Digiday published a report on brands expressing mixed opinions and
concerns over ‘woke’ advertising, mostly responding to the recent boycotts,
backlashes, and bad press ignited by Bud
Light, Miller
Lite, and adidas.
Seems like brands need
only consider at least three basic angles:
1. What’s the true motivation
behind any proposed ‘woke’ communication? That is, does it seek to reflect the
brand’s values or is it patronizing propaganda?
2. What’s the marketing
objective? How will the brand benefit from publicizing its politics and
purpose?
3. What’s the intended
audience response? And more importantly, will the message polarize and
politicize the audience? That is, does a sizable segment present biased and
bigoted attitudes toward ‘woke’ communications?
In these times when research
and data drive every decision, it’s astounding if these communications aren’t
undergoing pre-testing via focus groups—which could be renamed ‘woke’-us
groups.
How the push
for anti-‘woke’ advertising could create controversy for brand startups
By
Kimeko McCoy
Recently,
purpose-driven and inclusive marketing has found itself under fire, with “woke”
advertising from Bud Light, Miller Lite and Adidas in the spotlight. It’s left
marketers of all sizes questioning the future of inclusivity-themed campaigns,
partnerships and imagery.
But
marketers at startups and direct-to-consumer brands in particular, have mixed
opinions on whether to push forward with purpose-driven marketing as the stakes
for losing business may be a bit higher when it comes to boycotts and bad
press.
For
some companies, like LGBTQ+ healthcare brand Folx Health and August, a period
care company, inclusive marketing is a no-brainer. But for others, like
Glamnetic beauty brand, the public pushback to so-called woke advertising
creates uncertainty and fear of upsetting potential shoppers.
The
startup, which launched back in 2019, has had Pride-themed initiatives in the
past, including launching rainbow colored beauty products and donating to
gender-inclusive non-profit organizations. The latter of those efforts will
continue, per Ann McFerran, CEO and co-founder of Glamnetic, but promotion
won’t be as visible as prior years.
“You
have to tread carefully there,” said McFerran. “As a brand, we’re not a
political company.” Seemingly, there’s been a pendulum swing from brands presenting
themselves as not “woke” enough to too “woke,” she added.
Marketers
have been flocking to the idea of deeper meaning behind the brand, or purpose,
even before the pandemic. But after Covid-19, the murder of George Floyd, the
overturning of Roe vs. Wade, voter suppression and other societally pivotal
moments, the idea of brand purpose was revisited as a must-have marketing
strategy.
Strategists,
however, warned brands of the dangers of lauding positive campaigns for good PR
and in hopes to be on the so-called right side of history. Case in point:
Pepsi’s brand value dropped by 4% to $18.3 billion after its Kendall Jenner
campaign disaster back in 2016, as reported by Marketing Week. Albeit, Pepsi’s
initiative was critiqued as a shallow commitment–a danger zone for brands, per
strategists.
According
to agency executives, brand purpose is a long game that takes commitment,
especially as each passing generation has higher expectations of brand beliefs
and values.
“The
leaders of these big portfolio companies, they’re obviously driven by revenue
and commercial success,” said Akbar Hamid, founder and CEO of The 5th Column
communication and marketing agency. “It’s important to create specific
campaigns that build your community, not your consumer.”
It’s
a message that the team at Folx and August have taken to heart, albeit their
companies are founded on ideas of inclusivity and gender non-discrimination.
Even in the face of potential backlash, inclusivity is paramount.
“From
a business perspective, we stand for inclusivity,” said Nadya Okamoto,
co-founder of It’s August period care and wellness company. “We stand for these
things because we believe in it. We know that backlash might come about.”
In
talking about how period care extends to all genders, Okamoto said she often
gets death threats. Still, she said, “I’m taking my bets as a business owner
that we are going to stand for what we believe in.” Consumer trust is at an all
time low, but brands can benefit from being strong in what they believe in, she
added.
The
three-year-old company is still sorting through what Pride campaigns look like
in the future. But for now, work is inclusive year-round, per Okamoto.
It’s
a similar notion that Liana Guzman, CEO of Folx Health, holds. “Consumers today
are much more sophisticated around wanting to make sure that companies are not
just talking the talk, but they’re walking the walk as well,” Guzman said.
And
the numbers speak to that; 94 % of consumers say that “supporting brands that
care about environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues is as important as
it was 12 months ago, despite inflation,” according to research from Barkley ad
agency.
For
Pride this year, the health company is partnering with the Black Trans Advocacy
Coalition for a one-month fundraising campaign to improve the lives of 491
trans people for a year. It’s a push to show that purpose-driven marketing
isn’t synonymous with propaganda. Also that brands should be leveraging social
moments and their position of power to drive change, she said.
“When
you think about purpose-driven marketing, what is the purpose? That, you have
to ask yourself,” Guzman said. “And if the purpose is to leverage the social
moment to drive growth, that is a selfish purpose that is not really about the
community.”
