Society can often appear to be more divided and polarised than ever.
And it can feel like plenty of negativity surrounds ‘wokeness’.
So, should brands stop raising awareness of injustices and avoid taking sides on crucial issues?
Should you keep away from communicating changes some may feel are controversial and from discussing equality and diversity initiatives?
These were some of the questions we explored during our latest masterclass for the Media Team Academy, our learning and development programme for comms and media professionals.
Victoria Smith, one of our brilliant tutors, was joined in our training studios by Sean Ryan, an experienced journalist and comms expert. And, through Zoom, by Louise Chandler, a media and comms specialist and founder member of the Oxfordshire County Council Racial Equality and Cultural Heritage Network.
“We are living in an increasingly polarised world, with more of us getting our news from social media rather than traditional news sources,” Victoria said.
“We are seeing backlashes against politicians, celebrities and comms campaigns.”
And those backlashes often include screaming headlines and on-air rants about ‘woke’ and ‘wokeness’.
You could easily believe that being woke is a bad thing.
But the Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘woke’ as being aware of social and political issues, especially racism.
Sean said: “Woke popped up in general use in the 2010s as something quite positive, but now it is used as more of an insult. It has become a term used instead of ‘politically correct’.”
Essentially, it is used as a buzzword in a way opposite to its meaning.
Louise said: “For me, ‘woke’ means opening your eyes and being awake to a different perspective. It is about seeing the world through a different lens, whether that is the lens of someone disabled, hard of hearing, gay, Muslim, black or Indian.
“It is an awareness of their lived experiences. You don’t need to be an expert. It is just having an awareness.
“I find it interesting ‘woke’ has taken on negative connotations and is seen as a bad thing to have that different lens and awareness.”
The brand wokeism balance
It is impossible to keep track of all the brands caught up in ‘woke’ rows over the past few years.
Such has been the focus on ‘wokeism’, that the Daily Mail ran a ‘Woke list’ last year featuring the Archbishop of Canterbury, the director general of the National Trust, Gary Lineker, the boss of ITV and a chief constable.
Some might say being on the Mail on Sunday’s Woke List is far lovelier than being on the Rich List. Badge of honour? pic.twitter.com/a859aoM79G
— David Yelland (@davidyelland) July 30, 2023
Coutts – the bank of choice – of the royal family was arguably one of the more unexpected entrants.
But the decision to close Nigel Farage’s bank account put it firmly in crisis media management mode.
When the story first broke, it was reported Mr Farage no longer met the wealth threshold for the exclusive bank and that he was subsequently offered an account with NatWest – which owns Coutts - instead.
But the story took another twist when he used a subject access request to find that the 331-year-old bank had compiled a 40-page dossier about him and his views.
The document – compiled by its wealth and reputational risk committee - accused him of being a “disingenuous grifter” and claimed he promoted “xenophobic, chauvinistic and racist views”. There is some irony in those in charge of assessing reputation risk causing a reputation crisis that led to interventions from senior politicians and resignations at the top of the bank.
Victoria said: “It is not what you think about Nigel Farage and his views. It is whether companies like Coutts should be making choices based on somebody’s views they don’t like or respect.”
Ben & Jerry’s is another brand often at the centre of ‘woke’ storms. The ice cream company is sometimes described as ‘super woke’ or ‘owning woke’ because of its approach to activism and taking positions on issues.
“What is interesting about Ben & Jerry’s is they show a wider awareness of what is going on in the world, be it immigration or returning land to indigenous people,” Louise said.
“They are not living in a commercial bubble where the only focus is selling ice cream.
“There does seem to be a jarring between what they want to say and what Unilever, which owns them, doesn’t want them to say. That is where complications arrive.
“In my opinion, standing for something as a brand is brilliant because you show consumers you care further and wider.
“You have to be careful about doing things to increase the pound. We live in a world where that is one of the main concerns for big brands. You have to do it in an authentic way.
“I haven’t worked with Ben & Jerry’s, but it would be interesting to know if some of these issues have been raised by colleagues who feel strongly about them.”
Is it worth it?
With the constant stream of negative stories surrounding it, you can see why brands may feel cautious and uncomfortable communicating things that could create a better, kinder, greener world.
Will people think you are woke? Will you face negative headlines? Could you experience a social media backlash? Could your brand’s intentions result in you being in crisis media management mode? Will you end up on the Daily Mail’s hit list?
But the evidence suggests we want brands that raise relevant issues and try to make things better.
Sean said: “The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer showed 63 per cent of respondents buy from and advocate brands based on their beliefs and values.
“And it reveals people want more societal engagement from businesses on issues including climate change and economic equality. Importantly, they want CEOs to take a public stand on these topics.”
What should you and your comms team do about highlighting these issues?
It seems clear ‘going woke’ does not mean ‘going broke’.
But how do you take a stand and raise awareness of issues?
Bring your people with you
“It is vital your people understand the value and purpose of what you are doing,” Louise said.
“When you create a particular message or story, you can’t do it in a way that is separate from everything else. You need buy-in. You have to be open to the fact you will not always get it right.
“But if the intention is to do good work, share positive messages and include your colleagues, everyone will come along with you.”
Consider your audience
Louise said: “I worked with Superdrug, and back in 2016, it did a survey on makeup and finding your right shade. And women said, ‘No, the high street does not represent us’. So, it started a ‘Shades of Beauty’ campaign involving makeup and healthcare brands.
“Yes, there was money to be made. But how the message was made was important because it made the community feel they were being heard and represented in the high street’.
But Dove was a brand that got it wrong.
Louise said: “It made an advert showing a smiling black lady who takes off her T-shirt and turns into a white lady who has used the Dove product.
“People took that using the product changes your skin colour and makes it lighter. People took from it that you have to change yourself to be acceptable. And it came in for criticism.
“For me, it didn’t understand the cultural competencies, histories and contexts. When they were planning it, were they having conversations with wider audiences to see if things landed correctly?”
Plan for a backlash
No matter how strong the merits of attempts to raise awareness of critical issues, your efforts could face criticism, cynicism and scepticism.
What should you do about it?
When Sainsbury’s was accused of being ‘woke’ because its Christmas advert featured a black family, it stuck to its position.
Louise said: “I’m the youngest of six children, and we always said growing up ‘Do we drive cars?’, ‘Do we brush our teeth?’, ‘Do we bank?’, because we were never represented in the TV world.
“When Sainsbury’s ran an advert featuring a black family talking about their gravy recipe, we were delighted. We were seeing wider scale representation. But it got criticism on social media. Some customers said they would not shop there anymore.
“But Sainsbury’s stuck to its guns.
“It said Sainsbury’s is for everyone, ‘we want to be inclusive’, ‘we want to make sure we don’t exclude people’.
Another example of sticking to your position surrounds the England football kit and Nike changing the colour of the St George’s Cross on the back of the shirt.
Sean said: “There was outrage when this was unveiled, and people said no one should interfere with our flag. The Prime Minister criticised it. But the row was a media confection.
“People were not worrying about the flag on the back of the shirts during the Euros.”
Oxfam took a similar approach and put its CEO, Dr Dhananjayan Sriskandaraja, forward when its inclusive language guide gained media criticism.
Sean said: “Oxfam produced an inclusive language list that ran to many pages and was full of advice on what words to use.
“It started by apologising for being written in English and went on to recommend, for example, gender-neutral language, like ‘parent’ and ‘carer’ rather than ‘mother’ and ‘father’
“The Daily Mail picked up on this and ran a huge front-page headline with the words ‘Beyond parody’, and it attacked the charity for ‘wasting money’ worrying about language when it should be combatting poverty around the world.
“But the chief executive tackled this head-on and immediately responded. He wrote a brilliant article in The Guardian and gave an interview to Good Morning Britain explaining why it was important to use language that treats people with dignity and respect.”
But not all brands plan for the backlash.
“Bud Light is the leading American light beer and is drunk by mainly white, working-class men,” Sean said.
“So, it tried to broaden the market by getting in trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, who has 12m TikTok followers, to give it a broader appeal.
“But a lot of the core audience were horrified, and people stopped buying it. There was, what they call in America, a ‘buycott’. It lost around 30 per cent of its sales straight away, and more than a year later, they have not recovered.”
One of the factors in this long-term impact was how the communication was handled.
“When the furore broke out, the company said nothing for two weeks, and the silence was disastrous.”
It did eventually issue a statement, which was vague and wordy, and managed to upset just about everyone.
— Anheuser-Busch (@AnheuserBusch) April 14, 2023
Sean said: “This case is a lesson for us all. If you don’t listen to your customers, are out of touch with them and impose something on them that they hate, they will react against you.
“If you find yourself in a crisis as a result, you need to respond quickly.”
Louise added: “It is an example that shows us we live in a polarised world. Not everyone will share the same view or see the world the way we want them to. We can’t control that.
“But you can control how you position yourself as a brand in terms of being authentic. I do wonder whether when Bud Light was discussing this campaign, they thought about the other side. Yes, they wanted to include an influencer.
“But did they prepare themselves for this wider conversation, knowing their audience is normally white guys who would not normally associate with the trans world necessarily?”
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What about the National Trust?
The National Trust often seems to be at the centre of ‘woke’ backlashes.
The Telegraph has previously described its initiatives as “depthless virtue signalling”. Recently, it was accused of serving up ‘woke scones’ because they are vegan-friendly.
National Trust secretly makes all its scones vegan - while critics condemn 'woke' use of vegetable-based spread instead of butter Daily Mail
And a row over a ‘inclusivity and inclusion’ calendar also put it in the firing line
“The National Trust produced an internal calendar that included the dates of Diwali, Eid and Ramadan, but not Christmas or Easter,” Sean said.
“And there was outrage from the Daily Telegraph. It then emerged this was an internal document designed to supplement the calendars people already had and make them aware of other religious festivals for planning purposes.
“The National Trust responded quickly, which is crucial. It posted a tweet with a picture of a Christmas tree saying, ‘We’ve heard rumours we have cancelled Christmas’.”
“It laughed about it, reassured people Christmas would be celebrated at its properties and the story quickly faded.”
We're hearing rumours that we've cancelled Christmas! If you've heard that too, don't worry. Our celebration for 2023 has only just begun, and you can find out more about what we're planning at the link below.
— National Trust (@nationaltrust) November 14, 2023
PS. It's still printed in all the calendars in our shop, too.
Does the media deliberately stoke ‘woke’ culture wars?
That was a question Victoria asked.
And she worded it much better than me.
She said: “It makes me wonder as someone in the media if we are looking for a story that ticks the woke box, even if it is misrepresented. Is that something the media is guilty of?
“There is the possibility of misrepresentation in certain newspapers,” Sean said. “But I think newspapers are mostly covering these stories because they are polarising and that makes them good talking points.
“When they are pushed on social media, they get lots of comments and reactions, which can then cause a backlash against the organisation involved.
“That is why it is so important to plan for the backlash and make sure you are ready if it comes.”
Time to go woke?
So, what does all this mean for you and your organisation? Time to go woke? Or stay quiet and escape the backlash?
Our panel pulled together lessons from these examples to create a ‘go woke’ guide and the areas you need to consider.
The pros and cons of leading the conversation
Sean said: “The Edelman Trust Barometer shows people want businesses to take a lead on social issues.
People are looking to their employer to do this and the general public is looking to big business -as a trusted source of information - to adopt the views it thinks benefit society.
“So, there is a lot to be said for getting on the front foot and being a social force for good.
“But if you don’t anticipate a backlash, you could find yourself facing a crisis you were not expecting. Don’t let it put you off. But think about everything that could go wrong and prepare for the worst.”
What do you want to achieve?
Be clear on the purpose.
“Don’t rush,” Louise said. “Take time with your planning to think about what you want to achieve.
“And don’t be afraid to bring people into the conversation who have relevant knowledge. Ask for that opinion. Look to learn more. People will feel their input is valued and they have an important voice.
“When you bring in other people’s opinions, it helps you better understand what you want to achieve.”
How do you want people to think or feel?
“We can’t always control how people think and feel – Bud Light couldn’t do it,” Louise said.
“When you create a particular message or take a stand on something, you are trying to influence or encourage people to do something.
“So, you need to think through the steps and test how people feel when they see the message.”
It is worth remembering there will always be detractors and critics. But they may not be your audience.
What do you want the narrative to be?
“This is tied up with how you want people to think or feel,” Sean said.
“Some of the communications people moving into Number 10 with the new government have looked at America and realised there has been a failure of Biden deliverism.
“They see he has delivered a lot – the economy has done well, lots of infrastructure has been built.
“But it has not translated into electoral support. So, this government thinks it is not just about whether people think you have delivered, it is about whether they feel a connection with you as the government.
“I think this will filter down into all areas of communication. We will be thinking a lot more about making emotional connections through the narratives we build.”
Listen to staff and customers
“Give people the opportunity to come together, brainstorm and ask questions,” Louise said.
“Listening to staff can fill in some of the gaps in knowledge you are looking for.
“When you ask for people’s opinions, show them what you do with it. People will get fed up if they feel they are being mined for information. But ‘You told us this… this is what we did with it…’, makes people feel empowered and invested.”
During this exclusive session for members of the Media Team Academy, we also explored how global organisations can manage different views in different countries, whether there is a lack of understanding of 'woke' issues at senior management level and raising issues with a top team that may lack diversity. To read what our experts had to say about those topics - and others - you need to be a member of our learning and development programme. Join now.
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