Brands have worked to find ways to meaningfully engage audiences for decades, many times exploiting societal issues to work their ways into the hearts of their customers. But how can they be supportive and not superficial?
It used to be that a tagline and statement were enough to appeal to consumers and get them to buy a product or service. That’s definitely not the case any longer. Consumers expect more and society demands more.
We saw it all happen again last month for LGTBQ+ Pride Month. In case you haven’t heard (and if you haven’t, I’m glad you’re out of that coma!), last month was LGTBQ+ Pride Month and it was celebrated across the globe. Pride Month brings awareness to the LGBTQ+ community as people come together “to celebrate the acceptance of sexual diversity.”
You’d be hard pressed to find a large company that didn’t supporting some sort of Pride Month initiative. From rainbow logos to messages of diversity, inclusion, tolerance, and empathy, most companies have hopped on that bandwagon to show support the LGBTQ+ community.
You hope that most do it for the right reason, but let’s face it, it takes a lot more than an altered logo to create a meaningful connection with your audiences around societal issues.
While most large brands recognize this, there are still some that are missing the mark. Even though there was a new story every day of June that called out how to appropriately support Pride Month.
And to be clear, smaller companies need to be extra cautious about this sort of superficial support to engage audiences.
Consumer Expectations and Societal Issues
The intersection of brands and societal issues is not new. But, brands’ roles in addressing societal issues has shifted dramatically in recent decades, and even more so in recent years as movements like Black Lives Matters and LGBTQ+ rights have become mainstream.
While it’s nothing new, especially in recent years, for brands to address societal issues, the pressure from both internal and external audiences continues to gain steam, putting brands in a difficult position. Do they address societal issues that are affecting their consumers, which carries risk for the brand itself, or do they stay silent and risk alienating the people keeping their business alive? It’s not an easy question to answer, and it’s even more difficult to execute these efforts effectively.
Brands can’t address every single societal issue out there, and even the ones that they do address typically have two very polarized sides. So how can brands prepare to meet consumer demands on societal issues but protect brand reputation and their bottom line?
The answer varies from company to company and issue to issue, but there are some steps you can take to ensure you’re setting your brand up for success. By asking five questions you can determine if your company should take a stand on a particular societal issue.
5 Questions To Ask When Addressing Societal Issues
1. Does it align with your brand values?
If a societal issue doesn’t have some material connection with your brand values or your purpose, then trying to address it can come across as superficial. If you can’t connect the issue with at least some part of your brand, then don’t try to address it with your audiences.
2. Can we be authentic?
Authenticity should be at the core of your communications efforts anyway, but especially for diving into society issues or causes. This is closely tied to your brand values, but this goes a step further in how you communicate your involvement with the issue. If you can’t authentically convey your position, you’re better off moving on to something else.
3. What does the research say?
Historically public relations pros, and many leaders, have relied on their “gut” to make decisions. Today, there’s no reason to accept that risk, especially with an issue that could be contentious or potentially harm the brand.
Do your research on what your audiences are demanding and don’t rely on the outspoken advocates flooding your social channels to represent what your audiences expect of your brand.
4. Can our internal audiences support this?
If you want to successfully address a societal issue you need every part of your business to be supportive. Just because leadership wants to take a stance on an issue doesn’t mean your team can support it.
And if your team doesn’t support it, you can’t authentically take a stance on an issue. If your brand values align and you can be authentic, then your internal audiences will likely support the cause, but not always.
5. How about now?
Just because you’ve decided an issue aligns with your brand values, you can be authentic in communicating your position, the research supports your decision, and your employees are behind you doesn’t mean that now is the right time.
Make sure you ask the question of “when is the right time for our business to address this issue?” It may be now, or it could be after your big announcement, close to an earnings call, or next year sometime. But it has to be right for the business as a whole.
Simply put, if it’s not integral to your brand culture, then don’t embrace the public issue. You can be supportive without being superficial.
More Strategic Thoughts
Here are some recent posts to help as you create your Strategic Communications campaigns, including the importance of having a strategic communications plan:
– Do I Really Need A Strategic Communications Plan?
– Tips For Managing Unethical Communications Requests
– A Meaningful Message, Or Pandering Without Purpose
– Pitching Media Like The Pros
– Don’t Let Perfect Be The Enemy Of Effective
– Wake Up. Kick Ass. Repeat.
– How to Create Content That Engages Audiences and Builds Brand Trust Quickly
Let’s Get RADD
I’ve also been discussing how you can find success following the Coronavirus crisis through the RADD approach, which is Recognize, Adapt, Develop, and Deploy. Check out our previous posts to see how you can succeed with the RADD process:
– Get RADD And Plan For Success Following Coronavirus Crisis
– Prepare for Success and Get RADD, Part 1: Recognize
– Finding Success By Getting RADD, Part 2: Adapt
– Get RADD, Part 3: Develop Plans For Success
– Deploying Your RADD Communications Plan
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