War on wokeism: How can brands come out unscathed this Pride Month

Brands that want to be woke in their messaging, must be clear on the possible backlash and still stand their ground, say experts

by Tanzila Shaikh
Published - June 07, 2023
6 minutes To Read
War on wokeism: How can brands come out unscathed this Pride Month

It's June, the Pride Month, and brands are ready to paint themselves in rainbow colours and create advertisements centered around the LGBTQ+ community. While it is not uncommon to see brands talking about the rights of the community now, it was not the case always. Also, while it's true that a lot has changed in the country, for the good, when it comes to acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community, for many, a discussion about them is still a taboo. And brands acknowledging the rights of the community often have to face criticism and trolling on social media platforms. One of the recent brands to face the wrath of netizens was Starbucks, which was attacked by many for its ‘It Starts With Your Name’ campaign.

So, is there a middle path for brands on this road? What could be the best way for companies to talk about the rights of the LGBTQ+ community without hurting the sentiments of their other customers?

The way out

According to Samit Sinha, Managing Partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting, wokeism is nothing but a progressive, liberal perspective on what constitutes a just society that embraces the diversity of race, religion, gender as well as sexual orientation.

“I believe that true wokeism, as opposed to pretend wokeism, is not a passing fad, but an unstoppable force that despite stiff resistance from those unable or unwilling to accept change, will ultimately pave the way for the future of human civilization. Brands that are part of the leading wave of these changes will eventually succeed as they will be perceived as pioneers and thought leaders,” said Sinha, mentioning that he loved the Starbucks campaign and saluted their bravery.

Echoing the sentiment, N Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, believes that being woke is a state of being, one where the person is continuously conscious, aware and informed on societal prejudices. “A person or brand cannot be woke at times, and not during others. Backlashes, criticism for being woke happen in some cases, but it does not change the wokeness of the brand or person. Brands which include woke in their messaging, must be clear on the possible backlash, and still stand their ground,” he suggests.

Speaking on the readiness of the Indian audiences to accept these campaigns, Shruti Swaroop, diversity inclusion consultant, shares, “If we consider the readiness of the Indian audience to acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community, it's important to recognize that social progress and acceptance of diverse identities is a gradual process, especially in a culturally diverse country like India. Achieving true inclusion may take considerable time and effort.”

Are brands on the right route?

Earlier last year, Dabur also came out with a campaign for its product Fem celebrating same sex love. The campaign was widely trolled for many reasons. Brands are trying to start a conversation around the topic but do they have what it takes to get the right messaging out?

Nitin Pradhan, Creative Head, DDB Mudra, feels that spreading awareness around issues, whether related to gender, race or LGBTQ themes, needs more sensitivity and understanding than what we, as advertisers and marketers, exhibit. “In most cases, we miss the larger context in which campaigns operate. It’s not really about one campaign and its the response. It requires a deeper level of pre-existing trust and emotional connection between a brand and its core consumers for this kind of messaging to be accepted,” he explains.

“A big brand presumes that the connection exists but the relationship may be quite transactional. The virtual absence of true and unique brand personality and the growing dominance of performance marketing, suddenly followed by an ‘emotional’, PSA-like theme, makes people look at the whole piece with skepticism. No surprise then that it seems like tokenism. We need to ask if the brand has the rite of passage to say this. Does it go with the brand personality? Is there a brand personality? Is there a product or category connection? Why must every brand tick every social issue box in the calendar?”, he explained.

Meanwhile, people hailing from the community feel that brands hijack the month and make the conversation around it only for marketing purposes and ignore it consistently throughout the year.

Sinha notes that what people are able to see through is the difference between genuine commitment to a cause or an issue, as opposed to tokenism or lip service to it. “If brands simply jump onto the bandwagon for the fear of being left behind, then they will not only be doing the LGBTQIA community a huge disservice, but also to themselves,” he said.

However, presenting a different point of view here, Chandramouli adds, “I feel that highlighting issues faced by the LGBTQ community by those who are promoting their cause, only adds value and does not hijack the issue. The more people/brands that speak about it, the more awareness there will be.”

Speaking on the same, Nisha Sampath, Brand Consultant, and Founder, of Bright Angles Consulting, said, “The younger generation is smart to identify this and they won’t buy into it, so brands should work around resonating the conversation with the audience. Brands should see them as a different segment of the audience and that way they should connect with them.”She also said that brands should take initiatives more and do something for them instead of just talking about it. She said, “Brands should walk the talk.”

The future of gender inclusivity in marketing

The audiences are getting used to the conversation and opening their hearts for it by taking baby steps, however there is still a big chunk of people out there who may not agree.

We asked experts what is the future of woke marketing and gender inclusivity communication in the Indian scenario.

According to Swaroop, “With continued advocacy, efforts and moving beyond performative gestures, woke marketing has the potential to significantly accelerate the process of achieving Inclusion in India.”

While on the other hand, Chandramouli said, “For us to uphold a society that champions inclusivity and shuns prejudices or oppression, it's imperative that a greater number of brands courageously engage in discourse on matters they hold dear, even if it exposes them to potential criticism.”

Sinha noted that we still have a long way to go. “I think we will begin to see more and more popular mainstream brands attempting to normalise the LGBTQIA community in their marketing campaigns as an effort to champion the cause of diversity and inclusivity.”

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