Big brands have traditionally been seen as the bad guys, not to be trusted and placing profits over people and the planet. However, the tables are turning and now the very companies that have been attacked by social movements in the past, are working to create them.
So what role can brands play in creating and sustaining consumer movements for change and what makes a successful campaign? The above podcast, presented by Jo Confino, explores this topic.
The initial driver for action can come from the consumer, says Robin Wight, founder of the Ideas Foundation and chairman at marketing communications agency Engine. The rise of social media has born brand communities, allowing brands to get much closer to their consumers and more in tune with their concerns. But while consumers may show initial interest in sustainability, will they follow through with action?
"If you give consumers the choice, they will choose the product that will do good in this world," says Chrysi Philalithes, chief digital officer at (RED), a campaign organisation that collaborates with global brands to raise money for the Global Fund to Fight Aids.
"This is something you see increasingly, especially coming from the Millennial generation, especially coming from the rise in social networks, people talking about it, telling their friends.
"The data shows how people will actually reward the companies that are doing good and are authentic in their purpose and actually punish the companies that aren't."
However, the innate basis of a social movement is often political and this can be tricky territory for a brand. So while the role of a company in changing behaviour is fairly clear cut, should they really venture into the politics?
Alnoor Ladha, partner and head of strategy at Purpose, a consultancy for creating social movements, argues that the role of brands within social-political movements is limited and often not seen as authentic. Instead, he explains, brands should focus on "internal transformation first".
"If you're going to be a credible player in the social-political realm, the first thing you need do is focus on the internal stuff, governance. Are you a purely for profit organisation? I think we'll look back in 20, 30 years and look at pure profit organisations as the prior capitalists and be surprised they existed in their traditional form."
The above podcast explores all of these issues as well as the importance of continuity in a campaign; the core components of a successful campaign; how to make sustainable behaviour a "high status behaviour"; and how to avoid bombarding consumers with messages.
On the panel, we have:
• Robin Wight, founder of the Ideas Foundation and chairman at Engine
• Alnoor Ladha, partner and head of strategy, Purpose
• Chrysi Philalithes, chief digital officer, (RED)
We would like to hear your views on how brands can help people change their behaviour. Where do the challenges lie and what is key to success? What can we learn from past failures and how can a campaign be created to last in the long term?
