The Honest Company: Is Their Storytelling Only Skin Deep?

In Beliefs & Philosophy, Purpose, Mission & Values, Storytelling

Actress Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company is a household consumer products company that positions itself as a beacon of transparency and truthfulness to parents of young children.

Their promise to only sell eco-friendly, chemical free products has catalyzed their growth in the premium consumer goods space. They go so far as to advertise a “forbidden list” of products and ingredients they will never use.

Despite their claims, the Wall Street Journal discovered, in a study, that they were indeed using some of the products from their “forbidden list” in their laundry detergent; a claim Jessica Alba vehemently denied. In addition, the company has faced a number of class-action lawsuits which claimed they misled the public.

In this video, Barry Chandler discusses the disconnect between The Honest Company’s advertising and their actions; between the story told and the story lived. What can we learn from their mistakes?

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Barry Chandler is the co-founder of Storyforge, a strategy company focused on helping companies discover their purpose, forging their unique story, building preference and driving margin.

Barry has been building award winning businesses since launching his first company in Ireland in 2003. His last company, a digital marketing agency, was acquired in 2012 by a California-based publicly traded entertainment company which then hired him as Chief Marketing Officer. It is his belief that the greatest brands seek to change the world, improving the lives of their associates, partners, and customers.