Sephora Skincare Company CEO Asks for Branding Help on TikTok. People Don’t Get The Company’s Name: ‘Why Is It Called Bread?’

Branding can determine whether or not a product sells, and that seems to be the struggle of Topicals CEO Olamide Olowe (@olamideolowe). The CEO recently acquired a haircare company, Bread Beauty Supply. Despite having massive success as a Sephora retailer, she doesn’t understand why her newest brand is flopping. She came to TikTok to ask for some consumer advice, and social media immediately spotted a few missed opportunities Bread wasn’t capitalizing on.

“I’m the founder of Topicals, one of Sephora’s fastest-growing skincare brands,” said Olowe on TikTok. She said that Topicals has sold over six million of their eyemasks alone. It’s no small feat, and it’s evident that Olowe has experience under her belt.

Olowe and her company are determined to launch brands that serve the Black community. So, she has come to TikTok for help with her new company, Bread. She acquired the haircare company last year as her next move.

A Sephora launch that flopped

Recently, Bread launched the ‘Slick Hold Gel’ in their catalog. As Olowe explained, it’s an edge control gel that can hold even 4C hair for up to 12 hours, without residue or stickiness. If true, it’s a highly effective product that people with curly hair should know more about.

“So, imagine that, and imagine me launching, and it flopping,” she said. Even though the brand seems to be highly effective, Olowe said that it has “almost no sales.” Olowe explained that she replicated what she did with Topicals to Bread, but it didn’t have a similar response.

It’s evident that she used the same marketing approach in her latest company. The packaging of Bread resembles the clean and minimalist aesthetic that Topicals is known for, but it didn’t work. By reaching out online, Olowe wanted to know what didn’t work with Bread’s marketing and how to improve it.

Is it a new bakery with a minimalist name? TikTok is perplexed

Immediately, TikTok commenters noted that they did not know about the brand until Olowe started talking about it online. One commenter wrote, “I fear it was marketing, because I’ve never heard about it until now.”

Another pointed out, “For starters, why is it called ‘Bread’?” The confusion couldn’t be more resounding than this. If it isn’t a food brand, why is it called Bread? What’s the story behind it? And what about the brand screams ‘bread’?

A TikTok post beneath the video gave even more advice to Olowe. They wrote, “If the brand is named Bread, why would your first launch with it be called ‘slick hold gel’ and not ‘slick hold JAM’?”

They further wrote, “Although I don’t love the name Bread, you gotta work with the theme: toast, hair jam, hair butter, maybe call bundles with 3 or more products ‘lunch packs’ or ‘lunch boxes,’ and incorporate ‘sandwiching’ your routine.” The original author of the post even joked that Olowe should hire them for the company’s marketing. Nevertheless, many online agreed with the sentiment.

It seems that the brand was simply not utilizing the fun brand name to stir interest. But another commenter also said, “Bread never seemed type 4 [C]-friendly. The models were usually mixed, so I quit looking at the brand.”

Essentially, the models of the brand have to cater to a range of Black women. If Olowe is trying to sell to a predominantly Black audience, the company can do better where representation is concerned.

While Bread is still a young brand with a lot of potential, it seems that Olowe will be busy for its relaunch. This all goes to show that a product can be amazing, but it won’t sell unless it’s sold correctly.

(featured images: Olamide Olowe)

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