White House | Black Market and Talbots both define themselves by being customer-focused. WHBM's mission statement is to "Make women feel beautiful." However, Talbots' mission statement is not listed on their website, and isn't even readily available to store managers. WHBM makes a big deal about their values, including encouraging employees to provide "Most Amazing Personal Service." Talbots' values are not as visible.
On social media, WHBM and Talbots are close competitors. They both are on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. However, WHBM is also on Google+. On Facebook, Talbots wins for having quick reactions to customer's complaints and compliments, while WHBM doesn't have as many comments and posts, so fewer complaints/compliments to reply to. On Twitter, WHBM wins for re-tweeting real customers' tweets about their experience at the company. Talbots does not.
On YouTube, WHBM offers high-fashion-style advertisements and interviews with the president of the company and celebrities. Talbots offers cheesy ads with lots of fake-looking smiles and tutorials. Unsurprisingly, Talbots' most viewed videos are the tutorials, ending up at around 30,000 views on average. The ads are viewed fewer than 1000 times. Several of WHBM's videos have over 200,000 views, and are more believable (fashion models posing in clothes rather than models trying to look normal and fake-happy)
On Pinterest, WHBM definitely wins for posting not only company products, but also pins from other sources about everything from inspirational white and black images, to favorite recipes, to adorable puppies. Talbots only posts items from their website.
Their Instagrams appear similar except for the fact the WHBM posts pictures from their customers' Instagrams. Talbots does not.
