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When brands do activism marketing or take a stand on an issue, they need to understand the risks and take them in a calculated way. Walk in with eyes wide open, prepared for positive and negative impacts. Jane Ostler, EVP Global Thought Leadership and Graham Staplehurst, Thought Leadership Director, Kantar BrandZ, provide evidence on how brands can navigate the unexpected outcomes of brand activism in the short-term and in the long-term, including a case study featuring Krispy Kreme and its campaign during the pandemic. Read this article and find out how brands should approach activism: https://lnkd.in/ei42Vi5x

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Does brand activism influence brand attitudes and purchase intentions? And if so, how?That’s the latest research question addressed in JAR in a newly published article, “Purpose Advertising and the Credibility Gap: How Consumers Respond to Established versus Emergent Brand Activist Messaging.” Authors Tyler M. (Milfeld) at Villanova University and Eric Haley at University of Tennessee conducted three studies in which real-world brands and messages were used to “identify a credibility gap between brands with a reputation for activism (established activist brands) and those without a reputation (emergent activist brands),” according to the abstract.Moreover, their findings “reveal how personal issue knowledge moderates the credibility gap,” and offer a “new brand typology in the brand activism arena.” The research also contributes to the well of knowledge in this area by empirically demonstrating “a more favorable effect for established (versus emergent) activist brands when taking a stand.”Among the managerial takeaways:·Brands’ perceived reputation for activism (e.g., Nike, Ben & Jerry’s, and Patagonia) translates to higher levels of credibility when taking a stand on a low-consensus message. The resulting credibility gap between established and emergent activist brands may offer established brands a competitive edge in the marketplace.·A high-consensus message generates greater perceived credibility and advertising outcomes than a low-consensus message does, regardless of the source. Thus, a reputation for activism does not shield established activist brands from net-negative attitudinal effects.·Individuals with high (versus low) issue knowledge punish emergent activist brands and reward established activist brands. Emergent activist brands should be aware of potential backlash from individuals who are knowledgeable about the advertised issue.Read the full article, available on JAR's Digital First platform: https://lnkd.in/gF7q3Czk#brandactivism, #brandpurpose, #brandreputation, #brandstrategyImage credit: Markus Spiske/pexels.com

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When brands do activism marketing or take a stand on an issue, they need to understand the risks and take them in a calculated way. Walk in with eyes wide open, prepared for positive and negative impacts.#brandActivism #brandPurpose #brandExpertise

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Should a brand pick side? Pro-Israel? Pro-Palestine? In wars? In regard to diversity? The climate emergency? This week, I was speaking at Brand Week in Istanbul, and I was asked a question about Starbucks support of Israel and the backlash it’s been facing in Turkey. Yes, in a divided world, we do need value-driven leadership, but what type of leadership? Virtue-signaling? Populists, who incite anger or engage in pity tokenism? Most brands don’t cater to simply one demographic or group of voters. A politician can get away with it, Patagonia practice it, but most mainstream brands will end up dividing their customers and employees. Take the Google executives who after Trump won the election was sharing their discontent with the outcome in a leaked video. How diverse does Google feel to its employees and customers, if the company only caters to one political belief? A company consists of a group of people as diverse as society, shouldn’t they all feel welcome? The same goes for most companies’ customer base. In my book, sustainability is about inclusion, not exclusion. "I, Gojko Gagro, father of the deceased Marinko Gagro, born in 1963, at Blizanci in the province of Citluk, would like that my son's name, and all that remains of him be used in the name of peace and against war”, reads the copy of the Benetton ad. What you see is the uniform of a killed Bosnian soldier from the 1994 Bosnian war. It provokes you to think. It puts a human face on the war and the casualties. War is inhumane on both sides. The ad encourages humanity, it builds a bridge. Brands needs to get down from their high horse and instead use their voice and influence to engage in a democratic exercise. Brands shouldn’tput on a balaclava and behave like an activist, but should rather turn people into the activists of their own lives. The tokenism of wearing a T-shirt decrying ocean plastic is the easiest thing in the world. It demands almost no effort. Being empathetic – or even generous -cannot be bought; it’s something you earn through time and effort. We’re heading towards a post-purpose marketplace, where people are no longer buying what you make – or why you make it, but instead who you can help them become. It’s all about the positive difference you can enable in someone’s life. Brands’ virtue-signalling is becoming a tired and often even treacherous exercise, we need brands that dare to behave like real leaders and inspire us to be better citizens. It’s time more leaders (and brands) encourage all of us to embrace our humanity and unite rather than separate. After all, we do share this blue planet and there is more that unites us, than separate us #Leadership #Tokenism #War #Branding #Purpose #PostPurpose #Sustainability #Climate #Diversity #Activism

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I appreciate the insightful points raised by Gojko Gagro, particularly about the need for value-driven leadership and the risks of brands dividing their customer base. However, I'd like to add that in Arabic countries, the situation often necessitates a different approach. Here, public sentiment overwhelmingly supports Palestine, and this sentiment deeply influences consumer behavior. Brands operating in these regions sometimes find that taking a stand is not just a matter of choice but aligning with the collective values of their consumer base. For instance, international businesses like McDonald's in many Islamic countries have expressed their support for Palestine and have even pledged to donate, reflecting this unique cultural context. While the ideal scenario might be one where brands remain neutral, the complexity of regional politics and cultural sentiments can sometimes make this challenging. Understanding and respecting these unique contexts is as important as striving for a global standard of neutrality and inclusivity. 🫱🏻🫲🏼

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I think brands are led by humans. Therefore, with feelings, souls and hearts. Their ability to influence society should serve to combat injustice and defend human rights, beyond defending only economic issues.Pienso que las marcas las lideran seres humanos. Por lo tanto con almas, sentimientos y corazón. Su capacidad se influencia en la sociedad, debería servir para combatir las injusticias y defender los derechos humamos más allá de los beneficios económicos.

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‘Woke Capitalism’, ‘Synthetic Activism’, ‘Moral Licensing’—in the world of corporate morality.SXSW Sydney was a thought-provoking whirlwind but one of the standouts for both our Head Of Studio Creative, Elise Cullen, and Commercial Content Editor, Emma Bishop, was Friday’s impressive panel ‘Is Doing Good Actually Doing Any Good’ with Leo Burnett Chief Strategy Officer, Catherine King, University of Technology Sydney Carl Rhodes, Impact Economic Lead, Emily Millane and Saltbaxter CEO, Skye Lambley. At Urban List, we’re adamant that if we’re talking the talk, we must walk the walk. It's something we pride ourselves on but in light of recent political, global and economic events, there appears to be a rise in 'Woke Capitalism' and distrust in brands simultaneously. Here are their key takeouts ✏ ✏ As a brand, if you stand for something, get comfortable with the fact that it’s not for everyone and some backlash from opposing positions is inevitable. You will be questioned on things—ensure your team is trained up and bring your customers and/or audience on the journey.✏ As a brand, it should be all about ‘Double Materiality’, meaning if you’re not practising what you preach internally then don’t put it out externally. What you stand for should be part of your brand fabric and values.✏ The difference between real activism and brand activism is a brand has to think about the bottom line, which means ‘Woke Capitalism’ can be a dangerous marketing ploy—it’s all about what brands do when no one is looking. Doing good should lead to community prosperity, not just economic growth. ✏ Be the change you want to see. In an increasingly polarised world, it’s time to step up and be brave.✏ Many Australians work for small and medium-sized businesses, who makes up the critical fabric of our society and are already engaged and implementing more sustainable business practices—and there’s a lot we can learn from them.

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💡 ‘Perspectives: a research-based guide for brand activism’: bit.ly/48sFUF1Peeter Verlegh introduces the ‘Aligned Activism Model’ outlining the role of alignment between brand, issue and consumer. Credos’ takeaway ✍ Companies are increasingly being expected to take a stand, and lead on key political issues. Doing so is a great opportunity for companies to make meaningful change, but risks alienating some supporters and consumers. Taking a firm stance on a divisive issue, while particularly risky, is more likely to lead to consumers identifying strongly with a brand. Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign is one example of a campaign that led to especially strong reactions from those involved with the issue. Whether a company should speak out on an issue comes down, according to Verlegh, to whether the issue is aligned with the brand and its consumers. Only when consumers perceive activism to be coming from an authentic place do they respond positively to it.

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When done thoughtfully and authentically, brand activism can have a significant impact on consumer perceptions and behavior. However, brands should carefully consider their values, audience, and the authenticity of their engagement. As consumers are increasingly skeptical of brands that engage in activism, it's key that the brand demonstrates a genuine commitment to a cause, rather than just virtue signaling. This recent article in the Journal of Advertising Research, based on three brand studies, reveals interesting findings on the topic. #brandactivism #brandpurpose #brandreputation #brandstrategy

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Brands and activism! Our research (Zoe Lee, Amanda Spry & Yuksel Ekinci) on the effects of brand activism beyond the commercial sector (https://lnkd.in/dQhn5aJc) is in very good company in this special issue of the Journal of Brand Management, guest edited by Urša Golob and Klement Podnar. The full collection of articles published by Springer Publishing is now available here: https://lnkd.in/dWN7aqCx. Some must reads if you’re working in this space.#brandactivism #brandequity #nonprofitbrandactivism #autresearch

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