Pulling back the curtain: Expert tips on sharing brand backstories

In 2023, fast-fashion company Shein invited a group of creators to tour its manufacturing facilities in Guangzhou, China, in response to allegations of employees dealing with long hours, low wages, and other potential labor abuses.

“I went in there not expecting the best conditions for the workers,” Destene Sudduth, a lifestyle influencer, said in a video Shein posted to its brand channels. “But I was pleasantly surprised by how clean it was. Some of the workers were waving at us and smiling.”

Audiences were…not convinced. The behind-the-scenes testimonies and footage from creators on the all-expenses-paid trip led to further backlash and plenty of parodies online, and some creators from the trip ultimately deleted content from their trip or terminated partnerships with the brand. In a statement to NPR at the time, Shein said that it was “committed to transparency” and that the factory visit enabled creators “to share their own insights with their followers.”

Cristel Russell, professor of marketing at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School, told us that, generally speaking, it’s a “terrible idea” to use behind-the scenes (BTS) content as a crisis response, calling what happened with Shein a “perfect example” of what not to do.

“People are going to be cynical coming in, and you open yourself up to even more criticism because they’re really looking at whether you’re showing the real thing,” she said. “The backlash [can be] even greater.”

But there are cases where pulling back the curtain can have positive brand-building effects. We spoke with Russell, who recently conducted research on brand backstories and transparency, about the best ways to execute BTS content.

Pulling back the curtain

While every marketer seems to be in pursuit of authenticity, Russell told us that good BTS content requires more planning than it hopefully lets on.

“The tendency is to be like, ‘I’m going to show everything, and that will [create] more authenticity,’” she said. “It’s not that simple.”

Instead, a certain degree of “strategic performance,” she said, is necessary. That means avoiding staging content, which can open up brands to more criticism, as with Shein, while also controlling the narrative by designating and training employee spokespeople who can answer customers’ questions about everything from product sourcing to the company’s history while keeping conversations on track. Whether online or in person, audiences are generally eager to hear from and get to know actual employees, she said.

“You want it to be a genuine interpersonal exchange with a real person, so it can’t be too scripted,” she said. “Pick employees who are personable, who are going to make people laugh, who have a good history with the company.”

Russell said that in general, people are rather curious to know the ins and outs of their favorite brands. She pointed to the success of the Harley Davidson Factory, which has offered public tours since 2008, and Louis Vuitton’s Les Journées Particulières, a recurring event in which the luxury brand showcases the artisans behind its designs and allows people to see its workshops, with the 2022 event taking place in Texas.

“That attracted a ton of media and social media coverage,” she said of Louis Vuitton’s 2022 event.

Because inviting creators to film BTS content can sometimes feel like a marketing stunt, Russell recommends that brands build organic customer intrigue first. Allowing customers to film in some parts of a factory or office, for example, can encourage social sharing, while creating off-limit areas could make them feel like they’re getting special access to information.

And there can be benefits to keeping some brand secrets under wraps. A certain degree of privacy could actually enhance the customer experience, especially when in person, Russell argued.

“Never, ever will Disney show you backstage where people are putting on their Mickey Mouse costumes,” she said. “That would kill [the magic].”