HONEST!” “Thank you for saving me $600!” “$600? Lmao Dyson has all of the audacity.” For Elyse’s brand, it’s doing nothing but making her followers fall more in love with her (as if that was even possible).
And Conair responded, “Hi Elyse – we would love to send you some affordable beach wave stylers,” to which Elyse responded “Conair, let’s go for it!!” This goes to show you that social listening of your competitors can sometimes bring about a great opportunity.
However, Dyson has a bit of a situation on its hands.
So, from a brand strategy standpoint, what should they do? Here are a few ways Dyson could respond (and there might be a nugget or two in here for your brand to learn from too):
1. Respond to Elyse: No “clapback” or anything, but some kind of response from Dyson is needed. Maybe something witty would help ease tensions, as many people are commenting how Dyson’s customer service is bad. Doing so would at least show Elyse’s millions of followers that the brand is listening and trying to make things right.
2. Offer a demo to Elyse: Dyson could offer an in-house demo of how to use the Dyson Airwrap to achieve the look Elyse wants in attempt to potentially recover from the unflattering product review. They could film the demo and, assuming Elyse likes the outcome, she could do a follow up video as a tutorial to show others how to use it.
3. Ask current customers for ratings: Use an online rating tool to get customer feedback that will hopefully provide positive feedback. Once collected, start using that content across various platforms to show while the blowout look wasn’t for Elyse, there are customers that are happy with the product. This customer feedback could even be made into ads and promoted to key audiences to show how some customers have a strong affinity for the product.
4. Take it on the chin and move on: Elyse’s content, style and followers are real and raw. She’s typically rocking a mom bun that includes loose, wispy postpartum hair (#relatable) or wearing her favorite engagement beanie. This is quite the stark difference to the Dyson Hair Instagram page that is curated with high-end, sleek photography. So while Elyse has influence, it may not be with their target audience, and the Dyson Airwrap will continue to sell. (After all, there are plenty of positive reviews online too.)
5. Take the criticism to heart and adjust the product: Now this is obviously something that product teams would loathe, but if the product doesn’t stand up to people’s expectations (whether it be with price or actual product delivery), maybe it’s worth taking a step back and re-evaluating the product itself. Here again, listening and reacting to customer feedback could be a big win for Dyson to earn the affinity of a new customer base.
Whether it be Dyson or your brand, you should have a plan in place in case an influencer posts negative reviews or content about your product or service. I wrote this blog post three hours after she posted her review, and it already has nearly a million views, 150,000 likes and nearly 5,000 comments on TikTok. So clearly, word travels fast and you need to be prepared.
Want to talk about Elyse Myers or brand strategy? Send me an email. I would love to talk to you.
