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Girlboss’s new head of marketing, Taylor Loren, knows the media brand has work to do on the inclusivity front. But last week, she told me via Zoom that she’s up for the challenge.
Record scratch: Wait, Taylor who? Girlboss what? In case you don’t know the Girlboss media brand from Sophia Amoruso’s Girlboss memoir, here’s a quick recap of what Loren is stepping into as its new top marketer.
- So about that memoir—published in 2014, the book chronicles Amoruso’s rise from grungy teen to CEO of fashion retailer Nasty Gal.
- Nasty Gal didn’t stick around, but the idea of the “Girlboss” did...hence Amoruso’s next venture, the Girlboss media brand.
Enter: Summer 2020’s “fall of the Girlboss,” when the group Amoruso’s brand catered to (white, female founders) were widely criticized for non-inclusive workplace practices. In June and July, many—including Amoruso herself, citing financial concerns—stepped away from the millennial pink companies they built.
The right Girlboss for the job
That situation doesn’t sound ideal for a marketing team to inherit, but Loren shared part of her game plan for winning over a more intersectional audience with Marketing Brew.
On a social-first rebrand: When it comes to literally disassociating your brand from a sociopolitical movement, where do you even start? According to Loren, it’s on social.
- “I think first steps [include] looking at our social content, [making] sure our Instagram feed represent[s] a very wide array of all types of women and being super inclusive there,” Loren said. “That goes beyond just making sure you have diverse stock photos.”
On creating new brand associations: “Redefining success for women and women in the workplace is a really good place to start for us,” Loren said.
- “I think that's where that ‘Girlboss’ term sometimes has a negative connotation. And I think where the pendulum’s swinging is [that] now, success [means] balance and mental wellness and not just like your career—there's so much more to you as a successful woman.”
My takeaway: Loren's focus on concrete, achievable steps toward change—such as starting on social and reworking one specific message like “success” at a time—provides a good blueprint for marketers in a similar position.