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brand standing

May 13, 2018 4 Comments

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Sprout Social released a survey that concluded two-thirds of consumers say its important for brands to take a stand on social or political issues.

Edelman echoed that sentiment with a 2017 study that found 51% of respondents believe brands have more power to solve social issues than the government. And they reported that 57% of consumers are more likely to buy or boycott a brand because of its stand on social or political issues.

Taking a stand is increasingly part of marketing planning. And yet social stands that are only campaign-deep invariably come across as only campaign-deep. Last year’s Pepsi ad misfire with Kendall Jenner joining a social protest is a cautionary tale.

“A lot of brands jump on the bandwagon as a shortcut to weigh in on what’s going on and resonate with customers, and Pepsi did exactly that. But people have high BS detectors,” said Adam Kleinberg, CEO of Traction.

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Last year, Patagonia changed its entire home page to a provocative banner reading “The President Stole Your Land” after an executive order reduced the size of two national monuments in Utah by two million acres. Patagonia is a belief-brand with a long history of taking a stand, and this particularly stand fit squarely in Patagonia’s turf. It wasn’t a one-off. That type of stand is not right for every brand.

I like how Max Lenderman, CEO of School, put it:

“Most brands have knee-jerk reactions to trends and seek to hijack them. But you can’t use cause or purpose as a tactic; otherwise you’re bound to fail.”

Here are a couple related cartoons I’ve drawn over the years:

“Mission Statement” January 2011

“Brand Laddering” June 2012

Filed Under: Brand Purpose, cause marketing

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4 Comments

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  1. Ori Pomerantz says

    May 14, 2018 at 8:09 am

    Weighing in on a real issue, one that is in dispute, can also hurt a brand. Dick’s Sporting Goods decided to restrict sales of semi-automatic rifles. They have a perfect right to do that. But a lot of us right wingers decided to respond by not purchasing from Dick’s Sporting Goods. It may have not been a good decision, marketing wise.

    I wonder how much value brands can get from supporting education. Not by giving money to schools, but by producing and promoting material similar to Khan’s Academy or edX.

    Reply
    • Jann Mirchandani says

      May 14, 2018 at 8:25 am

      While I personally was happy – as a left-winger – to see Dick’s restricting sales of semi-automatic weapons, I agree with @Ori about the dangers for brands here. And we’re in good company; Warren Buffet has also recently warned about brands getting sucked into what is too often a losing proposition.

      Reply
    • Ted Simon says

      May 15, 2018 at 10:44 am

      I agree with @Ori’s point (and Tom’s) that brands taking stands on social issues can be a dicey proposition. But, as with Patagonia, if the position is genuine and consistent with a long-standing brand position one could argue that NOT taking a stand may run counter to brand values.

      As for Dick’s – I can’t imagine the leaders of the company made that decision blindly and recognized that they may lose some customers as a result. They also may garner support among other customers (per @Jann). Whatever the case, the leadership obviously had strong enough feelings to put their money where their hearts and minds are – time will tell whether it was a “good” or “bad” marketing decision.

      Reply
  2. Connie says

    May 15, 2018 at 4:09 pm

    With Patagonia, its completely genuine. I have a hard time coming up with other companies that have that reputation of genuine social impact/political impact. The Body Shop might be the only one that I think could come close.

    But there are other brands that are doing this. FWIW, I think Dick’s wading into this helped their brand overall. For what they lost in gun sales, they gained in people supporting them over the decision. I know I walked in there to buy tennis balls for my dog. I could have gone to Walmart, but I chose Dick’s because of their stance.

    Everlane would be another example that comes to mind – they are new, and starting with transparency. I think in a few years we’ll start seeing Everlane initiatives to improve worker safety and worker environment as consumers demand more from their brand.

    Reply

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