Tarte Drama: Tips for BIPOC Creators
Hi Bonitas,
I’m sure by now you’re all aware of the Tarte drama that unfolded this past week.
Every beauty marketer, including myself, has been doing A LOT of social listening and taking notes. This has turned into a case study for us all. I even felt inspired to share a video on our TikTok (recapping what I will share below).
As a Latina beauty marketer, I’ve been the token in many situations - but I have used it to my advantage as I have a passion for educating others/non-BIPOC brands on new creators to follow and partner with, invite to events, etc. Over the years, brands have contacted people like me and my agency to give them multicultural marketing advice. We sprinkle our insights, educate them, and then it’s up to them whether they follow our advice. Luckily, we’ve been blessed to work with some big brands that have authentically listened and shown out for our communities.
It’s evident Tarte keeps missing the mark - even three years after all of us had to take a “pause” to listen and learn. But they’re not the only one - many other brands are on the same boat, and I think it’s time we get smarter with how we continue working with these brands.
It pains me to say this, but we will always be an afterthought for most of these brands. If it’s not the Black community, it’s Latinx, and if it’s not the Latinx community, it’s the AAPI community — brands will continue to miss the mark on bringing representation to these communities.
I wanted to come here as your Latina PR bestie and share a message with my fellow BIPOC creators so that these brands don’t continue to take advantage of us and our craft.
Tip #1: Study the brands.
Study the brands you want to work with closely - their social behavior and any of their recent campaigns. I would scroll back to 2020 and see what they were talking about and posting about during that time. We do it all the time with potential new clients AND influencers. These days, everybody wants to avoid dealing with a brand or influencer that had problematic behavior in the past.
Tip #2: If you encounter discrimination.
If you experience discrimination at an event or on a trip, don’t stay quiet but be careful with approaching a complaint or raising an issue online. Before taking it to video, share an email with the PR person that initially invited you to said event or trip and share your concerns. If you want to go beyond that and offer to do a one-on-one and share tips/advice on their PR approach, offer to do a Zoom call and charge them for your time (you’d be surprised how many brands may take you up on this). Brands can hire a DEI expert, but they can also hire you to hear your thoughts. You deserve that much. If they choose not to, then we know where they stand.
Tip #3: Stop taking freebies.
A brand can promise you or gift you a “lavish experience,” but is it worth it? Evaluate the ROI, and consider if you think you will benefit from attending this trip to establish relationships and get future business out of it. This is all a business game at the end of the day. There was a time that I was once told that since my Latina influencers “love free stuff and don’t charge the same as non-BIPOC influencers, our budget wasn’t going to be as high” - basically. I wish i was making this up - but I am not. This is how they think. If you start charging, these brands must start accounting for money the next time they come to you. If they really want to work with you, they will come back.
I share these tips because I want the industry to take us seriously. We already have to fight twice as hard to be seen and heard.
If you’re just starting in the content creation industry, study the brands you want to tap into. Some of us get easily mesmerized by the money - but if you stand for diversity and inclusion, make sure your future partnerships reflect that. Let’s also work collectively to shift our energy into supporting BIPOC-owned brands - brands that are actually putting money back into our Black & Brown communities.
Hope these insights help!
Xo,
Dani
