From Adidas to Oreos, CEO of The Social Element, Tamara Littleton, looks at brands today that are taking a stand on the big societal issues that define our age
Consumers increasingly expect to see the brands they care about taking action on climate change, equality, sustainability, diversity and inclusion (data from Sprout Social indicates that 70% of consumers believe it’s important for brands to take a stand on societal and political issues).
This means more brands are communicating their purpose on social media, with some becoming activists themselves, campaigning for social justice or supporting causes. Others will find themselves on the wrong end of an activism campaign, being pressured by campaigners to change poor working conditions, challenge inappropriate behaviour from leadership, question unethical practices, or to move faster to reduce environmental impact. Nowhere does this play out more clearly than on social media, which gives everyone a voice and an opportunity to hold organisations to account on issues such as ethics, sustainability, diversity or environmental impact. Online conversations about which brands deserve people’s money almost tripled at the start of the pandemic compared to pre-Covid-19 levels, according to research last year from Karmarama’s U OK UK? Human Insight research. So it’s important that brands make sure there is no gap between their intention/purpose and their actions. Your brand purpose should drive strategic company decisions and permeate through in the company culture, demonstrated by how you treat your employees, suppliers and customers - and not just something you put in your marketing messages.
Social channels are a great way for brands to show their genuine selves, an effective campaign tool for activists to shine a light on issues that in another time might have gone unseen and the place where any inauthenticities will be quickly exposed.
Taking a stand on a societal issue is a brave thing to do for a brand. It takes genuine commitment, a clear purpose and values, and accountability for action. Communicating intent is important, but it has to be backed up with evidence of what the brand has done to support that intent.
This was really brought home to brands last summer after the murder of George Floyd. Brands showed their support for Black Lives Matter, posting to social media and jumping on the BLM hashtag. But then many of them were called out for not doing enough internally to attract and retain diverse talent - they might have been speaking out on racial injustice, but their actions didn’t match their words. The message was clear: if you’re going to speak up on a societal issue, make it count. And many brands did. Ben & Jerry’s was widely praised for its bold and clear statement: “We must dismantle white supremacy,” a statement it had permission to make, given its long-term support for the Black Lives Matter movement. This was a statement in line not just with its brand values, but also with its brand activism.
Adidas is a brand which takes a stand with action. They have a number of initiatives - such as the ‘She Breaks Barriers’ campaign - to redress the imbalance of how women are supported in sport, from trying to rebalance media coverage to raising more funds for female founders redefining sport.
Adidas - She breaks barriers
I know that many brands are nervous about taking a stand on issues, and a good rule of thumb is: if you’ve done something positive to advance progress on an issue, you’ve earned the right to talk about it publicly. If you haven’t, the first step is reflection, not communication.
Brands need to live their intention, act and then tell the stories about what they have done. There's also an opportunity for brands to bring people together when there is such division in the world at the moment.
Sprout Social says brands play a role in unifying communities, connecting people of different backgrounds and beliefs who would not have otherwise talked to each other, and allowing people to see other people's perspectives on issues.
According to the report: "Based on personal experience, nearly half of consumers (46%) say social media has introduced them to new people, while 44% say it has helped them understand a different point of view."
It takes courage for a brand to stand up and be counted on an issue it cares about, and it can be complicated. If you’re going to support gay or trans rights, for example, that might not be a comfortable fit in countries where homosexuality is criminalised. We know from our own experience that brands which support Pride campaigns will often face a backlash on social media, dealing with homophobic and transphobic responses, and online abuse. Doing the right thing often means defending your position publicly, and reinforcing your values in the face of adversity. Oreos, for example, released Pride packs in 2020 and 2021, and launched a partnership with PFLAG National in the US to create its ‘Proud Words’ campaign, sharing coming out stories from the LGBTQ+ community. The brand has long stood behind the community, and has had to defend its position against detractors, including the anti-LGBTQ+ organisation One Million Moms, which accused it of “trying to brainwash children and adults alike” with its pro-equality message.
It’s a brave call to support a movement when there’s a backlash against you, as Nike famously did when it made Colin Kaepernick the face of its campaign after he took a knee at an NFL game in 2016 to protest against racism. Being brave and taking a stand isn’t just the right thing to do, it can pay off in customer loyalty.
If a brand is hiding a secret, it’ll be found out. Stories of dubious ethical practices, unchecked supply chains, wasteful production processes or poor working conditions all find their way onto social media. Internal emails are routinely leaked. Tax evasion loopholes are exposed. All these could have a devastating impact on a brand’s reputation - particularly if they go against the brand’s stated values. Bad practice can’t be solved by good communication. If you find yourself on the wrong side of an activist campaign for something your brand is doing, ask yourself how you can do the right thing. Engage with people, even your critics, to explain what you’re doing to right a wrong, or to defend your practices (if they’re defensible).
All brand campaigns should start with listening. It’s important to understand the public mood, and this is where social media comes into its own. Social media is an amazing place for brands to communicate with their consumers - but that communication goes both ways. If you want to engage people on social media, you have to listen to them, too, and sometimes that means facing up to criticism, and acknowledging when you don’t get it right. Some very high profile brands have had to do just that recently.
Brewdog reportedly considered hitting back at accusations of a ‘culture of fear’ by former employees, before acknowledging that it had failed to live up to its stated values.
We all fall short of our values occasionally, but we can all strive to learn and improve. Strong brand values will inform how you behave, whether that’s in taking a position on an issue, facing criticism for a campaign, or being held to account for a mistake. If your actions match your words, then you’re behaving with authenticity.
