Essay The Body Shop Word count: 2001
Introduction The company The Body Shop is a British retail brand, selling cosmetics and skin care products. The company was founded by Dame Anita Roddick in 1976, in Brighton. Since march 2006, L Oréal owns the company. The Body Shop is known for its fight against animal testing. It is the number one value of the brand, followed by supporting community trade, activating self-esteem, defending human rights and protecting the planet. Since 2015, the Body Shop has a new commitment: Enrich Not Exploit (The Body Shop values report 2015), that includes three elements: Three core pillars ( ): People, Products and Planet (The Body Shop values report 2015). The company s goal, through this new commitment, is to determine in which manner it can be the most useful to protect the planet. Essay The following essay aims to evaluate the corporate communication of The Body Shop. How well does The Body Shop communicates to its stakeholders? To determine if the brand efficiently transmits the right message to the right people, the following essay will deal with three themes in depth: The first theme will be animal testing: When was the last time that The Body Shop showed that they were against animal testing? What is The Body Shop story regarding ethical testing? Why is The Body Shop claim that it is against animal testing questioned? The second theme will be women s body image: what exactly is the position of The Body Shop regarding women s body image? What image do The Body Shop advertising campaigns give of women? What does self-esteem mean for The Body Shop? The third theme will be products: Are they truly natural? Does The Body Shop communicates about the safety of its products? 1
In its 2015 values report, The Body Shop reiterated its claim that it is against animal testing. The company reminded customers and stakeholders that it is a pioneer in the fight against animal testing. The Body Shop reputation is built on this number one core value. In 1989, it was the first cosmetics company that started a campaign to end animal testing in cosmetics. In 1996, it reached four million signatures for its Against Animal Testing campaign, which contributed to the UK banning the testing of cosmetic products on animals two years later. The Body Shop continued to fight against animal testing during the following years. In march 2013, a full ban in the EU was adopted: cosmetics tested on animals cannot be marketed any more in the EU. (European Commission press release 2013). Now the company continues to fight for a global ban. The Body Shop describes on its main website, the three methods of ethical testing it uses. First, computer data: the in-silico (computer-based) analysis (The Body Shop website). Then, laboratory-created tissues laboratory-produced EpiSkin, grown from human skin cells (The Body Shop international plc 2016) and finally people, thanks to patch testing. On the Frequently Asked Questions section of its website, the Body Shop explains that it sources its ingredients only from suppliers who do not test their ingredients on animals (The Body Shop international plc 2016). Also, to make sure that the ingredients have been ethically tested, The Body Shop works to the standard of the Humane Cosmetic s Standard. However, despite the company efforts to support its claim, doubt still emerged. For instance, when The Body Shop was bought by L Oréal this leaded to concerns among animal rights campaigners. A boycott was encouraged by Naturewatch in opposition to the L Oréal policy on the testing of cosmetics ingredients on animals (The Guardian 2006). Anita Roddick justified the sold of the company by explaining that this was an opportunity for her to have an influence on L Oréal. She declared: "I was able to go into this huge organisation like a Trojan horse." (The Telegraph 2007). But despite her justifications, this does not change the fact that, in 2006, L Oréal still tested new ingredients on animals (The Guardian 2006). The position of L Oréal on 2
animal testing is addressed by The Body Shop on the Frequently Asked Questions of its website. The company explains that L Oréal invests millions in alternative tests. However, this is what is occurring now. The Body Shop does not talk about the 2006 L Oréal policy on animal testing. Even if efforts have been made by L Oréal during the years following the acquisition of The Body Shop, this does not change the fact that in 2006 L Oréal and The Body Shop had different positions. In march 2014, doubt emerged again among customers. An investigation by Choice, an Australian consumer group, revealed that The Body Shop products could be bought at Beijing and Shanghai international airports. In fact, per Chinese law, products can be randomly pulled from the shelfs and tested on animals. In Mainland China: All foreign-manufactured cosmetic products ( ) must be tested on animals before being made available to consumers. (Choice 2014). Concerning products in duty-free stores there is still a risk for them the be randomly tested. Following the Choice article, The Body Shop removed its products from Chinese airports and issued a statement on 12 March 2014: given the questions that have arisen, we have temporarily removed the products until we can clarify the situation (The Body Shop statement 2014). In the same statement The Body Shop reiterated that it was against animal testing and would not do something that would compromise that claim. However, the fact that The Body Shop had to remove all its products from China, directly after the article was published, shows that the company knew it did something wrong. Before selling its products in Chinese airports, the Body Shop should have first verified if duty-free products were at risk of being randomly tested on animals. To conclude on this theme, The Body Shop core value: against animal testing has been questioned over the years. In the two previous examples, each time, the company reacted to the accusations. Concerning L Oréal acquisition, Anita Roddick explained it was a strategic decision to influence L Oréal in a positive way. Concerning the products available in Chinese airports, they were removed soon after the article by Choice was published. This shows that The Body Shop considers customers concerns and offer explanations. However, instead of justifying themselves they should have first given information to customers, making them aware of the presence of products in Chinese airports, before acting. 3
The Body Shop encourages body positivity. In its 2015 values report, the company dedicated an entire section to self-esteem. It is one of The Body Shop core value: activating self-esteem (The Body Shop values report 2015). On the company s main website, it explains that it strives to use imagery which doesn't play on women's insecurities (The Body Shop International Plc 2016). To do so, The Body Shop developed a self-esteem campaign that started in 1997. For this campaign, a doll named Ruby was created. She was the opposite of a Barbie doll. As described by Anita Roddick, she had a rubenesque figure (Roddick 2001). The 1997 campaign featured pictures of the doll, naked. The printed ads included the following message: There are 3 billion women who don t look like supermodels and only 8 who do. (The New York Times 1997). The Body Shop, as a company selling cosmetics, wanted to give another image of beauty. Anita Roddick declared about Ruby: She was intended to challenge stereotypes of beauty and counter the pervasive influence of the cosmetics industry (Roddick 2001). The Ruby doll appeared on printed ads and posters in many of the 47 countries where The Body Shop stores were present at the time. The campaign was later cancelled and posters removed from The Body Shop American stores due to a cease-and-desist order from Mattel. Even though the campaign was shortened, the Ruby Doll still had enough time to create debate. It also left a trace in customers mind. The fact that many customers want the Ruby doll back years after (PRINT 2013) shows that the campaign was clever. In 2016, the Ruby doll is still present, on The Body Shop main website. For the activate self-esteem section, the picture of a doll, with the same body shape than the Ruby doll, is visible in the background. The definition of self-esteem for the Body Shop is given on its main website. It means being confident and feeling good. Our philosophy is that looking good stems directly from feeling good. (The Body Shop international plc 2016). The Body Shop explains that self-esteem can be gained by feeling good. It does not mention women s size and does not celebrate all sizes either. It seems than since L Oréal acquired the company, The Body Shop does not dare to do campaigns promoting a rubenesque figure anymore. The Body Shop uses thin models, such as Lily Cole, to represent the brand. 4
To conclude on this theme, The Body Shop supports self-esteem. However, it appears that since L Oréal bought The Body Shop, there has not been a campaign as powerful as the Ruby doll campaign. The only reminder of the 1997 campaign is a background picture of a doll having a similar shape to the Ruby doll, on the company main website. On the company s website, The Body Shop describes its products as being natural beauty products (The Body Shop international plc 2016). However, this is not entirely true. It appears that some of the products contain paraben: Some products contain PEGS, parabens and disodium EDTA which would not pass certification. (The Telegraph 2015). On the Frequently Asked Questions page of The Body Shop, the company does not deny the presence of paraben and other chemicals in some of its products. It explains that they are safe: The Body Shop takes the safety of the products it sells very seriously and has a responsible approach to the use of chemicals in its products. (The Body Shop international plc 2012). The Body Shop calls its products natural beauty products even when it contains chemicals. This shows inconsistence in the message delivered. The company does highlight the fact that the products are safe but it should not call its product natural if they contain chemicals. To conclude, The Body Shop have an overall positive image. The company has good core values and is implied in many causes. The Body Shop has been a pioneer in the fight against animal testing. The company has contributed to put an end to animal testing thanks to several campaigns. The Body Shop has also been one of the first cosmetics company to challenge beauty stereotypes through the Ruby doll campaign. These factors contributed to create The Body Shop good reputation. Now, The Body Shop needs to preserve this good reputation. The company s website, the annual values report and the frequently asked questions deal with most of the issues raised by customers and journalists. This means that The Body Shop pay attention to people s concerns. When there is an issue, the company also react rapidly. This has been the case when it issued a statement and removed all products from Chinese airports after The Choice article was published. However, this would have been better if the company had made sure there was no risk for its products to be tested on animals. This does show inconsistence with the core value: against 5
animal testing. Also, when The Body Shop calls its products natural, even though it is explained on the frequently asked questions page that they contain chemicals, it misleads customers. The Body Shop has an overall good corporate communication since it provides a lot of information to customers and stakeholders through its main website, the annual values report and the frequently asked questions page. However sometimes, it can mislead customers due to an inconsistence in the message it delivers. But this happens rarely and when it is the case, the company rapidly reacts and responds to the issue. The company has played an important part in the fight against animal testing and this will always be associated with the company. It is still the number one value of the company. Bibliography ANON., 2007. Getting under the skin of big business. The Telegraph, 5 September Intext citations: (Anon., 2007) BBC, 2006. Body shop agrees L Oreal takeover. BBC Business, 17 March In-text citations: (BBC 2006) BOOTH, R., 2006. Activists call body shop boycott. The Guardian, 17 March In-text citations: (Booth 2006) BURKE, I., 2015. The green edit: Not so natural natural brands. The Telegraph, 16 September In-text citations: (Burke 2015) CAHALANE, C., 2006. I believe they are honourable and the work they do is honourable. The Guardian, 3 November In-text citations: (Cahalane 2006) COMM, 2017. Ban on animal testing - growth - European commission [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/cosmetics/animal-testing_en In-text citations: (COMM 2017) ELLIOTT, S., 1997. The body shop s campaign offers reality, not miracles. Business Day, 26 August In-text citations: (Elliott 1997) 6
LEVY, A.R., 2013. Are your natural beauty products really natural? [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: http://www.takepart.com/article/2013/05/08/natural-beauty-products-or-fakes In-text citations: (Levy 2013) LIPSITH, G., 2014. The body shop exits Chinese airports amid animal testing concerns - the Moodie Davitt report [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: https://www.moodiedavittreport.com/the-body-shop-exits-chinese-airports-amidanimal-testing-concerns/ In-text citations: (Lipsith 2014) NATUREWATCH, 2015. Boycott the body shop [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: http://naturewatch.org/campaign/cruelty-free-shopping/boycott-the-bodyshop-boycott In-text citations: (Naturewatch 2015) RACHAEL, 2011. Paraben police report: The body shop [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: http://rachaelpontillo.com/paraben-police-report-the-body-shop/ In-text citations: (Rachael 2011) RODDICK, A., 2005. Welcome to AnitaRoddick.com by Anita Roddick, founder of the body shop [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: http://www.anitaroddick.com/readmore.php?sid=13 In-text citations: (Roddick 2005) SCOTT, K., 2013. The body shop s honest ad campaign - print magazine [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: http://www.printmag.com/editors-picks/the-bodyshops-honest-ad-campaign/ In-text citations: (Scott 2013) SHEFTALOVICH, Z., 2014. The body shop sells out on animal testing - skin care and cosmetics [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: https://www.choice.com.au/health-and-body/beauty-and-personal-care/skincare-and-cosmetics/articles/body-shop-sells-out-on-animal-testing In-text citations: (Sheftalovich 2014) THE BODY SHOP INTERNATIONAL PLC, 2012. Frequently asked questions [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available 7
from:http://www.thebodyshop.com.hk/en/faqs_product.aspx In-text citations: (The Body Shop international plc 2012) THE BODY SHOP STATEMENT, 2014. Statement [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: http://www.thebodyshop.com.au/cms/assets/latest%20news/statement%20- %20the%20body%20shop%20counters%20in%20shanghai%20and%20beijing.pdf?utm_so urce=socialmedia&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=statement0314 In-text citations: (The Body Shop statement 2014) THE BODY SHOP VALUES REPORT, 2015. Building for the future [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: https://www.thebodyshop.com.vn/media/downloads/values-report-2016.pdf Intext citations: (The Body Shop values report 2015) THE BODY SHOP INTERNATIONAL PLC, 2016b. Against animal testing [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: http://www.thebodyshopusa.com/values/againstanimaltesting.aspx In-text citations: (The Body Shop international plc 2016b) THE BODY SHOP INTERNATIONAL PLC, 2016. Our commitment [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: https://www.thebodyshop.com/engb/commitment/campaigns#story-5 In-text citations: (The Body Shop international plc 2016) THE BODY SHOP INTERNATIONAL PLC, 2016. The body shop UK - products and services - product information: Frequently asked questions [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: https://help.thebodyshop.com/en-gb/products-andservices/product-information?page=1 In-text citations: (The Body Shop international plc 2016) THE BODY SHOP INTERNATIONAL PLC, 2016c. The history of the body shop [viewed 6 January 2017]. Available from: http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/aboutus/aboutus_history.aspx In-text citations: (The Body Shop international plc 2016c) 8
Appendixes Stakeholder map Employees Community Trade suppliers The Body Shop Franchisees Suppliers Customers Trade media Mass broadcast media Press: regional, national and international Media Relations Financial media Social media, Blogs Consumer media 9
Debate 1. «You don t always have to tell the truth to the press» The Body Shop would be against. The company tells the truth. Sometimes there can be inconsistence in the messages it delivers but the company tells the truth. 2. «All publicity is good publicity» The Body Shop would be against. The company cares about its reputation and its core values. When the company faced bad publicity due to the presence of products in Chinese airports, it immediately issued a statement to reiterate that it was against animal testing. Then The Body Shop removed the products. The Body Shop wants to maintain a good reputation. 3. «What the public thinks doesn t always matter» The Body Shop would agree. When The Body Shop launched the Ruby doll campaign, a part of the public was shocked. That is because the public was used to beauty stereotypes. The Body Shop launched this campaign to challenge people s perception of beauty. So, in this case, The Body Shop would agree that what the public thinks does not always matter. It did not matter that people did not like the Ruby doll. The goal was to create debate. 4. Shareholders are more important than customers The Body Shop would agree. This is what happened when L Oréal acquired the company. Shareholders were more important than customers that time. 10