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Marketers may become part of the culture war — even if they didn't intend to be - adtechsolutions

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Marketers may become part of the culture war — even if they didn’t intend to be


The country’s polarization has been in the spotlight for a long time, especially in the second half of the year. This polarization is nothing new: A so-called culture war, one might say, has been bubbling or even simmering for years, and it’s spewing far beyond the political realm to become the norm that marketers must contend with for their brands.

As consumers put brands’ advertising and marketing messages under the microscope, looking for any sign that a brand is making a statement one way or another in a politically charged culture war, marketers need to be aware. about how everything they put out into the world could be interpreted – or misinterpreted. It’s a consideration that marketers and agency leaders are aware of, with some more wary and more concerned about the potential backlash than others. Getting the messaging right is more important than ever as consumers pay more attention to brands and the potential for backlash exists.

What do we mean by a brand at the center of a culture war? Let’s recap some recent examples. Jaguar brand was called “woke” by several publications and drew ire from consumers for making a statement that their brand may not have intended. Volvo, meanwhile, was recently celebrated for what was described as a “pro-family” ad with a spot that was the carmaker’s typical bread and butter. Another ad from Apple was also labeled as “pro-family” and celebrated. Again, this was standard advertiser fare.

Marketers’ reactions to participating in the culture war vary. Some ignore it (Apple and Volvo seem to have taken this approach), while others respond to criticism online (Jaguar’s social media manager responded to many tweets). Understanding how to handle criticism, as well as sorting out whether a campaign might attract criticism, has become more commonplace for climate marketers, according to seven executives Digiday spoke with.

While it “varies from CMO to CMO” with some more conservative about the potential spark for adversity and others appreciating the talk, noted Kyle Arango, executive creative director of The Sasha Group, a VaynerX company, the level of scrutiny of work that is going out over “higher funnel” advertising channels are now more intense. “But it’s much more dangerous to be completely safe, because then you’re invisible,” he added.

This is a common sentiment among creative agency heads. “In a world where our attention spans are limited and highly valued, it’s essential to tap into an emotion or value that is sacred to an audience,” said Ben Russell, senior director of strategy at Vivi by Jack Morton. “As marketers, we know this creates the necessary tension to capture attention. And so in this politicized environment, we have to stay the course and avoid flattening our creativity.”

The agency warns marketers to avoid neutering creatives for fear of backlash or being drawn into a culture war, because attention matters most to a brand. Changing creativity out of fear or following the winds of choice can also be a mistake, according to marketers who previously spoke to Digidaybecause people in any group are not monoliths and to speak of them as such is misleading.

“Paying too much attention to weekly social media discourse is a red herring,” said Chris Mele, managing partner at innovation consultancy Siberia. “People on the internet are idiots. Turn off your social media and focus on the basics of branding and communication – who is your audience, what do they care about, and does your messaging speak to how you can better serve them? Build it. Test it out. Call if you want to roll it out at scale and then repeat.”

For marketers who are concerned, they spend more time testing how a brand’s audience responds to certain ideas through organic social channels. “Brands aren’t using organic social enough to test big ideas and see enough response,” he said.

Agency executives believe that when brands are drawn into a culture war, it can often be in response to messages that don’t feel authentic to the brand. In the case of Jaguar, for example, the brand seemed to be angry that the brand had taken the approach of an ultra-modern art world that seemed to ignore its legacy. This approach provoked the brand’s fans to feel as if it was trying to abandon them in favor of a new audience, according to executives.

“While we try not to define ourselves by the brands we endorse,” replied Dr. Patrice Le Goy, international psychologist, host of the podcast Like Minded with Dr. Patrice and former Sony Pictures Entertainment marketing man when asked why there is so much brand control these days. “There’s also a greater awareness of what brands mean.”

The concept of brands standing for something – purpose-led brands – was much more popular in the late 2010s, when brands regularly announced that they stood for something beyond selling whatever they were selling, often big ideas that were vaguely associated with the brand. This idea of ​​purpose has since been rolled back, as has the push for brands to promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (sometimes in response to activist investor Robby Starbuck’s push against brands doing so).

That concept of purpose can be too far removed from a brand’s true purpose, according to agency executives, who say brands still need to stand for something, but they need to be more concerned with what the brand actually produces. “You can’t say purpose is dead because everything is purpose now,” said Kirsten Flanik, CEO of purpose agency Revolt, adding that in an age where any ad can be “jumped on and used as a weapon,” there is still a need more. for marketers to truly connect their purpose with their brand.

One example of brand purpose that makes sense to today’s consumers is Hellmann’s sustainability efforts, according to purpose-driven marketing agency Oberland’s Execs. For a brand to promote its ability to make leftovers better as part of its sustainability agenda makes sense and can be appreciated by consumers. It’s the kind of approach marketers should strive for when thinking about brand purpose and ways to integrate brand purpose while navigating a potential culture war, Oberland executives explained.

“You always want to be a confident human brand,” Arango said.



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