Today’s opinion is from Tara Wulf.
“If its not broke, don’t fix it”
“Take the easiest path”
“Avoid touchy subjects”
…
These statements are typical of many brands, and may have gotten them far…enough, until now. Contrary to the past, the bare minimum is not enough anymore for brands. With the global pandemic and essential social justice reforms, it is more important than ever for brands across the globe to step up to these “touchy subjects”, take a stand, and use words backed by action. According to PR News on a recent Sprout Social survey, “fifty-five percent of 1,000 consumers surveyed said they ‘expect brands to take a stance that goes beyond corporate statements and monetary donations…”. This means that public statements are needed and essential, but a brand must also show physical action behind their words. Furthermore, according to the Customer Insight Group, 66% of consumers sat they would switch from a product they normally use to a brand with a purpose. This is important for brands to take into account, in that their long-term business prosperity is majorly dependent on their purpose, not just their product.
In the last couple of months, some brands rushed to make immediate statements in regards to social justice, while others waited too long. In both decisions, each have their downfalls if the brand they have already built lack a previous foundation of lived-out values for social and community good. In the case of rushing to make a statement, brands can come across as inauthentic. Likewise, silence portrays complicity with the situation at hand. In my opinion, brands can no longer hide behind a curtain of comfort. There is no neutral ground for brands to take. They can either move forward in the right direction with clear, valuable action steps, or spiral down if they continue to spew empty words. Every company needs to evaluate their core values, mission, and purpose in order to dive in to how and what they can further do to take a stand, make a change, and live out a purposeful brand.