Silence is the Soft Noise that will Kill Your Brand
Being silent is almost like taking a side with the oppressive side.
If you were on a beach and saw someone that was drowning and you didn’t do anything to help them, one could argue that you have failed as a human. Yeah, maybe you could say something like “but I don’t know to swim”, but that would be somewhat beside the point. You could’ve shouted for someone else to be made aware of the situation and, being perhaps more able to, step in. You could’ve called the police, or other emergency services, maybe throw the drowning person a rope, a lifesaver, something. Any sane human would probably do anything they can to save the person, but sitting idly and watching wouldn’t be an option.
Well, this is pretty much happening right now in regard to the black community. Some people are just sitting idly, watching.
Yet, I’m not just talking about what’s happening in the US. I’m talking also about the hundreds of immigrants that try to reach the coasts of European countries in search for a better life. I’m also talking about the feminist plight, LGBT1+ rights, the environmental crisis, and all the major social issues that the world is going through right now.
Staying in silence when someone is bullied in a classroom probably doesn’t make you a bully but it does make you a part of the problem. Being silent is almost like taking a side with the oppressive side.
Today, a brand’s voice is more important than ever.
A decade ago, lots of brands were active in raising awareness around the black community’s struggles. A few brands were the ones who raise their voices and start doing spots featuring LGBT people. A few brands were the ones that stopped looking for 90–60–60 models and introduced models with different body types. There were always just a few brands at the start, maybe even just one. If there are countless brands supporting these issues right now, it’s thanks in part to those brands that decided to take a stand regardless of the backlash they might’ve faced.
In the past, brands didn’t raise their voices for social causes. They mostly tended to remain in silence and keep it safe, lest they might offend someone. Today it’s the other way around. Those that remain silent are more likely to offend people or face some criticism. It’s reminiscent of that old adage, commonly attributed to Aristotle, “A friend to all, is a friend to none”. That is what’s happening today. Brands posses huge platforms to reach people with, thus, means to raise awareness, and people expect them to use them.
More and more people are expecting brands to position themselves around injustices. People expect brands to be like the individuals they socialize with. Brands are active in our lives, we trust them by choosing one over another, so we expect them to uphold certain values, even more so in a hyperconnected era. And now that brand activism is near, commonplace people expect them to actually do something instead of just act like they are because they have to.
For a live display of this, you could go to twitter and search “#BlackLivesMatter + [brand name]. We did it for LEGO and Disney, and people are more critical than ever. They don’t want brands fooling them into thinking they’re committed when they really just share a vague message on social media but do little else. People embrace the brands that spread awareness, leave a clear message (not just a black square), and in doing so sink the reputation of brands that don’t talk about it, don’t donate, or don’t do anything to help.
People want brands to raise their voices
We all love how Twitter steps up and reacts to Trump’s declarations, or how Snapchat decided to stop promoting Trump after controversial posts. Wouldn’t you like to see other great brands doing similar things?
Also, just as there is a before and after with brands raising their voices now and keeping it quiet in fear of losing clients before, there is a similar phenomenon going on with celebrities and media outlets. But just like with brands, the ones that don’t say anything about pressing matters can fare off worse than if they had said something.
All brands talk about values and social responsibility, but just a few actually show it through their actions. It is time for brands to change. In the future, the only brands that will remain on top will be the ones that are unique and really show that they care about people; the ones that work in a sustainable manner and are able to position themselves as such in the mind of the public.
The XXI century and people still need to fight for their rights. This is such a big shame. This post was inspired by the worldwide manifestations supporting the black community. A community that needs all of our support and more nowadays.
We joined the movement. Here we left the list of organizations if you want to support any of them.
