Brand Activism – So Much Bullshit
There is much said about brands having a social responsibility “should brands be social beacons?”, a common question.
It seems today, everyone wants to be an activist. Journalism has suffered most from this disease. Journalists are activists first, second and third, journalists a poor last.
The world is going fucking crazy. There is a very old statement “being good is good for business”. There would not be any significant Not-for-Profit organisation without corporate support/sponsorship.
Some clown has stated: “Public polls show consumers expect businesses to address social justice and human rights issues.” Really? After 40 plus years in market research, I will bet London to a brick this result was achieved by “Yes, Minister” (The great ABC comedy series), research questions. Unprompted, consumers would not bring this topic up out of the blue. This result would have been achieved by asking “Do you think brands/businesses should address worthy/worthwhile (this descriptor would have been in there) social issues?” Well of course respondents would say “Yes!”.
In an article on brands and social issues examples are given where it has worked (Patagonia) and where it has backfired (Bud Light). Duh.
Patagonia was a smart business decision – no advertising, just 1% of profits (a very broad term) is given to environmental causes. Considering B2C business spend 6% to 8% of sales revenue on A&P, they received a shitload more positive PR than any 6% to 8% spent on paid communications could buy. And the target market for Patagonia are most likely environmentally minded and many are outdoor types. It was a very smart business decision. Great third-party endorsement (PR) beats any advertising for effectiveness. And though genuine niche markets are rarer than most think, this is one.
In comparison, the Bud Light Mulvey Dylan campaign was pure activism.
Forget all of this bullshit about brands having a responsibility to be involved in social causes. They are businesses, not social organisations.
Operate ethically
Pay your taxes. (Business tax goes a long way to pay for hospitals, schools, benefits to unemployed, pensions, single mums – all of the social support services any advanced liberal democratic society provides.
Pay and look after you employees. Happy workers are good workers.
Something I rarely read or hear about today is local area marketing. Any retailer (franchised or company owned) should have a Local Area Marketing manual and a core element is support & sponsorship of local clubs and organisations.
If a business operates ethically and supports worthy Not-for-Profits, I serious doubt any person with a particularly strong belief in LGBTQIA+ (gets longer & longer), or any other social issue is going to boycott it.
But take a side, publicly, and one thing is certain, you are going to piss off the other side.
