On Recommendation App Masse, the Women Behind the Coolest Companies Will Give You Answers and Advice
Amid social media’s not-so-disclosed spon-con and fake internet product reviews comes Masse: an app where products are recommended by a community of conflict-free commentators. Want an opinion on the best foundation for your skin tone? What about crowdsourcing non-toxic baby products? Or perhaps something more abstract—what are the clothing items that will give a my wardrobe a Parisian vibe? Just ask the question on Masse, and expect honest answers.
Tonight at 8 p.m., the app is taking a new step in product transparency by offering “AMAs” (internet shorthand for “ask me anything”) with brand leaders, starting with Megababe founder Katie Sturino. Co-founder Elizabeth Shaffer explains that the initiative grew organically. “Brands were noticing the positive conversations people were having about them on Masse, and were reaching out to us,” she says. “They wanted to know how they could work with us when we don’t allow sponsored content or paid posts. The AMAs are an authentic way to connect our user base who are both product enthusiasts and big fans of these brands with the visionaries behind them.”
Shaffer and her co-founder, Lizzy Brockhoff, gathered a list of women behind the coolest companies: There’s Sturino, Charlotte Tilbury of Charlotte Tilbury, Birchbox co-founder Katia Beauchamp, and the list goes on.
Masse users can ask these founders whatever they want—about the last book they read, or how they plan to become more sustainable. As long as the questions aren’t offensive or inappropriate, they’ll be posted. Each Q&A lasts 30 minutes. “We know our community asks great questions, so we’re excited to see how they have fun with this,” Shaffer says. “We hope to provide a space where the Masse community can connect authentically with the visionaries behind the brands that they’re loving and recommending. We hope that the founders, by hearing from and engaging directly with the people who are actually using their products, get to learn something too.”
Speaking of the Masse community, on October 8, they welcomed a new member: Comments by Celebs. The beloved Instagram account—which chronicles the zany, hilarious, and unfiltered interactions celebrities have on social media—is joining the app, and ready to share their own honest opinions. Plus they’re bringing some famous folks, such as comedian Heather McMahan. “We thought it’d be fun to ask celebrities to post questions on Masse as a way to almost inverse the paradigm of the influencer,” Shaffer says. After all, celebrities need trusted recommendations too.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
