by Shreya S
Lately, we have seen a lot of brands putting out messages in support of various social issues. One of the main reasons why brands are openly taking a stand and sharing their opinion is due to social media. Be it a minor incident or major catastrophe, everything has the potential to be viral and influence millions and millions of people. And social media provides people with a platform to share their thoughts openly so why shouldn’t they expect the same from the brands they interact with, be it a company that sells you your soap or your car. In a world where consumers are getting more and more conscious of what they purchase the factors that influence their decisions have also diversified. Product and service attributes are definitely defining factors but along with it comes several other influences. A survey by sprout social tells is that 66% of consumers want brands to take a stand on the values it upholds.
Ben & Jerry’s is a brand which has managed to seamlessly incorporate activism into their business model it has been doing so since it was founded in 1978 and continues to do it to date. Boldly named products like “Justice ReMix’d,” a flavor created to encourage criminal justice reform, and “Pecan Resist,” a flavor supporting anti-Trump activism, have become the company’s signature. Americus Reed, a marketing professor at the Wharton School of Business said “To me, Ben & Jerry’s are basically activists who happen to sell ice cream,”
Nike chose Colin Kaepernick as the spokesperson for the 30th anniversary of its “Just do it” campaign, a radical decision indeed. It was quite a controversy when Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem in the NFL games to protest the police brutality against people of color. Post the campaign Nike was boycotted by some, products were burnt, Nike lost 3% of shares that day as well but it also led to $43 million worth of media exposure in just 24 hours, sales soared by 31%, and most important of all quite a lot of people resonated with the campaign. Nike now is a brand sincerely associated with Brand activism.
Zomato, an Indian restaurant aggregator and food delivery company spoke up against religious discrimination when a customer asks for food to be delivered by a person of a particular faith. The founder Deepinder Goyal made it clear that the company is willing to lose business if it does not align with its values. It is quite a bold move to take a stand on religious discrimination in India where it is a fairly sensitive issue. Amul, an Indian dairy cooperative has regularly created advertisements relating to day-to-day happenings in social and political arenas featuring its iconic Amul butter girl. It isn’t exactly activism but does lead to awareness and gets the conversation going.
In 2011 Patagonia published a full-page ad with a picture of their jacket during the black Friday sale season in the US with the title ‘ don’t buy this jacket “. A bold campaign that encouraged customers to reuse their clothes and purchase only what they need, it also highlighted the environmental stress that one jacket causes. The brand aims to provide its customers with high-quality long-lasting products and in return win loyal customers. And then we also have luxury brand Burberry that burned stock worth millions and millions of dollars just to prevent it from being sold at lower prices and help maintain the exclusivity of the brand. Even though it is considered a common practice in fashion, especially the luxury industry this is a classic example of overproduction and ignorance.
Attempts to include a social perspective in your brand can also go wrong, like when an advertisement staring Kendall Jenner for Pepsi in 2017 received major backlash, and rightfully so. The advertisement was a picture-perfect image of a protest which seemed to be inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, it ends up with a 21-year-old white supermodel offering a can of Pepsi to a police officer successfully attempting to make peace.
In the wake of the recent global discussion on racism, Unilever has also changed the name of its product ‘ Fair & Lovely’ that promotes colorism and lighter skin in some Asian countries primarily India to ‘ Glow & lovely’, which is not exactly revolutionary but small steps gradually contribute to change. Glossier, a New York-based Beauty and Skincare brand that was built on the foundations of community and engagement announced their plans to fund $500,000 in grant money to black-owned beauty businesses and providing $500,000 in donations to organizations fighting racial injustice. Reebok collaborated with Pyer Moss, an upcoming luxury fashion designer with Black heritage and culture deeply rooted in its brand.
Microsoft along with advertising firm McCann wanted a black artist Shantell Martin to create a Mural in their NYC store, the email conversation was leaked by Martin which asked her to paint the Mural before Sunday in order to be relevant with the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests.
This reveals the side of brands we don’t get to see, the hypocrisy, and the intention to benefit from a movement. The aim is for activism initiatives to be authentic, some companies preach social good but in their business practices have no regard for society. This performative activism can be seen through quite easily and does more harm than good. Yes, brand activism can be risky but that happens when what you are preaching doesn’t truly align with the company values and morals. Activism doesn’t have to be loud and overstated. Brands must be careful while participating in brand activism and only involve themselves in a cause that they truly believe in.
Many companies treat activism like another marketing tool and there’s no denying it can help it enhancing reach and driving sales but only when it is legitimate and there is a meaningful connection with the customer. Nurturing a truly lasting connection isn’t easy. Customers will doubt if the efforts are real, activists/communities will scrutinize and question, competitors will try to undermine, and so on. Certainly, steps have been taken in a lot of companies to make their organization more inclusive sustainable and woke. But posting on Twitter is one thing and actually taking concrete steps towards tackling social issues and is another. ‘ Actions speak louder than words and it had never been truer when it comes to brand activism.
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