As the old saying goes, religion and politics are not polite conversation. Given sensitivity around the topics like race and sexuality, I think we can add those to the short list of Things We Do Not Discuss. And if they’re considered off-limits for interpersonal conversation, then they’re typically relegated to the “third-rail” status for businesses — considered deadly if touched.
But times are changing: Issues like AIDS, LGBT rights, and race and equality in all their variations have crept into corporate marketing campaigns in the last year. Taboo topics are being broached, one at a time. Personally, I applaud this approach. What all these efforts do is move conversations around these socially sensitive subjects to the mainstream, where they belong.
Still, the question remains: Why are large organizations taking such a risk by jumping into conversations around topics that could be seen as inflammatory? Well, to be brave, first of all. A company that tackles the taboo is actively looking to change the image of their company to one that is forward-looking and more inclusive than expected.
Sometimes, small statements are greeted with histrionics. For instance, there initially was an unseemly clamor over a Cheerios ad that featured a mixed-race family. But the tide of public perception turned on that one, and a small number of negative voices was quickly overwhelmed by an outcry of support from people who supported General Mills’ commercial.
Another example: Chevron sponsored a competition for ads that showed why AIDS will lose. The company got some touching and really beautiful work in response. And it got to put its brand on the effort. Again, mostly upside for Chevron.
Perhaps the most prominent recent example of this phenomenon is Starbucks’ #RaceTogether campaign. Howard Schultz, the company’s CEO, said he knew it would be greeted with skepticism and criticism. But he took it on anyway.
Why would he knowingly court controversy? As he explained in a statement posted on the Starbucks website, “Our nation is only becoming more diverse. To ignore, dismiss or fail to productively engage our differences is to stifle our collective potential. Diversity of thought and skills lead to more creative ideas and higher performance. Bias, even unintentional slights, sap our potential for shared prosperity while denying our shared humanity.”
Forbes weighed in on the Starbucks campaign with an opinion piece that had a great headline: “Just Because an Idea’s Easy to Mock Doesn’t Make It Wrong.” In the essay, the writer wrote:
“Customers who interact passionately with a brand are customers who spend more, who convert their friends, who even help shape the brand as it moves forward. Second, employee engagement: Nothing can drive a company forward, especially one in the service industry, like engaged employees: employees who are invested in their jobs, not only in carrying them out to the best of their ability but in finding ways to improve the actual design of their jobs and of their organization.”
To sum up, he pointed out something that we at TeamWorks have been explaining to clients for more than a year: Having a purpose can make you more effective. If you authentically support beliefs and initiatives that matter to your employees and customers, those employees and customers become more loyal to you.
And that’s just good business.