How should marketers and PR pros take a stand on cultural issues?
As communicators attempt to share their values with diverse and divided audiences, where should the line be drawn? Consider these guidelines.
Many marketers feel the growing pressure to take a stand.
From Airbnb’s “We Accept” diversity drive to Patagonia’s “The President Stole Your Land” campaign against the Trump Administration’s order reducing the size of two national monuments, there’s no denying that the political climate has galvanized marketers to speak up on the socio-political issues that engage consumers today. From small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations, brands managers fight for center stage when it comes to advocating on such polarizing issues as gun control, the Administration’s travel ban, LGBTQ rights, racism, protecting the environment and diversity in the workplace.
What’s more, opinionated consumers are pushing brands to share their beliefs. REI, for example, was pressured by its customers to stop selling hiking products made by gun manufacturer Savage Arms/Vista Outdoor. In the wake of the February 14 Parkland shooting, Delta Airlines, Enterprise, Hertz Global, MetLife and a dozen other brands bowed to gun control activists’ insistence that they end discounts for NRA members.
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