Advertising Activism
I realized that there is a significant amount of people in the advertising industry that plan to move to the client or the brand side. Of course, they have a lot of valid reasons on why, when, and where do they want to go, and arguing which side would be best for them will just be a waste of time.
But that aside, it made me think of what brand can I go to at some point of my career. (That is, if I ever leave this side of the business.) Which brands do I trust the most? And among those brands, which has the most gall to accept me?
I have no idea. But having a brand you wish to manage does make us look forward to what we constantly do and learn. It gives us a giant beanstalk to climb, a crown to aspire for, and a team we root for and monitor.
Looking at the desire to contribute in making something better, there is one thing that comes to mind — activism in the Philippines. We aspire to make it grow. We tend to it because we believe in it and its aspirations, just like how other people see their favorite brands.
Just by thinking of the amount of things we need to consider is already a lot of work. Seeing it objectively, activism is not a widely accepted, especially to Filipinos who do not see any value to it. Yet it is one “product” that we all definitely need. The belief in it makes the challenge of advertising it worthwhile.
The challenge starts in understanding activism — because just like any product or service, we need to understand it. Not only to create canned responses, but to realize its potential, its faults, and its impact. Activism is not an easy subject, nor an easy product. Like any complex ideas, the goal is to condense it down to a concept that is very relatable and very close to people’s lives.
The lack of understanding of the public, as well as the people who claim to be of the same feather have dragged the image everywhere. Splattered. Vulnerable. Open to almost any critique without the slightest understanding.
So you start to look at the image of the Movement here in the Philippines, with all the factors that obscure the national democratic movement that you are part of. The lack of understanding of the public, as well as the people who claim to be of the same feather have dragged the image everywhere. Splattered. Vulnerable. Open to almost any critique without the slightest understanding.
But enough of that. I’m not here to make a case about activism per se, but to share my thoughts on how my chosen “brand” has helped me understand many marketing and advertising concepts. I guess, it helps when you daydream or have thought experiments using your default brand. Haha.
Aside from understanding your product and current image, you look at the objectives of the movement. Is it awareness? Is it to have more members? Are you trying to inform, to persuade, or to remind? Is there an urgency to fight the issue now? There are a lot of things that we want to do, but honing at a particular objective for a particular event will keep the efforts measured for improvements.
Then you look at the advertising mix. You first look at what to say — your key message and positioning. From here, the objectives should start to concretize. After picking what really matters, you then start to pick where you should stand in the midst of it all.
From here, you strategize. You make the plan that will guide all your tactics — from content to targeting.
With the objective and strategy in mind, you look at how you want to say it — the execution. And it’s hard to pick the most effective way to present activism in a society that does not understand the history of struggle.
Posts are usually filled with facts and data. You convince with the most solid argument there is. Issues are important avenues to convince people to join the cause, because that’s usually when someone is looking for a side to pick and an act to do.
But we’re not rational beings all the time. You can only convince with arguments to a certain extent. Let’s face it: arguments have never single-handedly changed the world. For the most part, it was the stories that inspired and changed us. Stories made us look beyond what we are currently experiencing, and see the realities of life in the eyes of other people. So, we cling to content like slices of life and lifestyles.
After content, comes media.
Media is next, aka efficiently managing where and when you execute your plans. It is taking the brand’s overall objectives, its target market, and other factors that may affect the purchase. It is knowing when and where to advertise to be able to create or maintain awareness and get conversions. Concepts such as number of people reached, frequency of exposure to ads, and impact are measured.
One common mistake and frustration of the Movement is trying to gain relevance to a broader audience. And when a brand is aiming for all, it will reach none. Many have not fitted their brands to talk to a specific group of people, so they tend to react to everything — draining their energy dry.
Part of the promotions mix and the twin of advertising is public relations.
I’ve already mentioned the challenges of PR in the movement. Various groups and personalities muddle the image of activism in the Philippines. Knowingly or unknowingly, some fail to contribute a positive impact to a bigger movement of change, and drag what is already on the ground and struggling.
And when a brand is aiming for all, it will reach none.
However, the threat does not solely come from outside. The image should never fall into the hands of the popular but ambitious, more so, into the hands of a tyrant. Yet we cannot just be kind-hearted individuals who give free soup. Our real work is beyond charity work and boycotts.
From strategy to content to media and PR — despite these challenges, we struggle on.
And we struggle on with the small ideas and solutions that come to us, even if we’re just thinking of a good brand that we can put our hopes on. Hopefully, as we develop ourselves, we can have the opportunity to help our dream brands — whatever brand that may be.
