CMOs often treat hate comments on TikTok as a corporate reputation problem. BÉIS, the buzzy luggage brand founded by actor Shay Mitchell, is incorporating them into its product road map.
This week, BÉIS (pronounced “base”) is rolling out major redesigns to many of its core products, the company exclusively told CMO Insider. That includes its much-reviewed and much-duped Weekender bag, which helped it build a cult following online.
Liz Money, SVP of brand and creative at BÉIS, said her team cataloged every negative TikTok video it could find about The Weekender — from complaints about its weight to criticism of its straps — and used those videos as a blueprint for the redesign. BÉIS is also sending the updated bag to some of its harshest critics, with no obligation to post about it. It embraced its fans on social media, too, by inviting them in to preview the product first and offer their feedback.
“Success to me is people seeing BÉIS as a brand that listens to their community,” Money said. “Showing up as a brand that will make changes because you’ve asked for them is a really big deal.”
A slew of brands — including appliance company SharkNinja and e.l.f. Beauty — have moved beyond social listening and made feedback a direct part of product development.
The redesign of The Weekender is a significant bet. No marketer wants a “new Coke” moment. The Weekender became BÉIS’ breakout hit, helping turn the startup into a business generating $250 million in annual revenue. Money said the brand briefly considered a more radical redesign — and even a new logo — before concluding it risked losing eight years of accumulated brand equity.
“We obviously have a lot of equity built into The Weekender, so making massive changes to it and keeping that brand equity, that’s very risky,” Money said.
Building pre-launch excitement
BÉIS has been building intrigue for the relaunch by putting up “missing” posters around New York City, featuring its most popular luggage and promising a “reward” if turned in. The “reward” is a 20% trade-in discount if BÉIS owners bring their old bags to an event kicking off at a pop-up location in the city on Thursday.
Mitchell, BÉIS’ founder, has featured in social media posts, variously reacting to “mean comments” and, separately, styling herself as a surgeon, hacking away at The Weekender’s frame and straps. BÉIS has 1.3 million followers on Instagram and 606,000 on TikTok.
Behind the scenes, inventory management has presented another marketing challenge, Money said.
“The inventory, planning, and forecasting for our bestseller to be out of stock is very challenging and risky,” Money said. “The amount of planning that just goes into that alone is insane.”
BÉIS is also launching a twice-monthly interview podcast, hosted by actor Uche Moxam, who has previously been featured in the brand’s marketing. Money said Moxam pitched the “Unpacked with Uche” podcast herself, and its development symbolizes how the company intends to work with large creators in its marketing going forward.
“Our goal with that is using influencers and creators as an extension of the brand, like an employee,” Money said.
The redesign of The Weekender reflects a brand that had a direct-to-consumer breakout hit and now needs to mature, said Ana Andjelic, a business and brand strategist who formerly served as Banana Republic’s chief brand officer.
“Having an amazing product is a prerequisite,” Andjelic said. “They are now going through those growing pains because they did not build a competitive moat — which is a brand, or a community, or a membership, or content, or even retail locations.”
