Trevor Robinson OBE, Founder and Executive Creative Director of Quiet Storm, reflects on the next wave of activism and warns that brands shouldn’t be scared of the consequences that come from standing up for something
Anger can be the best motivator and those who allow it to be a positive, driving force are often great leaders, like Marcus Rashford, who shamed the government into giving free school meals to over 1.5m children from low-income families; Raheem Sterling, who walked off the pitch because of racial abuse; and Antoine Griezmann who called out UEFA for not supporting LGBTQ+ rights.
Last summer, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the rise of BLM, I channeled my anger into launching Create Not Hate, an initiative aimed to help young people underrepresented in the creative industry unlock their potential - in turn increasing diversity in advertising - and addressing social issues they live with every day.
Create Not Hate is an ongoing programme providing mentorship from creative and advertising industry leaders, along with creating campaigns and will, ultimately, create a gateway for the young talent into a career in the industry. When Quiet Storm launched Create Not Hate at the height of BLM activity last summer, we were approached by lots of brands and businesses wanting to help and contribute. Some have continued to live up to their commitments, but others have now gone silent, in a sign that the momentum is at risk of fading.
Brands should be reminded that making superficial commitments or hiding behind purposeful promises is far from the easy way out. In fact, it can put the entire business at risk. BrewDog’s toxic culture crisis is not mitigated by its one ‘good deed’ of being sustainable. Brand posturing when it comes to activism won’t cut it either, as Pepsi discovered after its disastrous campaign featuring Kendall Jenner attempting to unify police officers and social justice protesters. When Colin Kaepernick famously took the knee in 2016 in protest against racial inequality during the American national anthem, a major brand had the guts to show him support and, by doing so, helped drive a movement. Nike stood by Kaepernick and it is a brand that has consistently spoken out to support equality and diversity.
Yes, the lack of diversity at a senior level at Nike has subsequently been called out. But that should not put off other brands from supporting social causes. In the current era, every company is expected to get their house in order when it comes to diversity and inclusion, regardless of whether they take a stand on social issues or not.
Nike advert featuring Colin Kaepernick
Companies like John Lewis and the Co-op have innovated with their business models giving employees part-ownership. Ben & Jerry’s has social justice at the very core of its operations, and brands like Patagonia and Oatly are dedicated to pushing sustainability into the mainstream.
despite the company having a strong ethos and a diverse workforce. So many brands are caught between wanting to support activism and a fear of rocking the boat. They feel they are not doing enough in this space and worry that speaking out opens them up to scrutiny and accusations of hypocrisy. Even when the motivation to support activism is genuine, businesses often dissect, analyze and dilute their approach to the point where it no longer has meaning or any real world impact. By operating out of this kind of fear, businesses risk becoming irrelevant and out of touch with what is going on in our culture and society.
Of course, brands should pay attention to cancel culture, but the fact that people can now make their voice heard should be a source of inspiration. There are so many ways for businesses and brands to empower those voices and advance and strengthen communities as a result.
Brands and businesses must stop waiting around for outside pressures to force them to do their bit, the time is always right to act on your better instincts.
