Making political and social issues work in ads

Author: Dawn Southgate

Some 69% of Millennials around the world are “belief-driven” buyers which means that a brand’s beliefs need to align with theirs. Yet brand advertising is struggling to find the right balance between customer values and being “woke” (aware of social and political injustices) in an authentic way. Brands like Gillette, Benetton and Nike are well-known for using controversial subject matter in their campaigns. The problem is to appear authentic: some campaigns are there to attract publicity for publicity’s sake but if brands are claiming to take a stance, then they must be genuine because consumers can spot a fake.
The Times (Raconteur: Future of Advertising), 13 March 2019, p3

[First appeared in Cutting Edge, 20 March 2019]