Retail’s Very Own Elle Woods Moment
Finally, after a 6 week-long case, a verdict has been reached. Seven jurors have overwhelmingly found Amber Heard guilty of defaming her ex-husband Johnny Depp, awarding him $US15 million in damages.
In last week’s blog "'Til Depp Do Us Part" we saw how Dior have successfully capitalised on Johnny Depp’s slippery reputation following Heard’s allegations of domestic violence.
While Dior has been leveraging the scandal and Depp’s zealous fanbase for a few years, two beauty brands have since joined the conversation.
Enter makeup brand #1: Milani Cosmetics.
In an Elle Woods moment of triumph, the makeup brand confirmed the brand’s concealer palette that Heard’s lawyers claim she used to cover bruises from Depp throughout the “entire relationship” was not released until December 2017, essentially debunking a critical fact in Heard’s legal argument.
You see, Heard and Depp’s relationship began in 2012 and ended in divorce in 2017. Hence, Heard could not have been using the palette to cover her bruising during the relationship because it hadn’t even been released.
The rules of concealer are simple and finite. Any Cosmo girl would have known!
A robust legal case annihilated by a single TikTok using audio from a children’s show, “Backyardigans”. Yikes.
The TikTok has generated 5.5 million views and over 1 million likes since it was posted on April 21.
Milani Cosmetics have been flooded with praise across social media with comments like, “Milani just got another customer”, “Milani sales 📈” and “well I’m switching to Milani now. MILANI FOR JOHNNY’ attracting hundreds and thousands of likes.
While the comments are mostly positive, many have criticised the brand for making light of domestic violence claims.
The brand has since responded, “Our video was to verify the claim that our eagle-eyed and loyal fanbase made about the product named in the trial. Milani Cosmetics is not taking a formal stance on the trial, evidence, or future outcome of the case.”
Enter, make up brand #2: L’Oréal.
Unfortunately for L’Oréal, the story for this brand takes a very different turn.
In 2018, Heard was named as a brand ambassador for L’Oréal. However, in stark contrast to the response to Dior’s ongoing support of Depp, L’Oréal have come under fire for this decision and have been called to drop Aquaman’s leading lady.
Since the beginning of the trial, L’Oréal’s Instagram has been inundated with vitriol and orders for Heard to be removed. Users have littered L’Oréal’s social media with #AmberOut and #OutAmber with many questioning what L’Oréal stand for if they continue to support a “serial abuser”.
A popular (and effective) strategy employed by K-pop fans, Depp fans appear to be using organised mass-posting techniques to dominate and control the narrative.
When Channel Nine attempted to poke fun at K-pop band BTS, its dedicated fans – the BTS Army, launched a social media campaign accusing Nine of racism. #Channel9Apologise went viral and soon after the station issued an apology.
Although L’Oréal have not dropped Heard, they responded:
“Thank you for letting us know how you feel about Amber Heard as a L’Oréal spokesperson. We respect your point of view and appreciate the time you have taken to give us your perspective. We will share your comments with the appropriate individuals in our company.”
This response has been met with threats to boycott L’Oréal Paris.
With the Court of Public Opinion weighing heavily on the success or otherwise of brands, retailers cannot remain neutral and for better or worse, you’d best pick the team with the loudest voice.