[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/09\/13\/brands-must-stand-for-something-or-risk-everything\/#Article","articleBody":"\u201cThe president stole your land.\u201d\nWith\u00a0those bold words\u00a0on a stark black screen, Patagonia launched very public opposition to the dramatic downsizing of two national monuments, stating,\u00a0\u201cIn an illegal move, the president just reduced the size of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. This is the largest elimination of protected land in American history.\u201d\nIncluded on that page was a call to action, which allowed individuals to become actively involved in the protest of the reduction of nearly two million acres from federal protection with a few clicks on the keyboard. More than just an advertising or branding campaign, Patagonia also filed a lawsuit to fight the decision in court that same day.\nDuring these uncertain times, one thing is clear: It\u2019s no longer enough for an organization to have a mission statement \u2013 they must also have a purpose \u2013 and they must make good on that purpose.\nThis is new, and somewhat shaky, ground for most brands to navigate, but consumers today expect it. According\u00a0to a recent study, \u2018two-thirds of consumers (66%) say it\u2019s important for brands to take public stands on social and political issues.\u201d\n \nWhen she talks, I hear the revolution: It\u2019s no longer enough to hold the line\n   Consumers are driving the next great social change via their wallets, and no amount of advertising, PR, or marketing budget can overcome the power of consumers committed to purpose.  \nStand for something\nRealistically, it\u2019s likely safe to say that everyone reading this has seen the Nike ad \u201cDream Crazy,\u201d featuring\u00a0Colin Kaepernick, as well as the uproar that followed. Despite protestations that included angry customers burning Nike products on social media, Nike remained strong in their stance, and consumers rewarded them. The week the ad debuted, Nike\u2019s\u00a0sales increased by 31%, doubling their increase over the same time period a year prior.\nExisting along the path of least resistance will no longer do; companies cannot merely\u00a0say\u00a0they stand for something \u2013 they must actually be perceived as standing up for those causes and societal issues.\nSimply put, if they don\u2019t meet the expectations of consumers, rest assured, there will be a brand more than willing to do so: \u201cNearly 60% (57%) of consumers are more likely to\u00a0buy from or boycott\u00a0a brand because of its stance on a social or political issue. And for these \u201cbelief-driven buyers,\u201d silence is not an option.\u201d\n\u201cIt\u2019s never been more important for brands to have a\u00a0purpose,\u201d said\u00a0Stacy Minero,\u00a0Head of Brand Strategy for Twitter\u2019s #Fuel team.\u00a0\u201cPeople are looking for brands to be more of a moral compass, and to\u00a0stand for something,\u201d she said.\nStacy delivered the receipts in the form of data:\n75% of consumers want brands to make contributions to their well-being and quality of life\n57% will buy or boycott a brand based on its position on a social or political issue. \u201cRemember when the NFL was the safest bet you could place?\u201d she asked.\n30% are buying or boycotting more than they were a year ago\n\u201cThere is No Finish Line\u201d claimed Nike in one of their famous ad campaigns, but it seems we are living in a time that directly juxtaposes this message. Indeed, there is a finish line: Consumers will end their relationships with brands that are not reflective of their societal values.\n \nThe Black experience in tech: Twitter talks racism, solutions, accountability\n   The Black experience in tech encompasses many difficult truths. From woeful underrepresentation to unconscious bias to outright racism, the only way to make change is to start discussing the realities honestly and openly.  \nThe power of purpose\nIt would seem only natural that during times of societal upheaval, people seek out security and comfort. While individuals might feel as though they can do very little to affect change, or might be constrained by the ability to make the time to be active themselves, they are recognizing over and over again the power that they wield through their purchase habits.\nAirbnb has turned the hotel industry upside down with their innovative model, but they\u2019ve also developed a strong and loyal consumer base by taking a very outspoken stance for their values. They ran a Super Bowl ad in 2017, declaring #WeAccept all \u2013 as a rebuke to Donald Trump\u2019s immigration ban, and during Trump\u2019s 2018 State of the Union speech, they ran an ad at the same time on multiple networks, highlighting Trump\u2019s derogatory comments about immigrants and the countries from which they hailed.\nLyft is teaming up with the Urban League, Vote.Org, and TurboVote to offer free and discounted rides to the polls on election day in November, entering into the political fray to represent those who they believe are not well-represented.\nAlicia Tillman, CMO of SAP, notes, \u201cour founding purpose is to build technology that helps customers improve the economy, the environment, and society as a whole \u2013 to ultimately help the world run better and\u00a0improve people\u2019s lives.\u201d She cited SAP\u2019s conservation efforts in Africa, and their dedication to ending forced labor by increasing transparency in the supply chain.\nWhile the political future remains unclear, there is no doubt that brands play a massive role in societal issues that historically fell within the responsibility of government to decide. Quite simply, they must actively work to protect the values of their customers, or risk losing them.\nActions speak louder than words. Here\u2019s what we\u2019re doing to achieve social justice.\n\u00a0\nThis post was originally featured on Forbes SAP Voice, and is republished here with permission.","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/09\/13\/brands-must-stand-for-something-or-risk-everything\/#Article_Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/09\/13\/brands-must-stand-for-something-or-risk-everything\/#Article_Person_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/JennVandeZande_Profile_Pic_2018-1-150x150.jpg"},"name":"Jenn Vande Zande","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/jennvzande","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jennvandezande"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/jenn-vande-zande\/"},"dateModified":"2021-09-24T17:22:55+00:00","datePublished":"2018-09-13T11:13:53+00:00","description":"It's no longer enough to have a mission statement - brands must also stand for something - and they must make good on that promise.","headline":"Brands: Stand for something, or risk everything","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/09\/13\/brands-must-stand-for-something-or-risk-everything\/#Article_ImageObject","height":"630","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/thumbnail-9b57cf43b5be011b67c9b3b2703d8f98-1200x630.jpeg","width":"1200"},"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/09\/13\/brands-must-stand-for-something-or-risk-everything\/","name":"Brands: Stand for something, or risk everything","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","width":"500"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/09\/13\/brands-must-stand-for-something-or-risk-everything\/#Article"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2018","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"09","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/\/09\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"13","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/\/09\/\/13\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Brands: Stand for something, or risk everything","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2018\/09\/13\/brands-must-stand-for-something-or-risk-everything\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]