Understanding Brands who take a Stand
A short introduction to the new brand world
Amid an increasingly socially aware and globally connected society, brands are beginning to see the value of ‘taking a stand’ to support causes and be vocal on the issues in current societal discourse. Consumers are turning to brands to help enact or facilitate social change, in the belief that their economic and social power can be used for good, beyond their bottom line.
In 2018, it’s difficult not to be aware of and informed about the slew of global problems that urgently need to be addressed. Trust in western governments is diminishing, whilst expectations for businesses to speak up are on the rise. To stand out in a crowded marketplace, many brands are adopting (or being founded on) principles of responsibility, transparency and activism. Through social networks, savvy customers are forging closer, more personal connections with brands, though companies now face unprecedented levels of accountability for their actions — or lack thereof.
In the wake of Nike’s latest viral Kaepernick campaign, it seems there is no doubt that some brands have recognised the opportunity that lies before them: a divided, disenfranchised, yet incredibly politically engaged public.
When brands decide to ‘take a stand’ on social issues, the potential consequences can be immense. They risk alienating employees and customers, irreversibly altering the company’s image, and impacting consumer purchasing behaviour. There has, traditionally, never been any real ‘risk’ in abstaining from being vocal on the social issues of our times. But are those days gradually fading in the rear view? Brands, I say, no longer have the luxury of distancing themselves from the socially and political society they profit from, that of ‘playing Switzerland’ while the rest of the world scrambles to choose sides. Indeed, some have succeeded. Some brands have shown they can do more than just provide lip service, instead building a successful business and a clear identity based on values established early on.
Brands don’t operate in a vacuum, nor can they claim to work at arm’s length from our larger culture and society. Those who fail to do so may find themselves in “no brand’s land”, a veritable deathwish.
No longer only accountable for the quality and value of their products or services, today’s global brands are increasingly being judged for their official stance on the social issues their consumers care about. In many ways, brands are finding that they must ‘humanise’ themselves by adopting clear identities of their own, by being clear on their core values, what they stand for, what personality traits they want to exhibit and how they want to be perceived.
In this series of stories I will discuss this changing brandscape, where companies are deciding how and when to act in the face of the powerful coupling of a socially engaged consumer base and the dramatic power social networks play in it. I’ll talk about how to be less like Pepsi and more like Patagonia, why relationships are at the heart of everything, and actionable advice on how to stay relevant in the era of Trump.
Good things lie ahead. Stay tuned.
