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Brand management in the Golden Age of Black Lives Matter

No Time For Fake Ones

By Isaac APublished 4 years ago 5 min read
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Hi there. If you are reading this, thanks for taking a trip with me as I explore the maze of my mind for some jewels which might be of value to us both. Over the past few months, we have seen a radical shift away from the indifference, inactivity, and outright denial that has plagued many of those we call fellow citizens of this planet.

Or at least that is what I wish I could say. However, things are not always as they seem, and for all the seemingly major strides we are making toward equality, I can't believe that I even have to type that we are making strides towards treating and seeing people how we would like to be seen. I can't help but feel the tug of those beautiful muses skepticism and cynicism asking me to dance. Some of you might ask why I feel this way with all the obvious examples of change recently? If that thought or anything adjacent actually occurred to you, then I have a rabbit in my hat for you.

If you have just woken up to the inhumane treatment of black people by the system at-large and America in particular then maybe ask yourself how that was even possible. Is it possible that you are were oblivious, unaware, or too busy to give the attention necessary to basic humans rights? For a nation of citizens swift to mention the Constitution, I have the distinct feeling that many of us have either never read or taken the time to absorb it properly. While there have been many amendments to it this basic principle is as follows.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

That it took a combination of the pandemic, inhuman treatment, death by police brutality, and countless other catalysts to awake from our proverbial slumber should give you a hint that if you were just shaken out of your widely self-imposed prison of apathy that the some of the businesses you support also had or have their collective heads in the sand. Add layers of nuance in the form of profitability, political, and peer pressure, and you have psychosocial and socioeconomic quicksand.

As an African American male, emotions of disbelief, doubt, and disgust have followed me as a person, consumer, and employee. This experience is neither unusual nor exclusive to me. It's hard to put into words the weight of the psychological torment these feeling this have wrought on the collective psyche of the black community in particular and the human race in general.

One could call it the "perfect" storm of conditions that caused the world to have to pause and take a look at the mirror in disgust at how far we let this all spiral out of control.

In a perfect world, we could say people are finally starting to get it. However, with capitalism being the driving force behind most of the global economy, that would be an exercise in self-delusion.

The reality is that there is a substantial slice of a 1.3 trillion dollar pie at stake and while some of the recent moves being made are genuine, I would wager that a few of these businesses are just trying to avoid being canceled totally and hurting their bottom line. If their values didn't align before what exactly has genuinely changed now? While some like to stick their head in the sand of politics or unawareness, none of those are really an excuse unless you were born in Atlantis or one of those underground cities I've heard so much about.

Look at Starbucks who initially had a cease and desist on BLM gear only to see the light from the heat lamp of public scrutiny and pivot on their ban of Black Lives Matter gear and manufacture merchandise for baristas. Let's not forget they have had recent incidents of there own employees racially profiling others to the point of having to close their stores down. Without social media and the advent of the smartphone would this even have happened?

The same question can definitely be asked of the NFL, Taco Bell, and several other companies. Better people than me have addressed this topic so my approach is going to be one of scale because you can assess a lot about the heart of issues by getting to their root. That was my way of saying observe how companies operate; the macro, and how they treat their employees of a particular demographic, which usually boils down to the micro.

In the past businesses have focused on tangibles such as profit and losses, while glossing over this such as company culture and employee morale. In her amazing book; Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. Bernadette Jiwa points to the shift in company focus from profit to purpose. marketing to meaning in the following excerpt:

“People are choosing to spend their money with companies that take the time to get to know them and whose actions resonate with their values—companies that thrive by doing the right thing and by making things customers love, instead of by trying to get customers to love their things."

My humble attempt to further distill this sentiment is that people are tired of spending their money on insincerity and pandering. Whether you view money as merely a utility for goods and services, most people want to feel good not just about the product they purchase but also the company behind it. I don't know about you but I'm not paying for the privilege of being marginalized, dehumanized, and otherwise disrespected.

If you don't think companies are aware of this, the following quote may help add some perspective.

“At 47.8 million strong and a buying power that’s on par with many countries’ gross domestic products, African Americans continue to outpace spending nationally,” said Cheryl Grace, Nielsen’s Senior Vice President of Community Alliances and Consumer Engagement and co-creator of the DIS Report.

Based on the above data, there should be no surprise that companies are making sure to protect their bottom-line. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of people within these organizations that have had enough, but like in the case of the NFL, it arguably took a PSA including most of their superstar talent for leadership to change course and companies like Starbucks and Taco Bell had to be shamed publicly before pivoting away from damaging policies.

So, in the future, if you feel deeply about your money being spent somewhere that aligns with your values, try to dig a little deeper to make sure the companies actions seem genuine or you might just have fallen for the newest brand management strategy by a company that doesn't really care.

Thanks.

opinion
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About the Creator

Isaac A

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