Blake Lively’s Target Hair Care Line Tanked in Sales by 78% After a Smear Campaign, Lawsuit Alleges

Actress Blake Lively’s Target hair care line took a hit in sales by as much as 78%, according to a new lawsuit filed by the “It Ends With Us” actress against her co-star, Justin Baldoni.

According to Fortune, the actress claims that after the premiere of their movie, “It Ends With Us,” Baldoni and his team launched a well-planned smear campaign to damage her reputation. Lively’s attorneys claim that as a result of the smear campaign, her business endeavors with Target, which were regarded as some of the finest the shop had to offer before the movie came out, have suffered greatly.

The smear campaign had a significant negative impact on Lively’s business endeavors in addition to her personal life. Her new hair care brand alone may have had a roughly 90% decline in sales as a result. According to Lively’s attorneys, the “sudden and unexpected negative media campaign” reduced Blake Brown product sales at retail by anywhere between 56% and 78%, based on internal sales predictions.

“This dramatic drop was completely at odds with the high satisfaction scores that Blake Brown products received in the significant consumer testing performed before launch or its initial success after launch,” noted the experts at Puck, who spoke with “internal sources” at Target about the sales drops.

Prior to the onset of the “social manipulation campaign,” her attorneys pointed out that the Blake Brown line was “Target’s largest hair care launch on record,” generating $16 million in media impact value in just one week.

Target Engaged in Other Successful Brand Partnerships

Lively’s issues aside, the retail giant has engaged in several successful brand partnerships with other brands. Recently, it announced it had partnered with True Classic.

By all measures, True Classic has been a huge success. Despite only launching in 2019, the company has already generated $500 million in revenue, opened nine of its own stores, and emerged as a significant wholesale player, according to WWD.

According to a press release, True Classic, which was first recognized for its fitted T-shirts but now offers a range of menswear, will sell its main product in 460 Target locations nationwide.