Before I start talking about this topic, I would like to share a few words. I will never understand the pain and suffering the black community goes through on a daily basis. Furthermore, I acknowledge that I have gained from how society is structured currently, but acknowledgement is not enough. I stand with the African American Community in fighting against systematic racism and will challenge myself to create real change however I can through whatever means I have. This piece is my first step in doing so.
The year 2020 may be the hardest year for brands to navigate since the stock crash of 2008. Brands have had to adapt to Covid-19, social distancing norms and even killer hornets in some areas of the United States, but one issue still remains. Systematic racism exists in our country and the latest incident involving George Floyd has hit the boiling point for the American People.
Today, I am not going to talk about my views on either the racism that exists or my views on police. Rather, I would like to discuss some things you can do as a brand to help make real change. If I can help one person change one brand during this impactful time in history, our country has inched ever closer to truly being equal.
Cookie Cutter and Piggyback Brand Responses:
There are two ways brands can respond to times like these that do nothing to create change. These two ways usually work together. The first is the cookie cutter response. Tell me if you have heard this before.
“Here at Blah Inc. we stand by the black community in this time of heartache and frustration. Blah Inc. is committed to our employees and customers and will forever stand by and support those that fight for what they believe in.”
Words are nice, but consumers now are more educated and more involved than ever before, and they will see through the empty air that is this cookie cutter statement.
Piggybacking is where a brand waits till other brands do something then copy and paste. This action is just as empty and even more cowardly.
Now let’s talk about how brands can actually foster change.
Proper way to write and release a statement:
The things said in a cookie cutter response need to be said, but there needs to be proof of action with a goal for change. Words are empty without action to back it up. This is how you can turn the previous statement into one that has impact.
“Here at Blah Inc. we stand by the black community in this time of heartache and frustration. Blah Inc. is committed to our employees and customers and will forever stand by and support those that fight for what they believe in. We have begun planning and executing action plans to create change in our culture and in the world around us.
First, Blah Inc. has donated X amount of dollars spread across charities and movements that our employees and clients recommended. Second, we reached out to our internal staff and brainstormed ways we can change our system to make real change going forward. Some of these plans include culture training sessions, identifying minority colleges to send recruiters and trainers to and setting up charity funds that support job training programs in minority areas of X city.
This is a start and we are hopeful that the actions we take today will help make tomorrow better. “
The key difference is communicating to the public about action items that the company is taking to foster change. People do not want to hear about how this one cooperation “supports” the movement. People want to know what you are doing to actually support and change.
Lastly, let’s talk about this very important point on its own.
Fostering real change in a brand:
All the actions that were stated in the example response above are viable actions that can create change, but all brands are different with different capabilities. For example, a local restaurant chain with 3 locations can’t donate huge amounts of money, but they can create programs to change within the chain and volunteer time and expertise instead of money.
All brands can take action to change and grow. Find ways that fit within your capabilities that foster real change. Communicate these plans to your clientele base to inspire other brands and people to change as well. One brand can’t change the world, but a collective action can bring about real change.
Campaign Spotlight:
Social Media has been the place where people have been consuming news and educating themselves on the protests and ways to help. In this installment of Campaign Spotlight, I would like to share an Instagram campaign that really impressed me. #sharethemic is a new Instagram movement that connects black women with a message to white women accounts that have huge followings. The movement was created by Bozoma Saint John and the founders of Alicia + Olivia.
Selena Gomez, Julia Roberts, Alex Morgan and Kourtney Kardashian are some of the women that are donating their Instagram accounts which have millions of followers. Some of the black women that are participating are Tarana Burke, founder of #MeToo, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad and fashion mogul Kahlana Barfield Brown.
The campaign has its own Instagram now with over 30 thousand followers. A statement on the account reads, “Today, more than ever, it is NECESSARY that we create a unifying action to center Black women’s lives, stories, and calls to action.We need to listen to Black women.”
To keep up to date on what social movements are being created and what brands are doing to combat racism and create unity click the button below. The Ad Age publication is running a continuously updated blog post on all the news regarding social media movements and brand actions related to this matter.