Honesty, authenticity and being true to your business self
Our industry is abuzz with the chatter of social good and higher purpose in all things marketing
Of course, this should come as no surprise really, as our global society navigates its way through a global pandemic alongside social and political unrest and upheaval. The time is right for consumers to take to the driving seat, to demand to be spoken to in an authentic, trusted, and relevant way. Brands need to listen. There has been a huge social shift in the world that means advertisers and marketers need to re-evaluate their decisions on the way in which they engage with their audiences.
For sure, today’s leading global brands – from Toyota and UPS to Danone and Evian – are doing just this: aggressively trying to understand what it means to put social purpose at the heart of their business. The questions remain, however: Is this a much-needed step forward for these brands to lead by example? Have they got it right or have they completely missed the boat? Do they really care about their consumers, or are they just building castles and fortunes in the sky?
Arguably it makes sense for global brands to lead the charge for social good - but it needs to be done in the right way, starting with brands practicing what they preach. And this starts from looking within, understanding the ethos and authenticity behind your brand and to stand by that in the face of adversity and challenge, even if - or when - it means going against the crowd.
Recent research we conducted at Channel Factory earlier this year found that 69% of consumers would prefer to buy from brands committed to socially conscious causes. Kantar’s 2020 report supports this, finding that 54% of consumers now expect brands to take an active role in social conversations about issues like #MeToo and racial injustices, with consumers also demanding meaningful action rather than empty solidarity.
One thing is for certain - successful brands will need to go above and beyond to add value and incorporate social purpose into their business in the right way. They will need to ensure that their stake in the ground comes from authenticity and a passion from within, versus being seen as purely a marketing exercise. Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is the holy grail. The company has a long-standing history on addressing and acting on social and political issues that most shy away from, with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and LGBTQ+ recently being cases in point.
Yes, today’s consumer is savvy; but more to the point, today’s consumer cares, and they want to connect with like-minded groups whether that’s in friendship circles or the brands they buy from. Simply put, they will see through any play on social good for commercial means, where there is no trust, authenticity and real and meaningful sentiment.
Consumer sentiment
Let’s talk about sentiment. Following the demise of third-party cookies combined with hyper-aware consumers on data privacy rights, it is unsurprising that businesses are having to reevaluate their marketing strategies. But, often, a key step in the process is missed: finding out what customers want in the first place. Marrying the content of your campaign to the relevant audience profile - otherwise known as contextual advertising - rings back to a simpler time. But it worked then for a reason, and this still holds true today.
Company ethos is especially pertinent in these times of data privacy and sensitivity, where consumers can sometimes feel like they are under surveillance. While this may be a result of the naivety of cookies and privacy laws on the part of the consumer, finding the balance between aggressive targeting and customer satisfaction is key. And surely receiving customised ads from a company that shares similar beliefs goes some way to reassure a consumer to the positivity of their intentions?
Be kind, be fair
Much like what we learned from our parents, kindness, honesty, and fairness go a long way. Marketing today isn’t too dissimilar to the current environment and economic landscape in which we sit. Those brands who look within to truly understand who they are, what they stand for, what they care about, and how they want to communicate this ethos are already one step ahead.
But even these brands can still be missing a trick. In order to really engage consumers, advertisers need to decide where and what content they are associated with. This is not a tick box exercise - brands that actively include specific content as an integral part of their business strategy will see more success compared to those that choose blanket exclusions of content to advertise against.
For example, research from Channel Factory and CHEQ has found that 93% of LGBTQ+ creators on YouTube are blocked by advertisers, meaning only 7% of LGBTQ+ content is deemed safe to advertise against. This is hugely discriminatory for these communities, and while the analysis focused on the LGBTQ+ community, black, API, and Hispanic creators are impacted via the discriminatory blocking of positive or neutral keywords as well.
Traditionally, campaign inclusion lists will typically exclude content from LGBTQ+ and many other minority creators - perhaps for fear of advertisements being placed against something inappropriate or offensive. This sort of blanket approach doesn’t help anyone – not the brand, marketers, agency, or consumer. Exclusion lists need to exclude inappropriate content, not the creators themselves. It’s about being brand safe and brand suitable - because it’s no longer just about making money, it’s about proving credibility and doing the right thing.
It seems clear that to have truly successful advertising campaigns, a balanced approach is needed. Mastering the traditional methods of audience targeting, utilising the latest tech and promoting positivity, trust and a higher purpose is the best recipe for sales success. It all comes down to honesty, authenticity and being true to your business self. We at Channel Factory call this conscious advertising, but in the future, we hope to call it the standard.
By Mattias Spetz, global president EMEA & APAC