Three Rules for Brand Activism in 2021
Brand activism sure is intricate work that involves a lot of introspection, difficult conversations and humility.
But — from a movement building mindset — far beyond what activists, governments or non-profits could achieve on their own, the potential of brands to yield powerful and long-lasting change, and strengthen collective action is tremendous.
Here are three simple rules for brands to live by as they navigate their activism journey:
1. Walk the talk
The first point is a bit cliché but bears repeating: it’s not just about what you say, it’s about what you do.
Driving genuine social impact goes beyond a marketing campaign. Being purpose-led needs to be baked into your brand and business — from your practices and your supply chain, to your power structure, your diversity and inclusion record, to your impact on communities and environments.
The extent to which a brand are able to walk-the-talk in these ways also helps them to identify whether their brand is well suited to speak on or shape the narrative.
Brands should examine how deep their activism really goes.
Taking the example of, let’s say, activism on refugees and asylum seekers: Is the brand actively contributing to positive change on rights and protections for these groups? Are they funding or creating initiatives that support refugee and asylum seeker communities?
Or are they simply posting a hashtag with an image of a token refugee employee and patting themselves on the back? Or even worse, are they actively sponsoring anti-refugee politicians while profiting from their pro-refugee lip service?
Further, brands should examine their track record of what they do when sh*t hits the fan.
How does the brand respond to backlash? Do they stand firm as allies? Or do their principles fly out the window (as in the case with Hallmark retracting their advert portraying a lesbian wedding after succumbing to pressure from right-wing, anti-LGBTIQ+ group One Million Moms, and then reinstating the advert after mass blowback on social media)?
Essentially, brands should be in it for the long haul, not just the profitable, fleeting gesture.
2. Be brave
Don’t let ‘call-out culture’ hold your brand back from engaging in activism and striving to be genuinely purpose-led.
According to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer, 64% of consumers identify as ‘belief-driven buyers’ (a.k.a. they choose, switch, avoid or boycott brands depending on the brand’s stance on political or social issues).
So, the proof is in the pudding, right?
Well, it turns out the majority of risk-averse marketing executives are a little conflicted about taking a stand on issues that matter.
The latest CMO Survey (February 2021) revealed that market leaders now believe it is more appropriate for their brand to take a stand on ‘politically-charged issues’. Compared with 2020, this shows a 49.9% increase in this position since 2020 (p.25 of the report).
But staggeringly, less than 20% of these same market leaders were willing to use their marketing communications to speak out on political issues.
This pretty deflating figure points to a risk-averse and possibly fearful attitude. There’s clearly an appetite for activism but brands are scared of public backlash, getting boycotted or cancelled.
But, we know that purpose-led businesses are the future.
And the private sector is an important player for the transformative change the world needs.
In spite of the potential backlash, I would urge brands to move forward with courage and a collaborative mindset. Embrace the awkward journey toward ally-ship, don’t let it dampen your resolve.
Remember our brand activism spectrum? Brands should be real with themselves about where they are on this spectrum and start there.
Humility and authenticity will reward you more than you think.
3. Learn about how movements work
Understanding how movements work and what your role as a brand should be within a movement is crucial and will propel your brand’s activism and social impact to its full potential.
You can read more about the nuanced role of brand activism in movement-building in my upcoming blog on how movements work.
But essentially, movements are long-term struggles driven by diverse communities who share a common purpose. These communities use collective action to transform social, political, economic or environmental conditions in the face of injustice.
As we’ve discussed, brands seeking to be ‘active’ in these spaces need to recognise that they are not at the forefront of these movements.
Activists, grassroots organisations, communities and those most affected by the issue have been leading change long before it became trendy to do so.
Recognise, too, that these grassroots groups are historically underfunded, lack power and carry a lot of risk for the work they do. They need partnership and collaboration.
But, brands need to be mindful of their power when seeking to engage in the space. Appropriation and erasure is a real problem in brand activism, as we have seen.
How and where brands show up really matters. Consider these questions:
- Where can your brand add value?
- How can you amplify the voices of those leading change and those who are most affected by the issue?
- How can you strengthen existing movements and the work of activists?
- What does it look like to collaborate with these communities without co-opting their movements or erasing their visibility?
- How can you meaningfully contribute to shaping the narrative?
Conclusion
Can you imagine the ground-breaking change and steps towards a more just, inclusive, equitable and regenerative global economy we would make if businesses began to see themselves as part of movements?
It’s a fine balance, but businesses reimagining themselves as purpose-led and leveraging their platform to power the activism space holds the potential to redefine and transform our unequal and exclusionary systems and structures. To create a world that rejects the capitalist, white supremacist, patriarchal and unjust status quo. A world where everyone benefits.
Who doesn’t want to live in that world?
So, dear brands, let’s get to work!
Contact me
Looking to step into the brand activism space? Want to up your game on meaningful social impact? Connect with me here on LinkedIn or ping me on sarah@purpose-led.co.uk.
