The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

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By Sam Garrity, Managing Director

RocketMill

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The Drum Network article

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May 3, 2017 | 3 min read

With the general election on the horizon, we thought it’d be a great opportunity to talk about why brands will increasingly need to become politically relevant, along with what they need to be mindful of along the way.

Sam Garrity

Sam Garrity of RocketMill talks about why brands need to become more politically relevant

There are two driving forces behind why brands will need to become more politically relevant.

The first is that we are living in remarkable political times. Trump and Brexit underline incredibly difficult social and economic realities. These are ones in which the electorate has become increasingly engaged in politics; one where they are angry and they are pursuing change. As a result of the electorates demands, our politicians have vacated the middle ground. Think back to Blair, Cameron, Clegg – various shades of grey all gravitating towards the central stage. We do not live in that world anymore. Our politicians have moved away from the centre, and they are polarising our opinions as a result. In this world, it's going to become much more expected of brands to start owning a position politically, or at least commentating on policy.

Second, there is a growing contingent within the electorate who demand to know that a business stands for something. They want to invest in businesses that have a cause, that will invest in improving the world in which they live.

The two forces combine to increase pressure on brands to take become more definitive on political policy issues, and the prizes on offer will entice more and more of them to own some sort of political message or stance at key points.

In this video, I highlight several key areas that brands need to be mindful of if they are to enter the debate.

Sam Garrity is managing director of RocketMill.

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