Activism & The Strategy

ARTICLE OVERVIEW:

• Just as we see elsewhere within the research, consumers expect brands to use their power to make a difference when it comes to activism.

• Being honest and transparent - as we see within representation & sustainability, matters most.

• As other findings echo; this has to be inherent and in-house.

• Typically, activism falls into three broad categories; frontline, advocate & progressive.

• As a brand, we can align ourselves against these categories too, playing different roles throughout.

• At the frontline, it is about involving ourselves in the causes that make the most sense, culturally.

• Naturally, it has to be about involving the Originals of Activist Culture, too.

• When it comes to advocacy, it is about using our assets to uplift the audience..

• Progressive activism is about inspiration not influence; using the right voices matter.

It is the time to be the change the world needs, as a big, global brand - consumers expect us to use our power to make a difference, not least because the generation of consumers are taking the world into their hands already. In this overview, we look at how to be appropriate [not appropriating], where we need to be mindful and have manners and where we can best play in Activism overall.

Brands who come from a place of honesty and are in it for the people they serve will stand out and thrive. Yet the world of activism is splintered and inefficient. The old definitions and stigmas of activism are changing and need further change, we can be a part of that. You cannot be an activist in just one area, issues are interrelated. Just as we see within sustainability and representation, everything joins together. ‘Segmenting’ activism, even putting it in a silo within the business, can cause damage in the arena of activism. As London-based sustainability activist Jack, who worked on writing the Green New Deal, explains it: “There’s a lot of factionism within activism, getting bogged down in smaller differences when we believe more or less the same thing.”

At PSEUDO, we talk about three different kinds of ‘activists’:

1. The Frontline Activist: those that instigate change. They have pushed governments/companies/workplaces/institutions to change their policies or attitudes on certain issues. Activism is part of their DNA, not just something relegated to the sidelines. It is more than just a passion to them. In short, they’re full-time activists. Within the research, we often hear that this is why others do not call themselves Activists, as people that cannot dedicate their whole time to it, they feel it detracts from those that do. 

2. The Advocate Activist: someone who is passionately engaged in activism but is not doing it as a full-time job. They are unable to fight every day but will support those at the forefront in whatever way they can, by attending meetings, going to events, fundraising, donating, etc. They use their power to make a difference and lend their support thoroughly. In this way, they are part-time activists, however, this doesn’t detract from the effect they can have. 

3. The Progressive Activist: someone who wants change and believes a better world is possible, but hasn’t yet found the right vehicle for change or found their agency in how to make a difference themselves. This is a really interesting space for brands that want to support causes and issues on a mainstream scale. In a way, the Progressive Activists are almost “non-activists” by definition, but are willing to do more. 

When it comes to this world, a brand can be an activist across all segments but they had better have their shit together as much as they can and be truthful about where they’re at - consistently. We see this within sustainability and representation too; in fact, across myriad realms of the work. Before we go deeper into the work, this is about confidence more than anything when it comes to those working within the brand. Confidence to be proud of what we have done and what we as a brand trying to do, rather than concerned as to what adidas still have left to do and what you haven’t achieved yet. Confidence, truthfully, is key. It’s okay to be imperfect [the same applies in sustainability]. Making this stuff inherent and in-house, as we hear elsewhere in the research too, is imperative.

Gen Z are very much Altruistic Expectant Activists, as we speak about here.

The stats are there to prove it too:

Looking at our key words: ‘involve, uplift & inspire’, the same strategic approach works within Activism too. As a brand, we can play a role in each of these areas within Activism, as long as we are truthful and considered; the areas we play in must make sense for the brand. Involving others, uplifting others and inspiring change is where we can focus our efforts. Aligning ourselves across the three strains of activism:

• At the Frontline there are causes that it makes sense for the brand to get involved in; these are the causes adidas believes in and should drive with a passion [racism in football is a no-brainer]. This is where we can get involved while involving others too. Just as we see elsewhere within the research, ensuring we’re bringing the Originals of Culture in activism into our work is imperative, this is not something we can appropriate.

• Advocating for change is about uplifting others. This is where we celebrate and champion the causes that we’re not driving but others are. It is about supporting the voices we feel others should be listening to and supporting the conversations around that. Again it is about using our spaces, places and platforms. A brand has skills [and resources] that activists don’t, we can lend our assets to activism to affect change, using our power to make a difference in connecting the dots. Celebrate the causes we are not driving. Shine the light.

• Progressive Activism is about inspiring others to make a difference and educating around issues and causes when we can, but inspiration has to be real. Just as we see within the influence insight within the research, the same applies in activism; there is no room for empty influence within the realm [again, working with the Originals of Culture directly will naturally side-step this]. 

As ever, it’s important we ensure that any work within this world is not performative; there is too much ‘brand-wagon’ activism happening in the world right now and much of our audience, from the consumers to the activists, are tired of it. Again - it has to be about making a commitment and pledging our allegiance and support to the causes and issues that we as a brand care about while standing next to, and lending support, to others.