Where brands go wrong on social justice messaging
Where brands go wrong on social justice messaging

By on in Strategy

Where brands go wrong on social justice messaging

I once had a debate with a friend about Beyoncé and feminism. My buddy felt that Queen Bey was not a “real feminist” because, while she talked a good game, her brand still catered to the male gaze. You can’t reclaim your female sexuality and simultaneously offer it up to male viewers for a profit, they reasoned.

While I would counter that making feminism more accessible to a broader audience is always a good thing (#ProudBeyhiveMember), I understand what my friend was getting at. It’s difficult for any brand to take a pure stance on social justice issues.

Brands primarily exist to make money; social movements exist to make change. These purposes don’t gel.

That’s exactly why we see brands fall into the same trap year after year during the heritage months. They all try to get involved in the conversation, and some inevitably end up looking scummy, self-serving, and opportunistic.

Let’s take a look back at the good, the bad, and the ugly we’ve seen recently from brands and reflect on why certain campaigns worked while others flopped.

 


Brands primarily exist to make money; social movements exist to make change. These purposes don’t jell.

 

Good: Ulta supports Black beauty brands

The beauty and cosmetics industry isn’t known for its stellar DEI track record. Not too long ago, folks called out brands for creating products, like foundation, that only worked for light-skinned folks. Rihanna started Fenty Beauty in 2017 to address this very problem, launching with a “beauty for all” mission and offering foundations to match dozens of skin tones.

While Fenty did a lot to change the cosmetics landscape on the consumer side, it’s still difficult for BIPOC folks who are not Grammy-winning superstars to break into the industry.

That’s what made Ulta’s announcement at the start of Women’s History Month especially significant. In addition to taking the 15 percent pledge–committing to filling 15 percent of store shelves with Black-owned brands–Ulta is pouring tens of millions of dollars into education, advocacy, and an accelerator program for Black founders.

Ulta’s also partnering with Black-owned media outlets and dedicating a set percentage of its advertising spend to marketing Black-owned, Black-founded, and Black-led brands.

Karla Davis, Ulta’s VP of Marketing, said the brand is being upfront about its commitment to DEI “so that we can also hold ourselves—and others can hold us—accountable.”

Why it works: Ulta’s support of DEI is more than symbolic. The brand committed $50 million to the initiatives. And the efforts are wide-ranging–from internal training to external support across industries to an investment in the next generation of Black-owned brands. Importantly, many commitments are consumer-facing, so can all see whether Ulta is remaining true to its word.

 

Ugly: Hershey’s Celebrate SHE bar

Ahead of Women’s History Month, Hershey’s announced its Celebrate SHE campaign, and its special edition chocolate bars, meant to “honor the inspiring women and girls at the center of our lives.”

The limited-edition packaging highlights the SHE in HerSHEy’s in bright, feminine colors. And while I reflexively cringed at the brand’s decision to mix feminism with a glib pun on a chocolate bar, I tried to withhold judgment as I read the press release about the campaign.

In addition to the special packaging, Hershey’s partnered with the nonprofit Girls on the Run. The extent of this partnership seems to be a $150,000 donation and a request to employees that they consider volunteering with the organization.

For a brand that reported nearly $9 billion in revenue last year, that $150k donation feels more like an empty gesture than a real investment in any cause. And sure enough, Hershey’s works a plug for its product into the writeup: “What simpler (or sweeter) way to tell someone she inspires you than a Hershey’s bar?”

Why it doesn’t work: This is about as baldly self-serving as it gets. The message feels hollow and disingenuous. The brand doesn’t create any deeper dialogue around feminism and how the social issue relates to its products. One off-the-top-of-my-head concept: Hershey’s could have created a campaign to support women cacao farmers in Côte d’Ivoire–a country Hershey’s relies on heavily for ingredients sourcing.

 

Great: Pretty much everything Ben & Jerry’s does

Let’s end on a high note.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, give off major hippie vibes. The brand’s Cherry Garcia flavor and Vermont headquarters certainly reinforce that image.

So too does its longstanding support of socially conscious movements. While brands now see a competitive advantage in supporting causes like LGBTQ+ rights and the Black Lives Matter movement, Ben & Jerry’s was doing it at a time when it made many consumers uncomfortable or angry.

Take the brand’s approach to democratizing the executive search process in the mid-1990s: Ben and Jerry launched an open essay contest to find the brand’s next CEO.

As we all know, the c-suite is not historically a diverse place. Opening it up to folks outside the traditional business school pipeline likely turned up some candidates who otherwise would not have made it through the door.

The search ended when Ben and Jerry picked Robert Holland, Jr., who spoke openly about his experiences with racism as a young Black man, and how those moments are part of the journey that led him to helm the ice cream brand.

To select a Black CEO and to talk so openly about racial inequality in the 1990s was pretty radical. (For context, this is just three years after the Rodney King beating.)

Beyond the brand’s own boardroom, Ben & Jerry’s has supported countless nonprofits over the years, from the World Wildlife Fund to the Human Rights Campaign.

Even after Unilever acquired the brand, Ben & Jerry’s maintained its focus on social justice issues, engaging in climate change activism on the steps of the Capitol and creating flavors to celebrate the legalization of gay marriage.

Why it works: Any folks involved in social justice work know that real change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s nice for brands to get involved in a “trendy” social justice movement, but will they still be doing the work when the PR buzz has faded? Ben & Jerry’s has been there all along, and the brand doesn’t show any signs of stopping.

Has your brand been weighing how to get involved in social causes and make a positive impact? We can help you think through the best ways to talk about your work.