Jason Dooris: Is Marketing The Best Forum For Social Change?
In this guest post, Atomic 212° CEO Jason Dooris (pictured below) explores whether or not marketing and advertising is really the correct forum for brands to leverage themes that are sensitive to its consumers.
While the selfie-snapping members of Gen Y are often criticised for being self-absorbed and vain, Millennials are actually some of the most socially responsible members of society, which is helping to lead a serious shift in marketers’ mindsets.
At this year’s Cannes Lions, Titanium & Integrated juror John Mescall said successful marketing agencies of tomorrow would be the ones that “create work not only designed to live in the world, but also to somehow move the world forwards”.
His insight was based on the fact that a number of the festival’s big winners were for campaigns that didn’t just focus on the client’s product, but also aimed to create social change.
Issues such as equality, domestic violence or even voting rights were given air time in campaigns for investment companies, beer or telecom carriers.
And it’s not just a case of the awards trying to look responsible or edgy by saying the best ads are the ones that try to make the world a better place – it actually makes sense from an economic point of view.
Nielsen’s 2015 Global Corporate Sustainability Report found that 66 per cent of global consumers say they’re willing to pay more for sustainable brands – a number that was even higher, at 73 per cent, among Millennials.
There is undoubtedly a benefit for these corporations to leverage themes that are sensitive to its consumers – it evokes emotion, passion and demonstrates a brand’s social awareness.
But is marketing and advertising really the correct forum for this? Are brands ‘using’ or ‘exploiting’ the sensitivity of a given issue for their own benefit?
Take the phenom that is Fearless Girl (main picture), which took out the Titanium Grand Prix at Cannes this year.
It promotes a fantastic message, championing corporate gender diversity, and has received global attention to the point that it is now one of the must-see attractions when visiting New York. Now it’s a regular occurrence for dozens of people to wait in line to get a snap posing, hands on hips, next to Fearless Girl.
Installed in March of this year, the statue was supposed to be in place for a week, then a month. Fearless Girl remains in place on Wall Street to this day, with public advocate for the City of New York Letitia James having implored Mayor Bill de Blasio to make the statue a permanent fixture.
And yet it has been incredibly divisive. While it is undoubtedly a fabulous sculpture by artist Kristen Visbal, Fearless Girl is also a brilliant piece of advertising for State Street Corporation – a centuries-old financial services holding company with offices all over the world.
Specifically, a plaque at the base of the statue reads, “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference”. It’s a great message to the corporate world, however, “SHE” is also the NASDAQ ticker for State Street’s SPDR Gender Diversity Index, founded in 2016.
Indeed, NASDAQ published a piece calling the statue out as “a sly (perhaps too sly) ad by State Street”.
“While also sending a nice message, to think that State Street would have done this without having SHE in its fund line-up just doesn’t seem likely,” Eric Dutram of Zacks.com wrote.
“If so, why didn’t they debut this years ago? And at the same time, it was a stroke of genius to not try and put the statue out last year when the fund launched, as that clearly would have been seen as an ad.
“So, by putting out the statue this year, State Street gets a feel-good story in the news about an in-focus issue, and apparently, the chance for their statue/ad to be face-to-face with one of the most iconic images in all of American finance.”
The iconic image to which Dr Dutram is referring is of course Charging Bull, the three-tonne bronze statue which artist Arturo Di Modica created and installed – using hundreds of thousands of his own dollars – following the 1987 stock market crash.
Charging Bull was intended to be a symbol of the “strength and power of the American people”, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that Di Modica is not impressed with Fearless Girl, calling it “an advertising trick”.
But while both Dutram and Di Modica raise valid points – the statue may be an ad, put in place purely for a multi-billion-dollar company to increase its bottom line – is it really such a disaster, particularly if Fearless Girl leads to more women in the boardroom, or if it at least sparks important conversations about gender equality?
An interesting anecdote makes the point for me. A few weeks ago, a couple of rabble-rouser lads made a point of posing with Fearless Girl making unimpressed faces.
A woman called them out for being sexist, which was clearly what they had hoped would happen.
“This isn’t a symbol of feminism,” one of the young men said. “It’s an ad for corporate America.”
“So what?” the woman responded. “Can’t it be both?”
Check mate. And it’s perhaps the question we should ask when it comes to ‘goodvertising’ – there may be an ulterior motive, but is that really such a bad thing if the story told makes a positive difference in the world?
Photo credit: Volkan Furuncu/ Anadolu Agency/ Getty Images
Please login with linkedin to comment
Charging Bull Designworks Fearless Girl goodvertising helloworld TrollLatest News
The Mars Agency Announces Latest Findings Of Retail Media Report Card
The Mars Agency has developed a scorecard that assesses the capabilities of leading platforms across key criteria required to optimally plan, execute, and measure effective retail media programs. The scorecard aims To help brands efficiently evaluate their spending options across retail media networks in Australia (and New Zealand). With spending on retail media advertising in […]
‘It’s The Lesser Of Two Evils’ – NRL Eyes US Betting Market As Aussie Regulators Circle
US betting firms will be delighted by the circa 50,000 Americans who could soon watch the NRL on their favourite app.
A-League In Deep Discussions With New Partner To Keep Games On TV After Production Company Enters Administration
The A-League's insatiable appetite for scoring own goals continues.
TV Ratings (27/03/2024): Jungle Members At War Over Concealed Lipstick
A heated argument between two jungle members did the numbers for Ten last night, with I’m A Celeb obtaining a total national reach of 1,282,000. Fans were delighted as Candice Warner and influencer Skye Wheatley got into it over a stick of lipstick, leading Warner to dub the Instagram star “selfish.” Wheatley, best known for […]
Is The Australian Music Industry In Trouble? Inquiry Launched Following Splendour Cancellation
Earlier this week, an inquiry was launched into the challenges and opportunities currently facing the Australian live music industry in the wake of multiple festival cancellations. On 25 March 2024, the Minister for the Arts, the Hon. Tony Burke MP, asked the Committee on Communications and the Arts to inquire into and report on the […]
Liana Dubois, Leandro Perez, Aimee Buchanan & More Gather For Inaugural Compadres Leadership Event
Didn't get the invite? Perhaps you're not as important as you thought.
Cathay Captures The Unforgettable Thrill Of Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, Via Publicis
Nobody does rugby like Hong Kong, apparently. Certainly nobody does it as badly as Australia.
Cocogun Nabs Christine Watts, Kirsty Reynolds & Shev Tan Bolstering Management & Creative Teams
Cocogun bolsters its team with new hires. Committed to purchasing a bigger sofa, too.
The Media Store’s Jacquie Alley & Sam Cousins Take The Plunge With Pro-Bono Work For Cure Cancer
B&T chats with The Media Store bosses about their great pro-bono work and sponsored swim.
Hawke’s Brewing Co. Taps Rocket Comms For PR Agency Following Competitive Pitch
We're expecting Rocket Comms productivity to crash in spectacular fashion following this win.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Patties Serves Up A Taste Of Home For Olympians & South Sydney Rabbitohs Recommit To Gambling Reform
While the Rabbitohs commits to gambling reform, B&T reckons the team should commit to a decent auto sponsor.
Google: “Inevitable” That Bad Actors Will Abuse Ads Platform As Advertiser Account Suspensions Double
Google maintains it's simply impossible for it to entirely stop bad people placing & paying for ads using its service.
Quantcast Expands APAC Sales Team With Appointment Of News Corp Account Manager
No pressure at all when you are appointed as a client success manager.
Publicis Sapient Tests Microsoft-Powered Gen AI Search Tool With Homes & Villas By Marriott Bonvoy
Given Gen AI's record for mangling stuff, B&T cannot see the problem with letting it decide your next holiday digs.
Volkswagen & DDB Group’s “Roo Badge” To Reduce Kangaroo Related Road Collisions
Watch out for RooBadge as Cannes Lions' most debated campaign this year.
Twilio Launches Unified Profiles & Agent Copilot Features To Boost Productivity & Engagement
Agent Copilot sounds like James Bond's less interesting cousin.
Reebok & Honda Among New Clients For onetwo agency
OneTwo finally lives up to its name with this double billing.
Ogilvy Report: Throw Out The Social Strategy Rule Book, The Rules Of The Past No Longer Apply
B&T was puzzled that all 'influencers' aren't, effectively, 'virtual', but here we are.
WhiteGREY & AKQA Merge In Australia, Lee Simpson Departs
Fortunately, the combined agencies aren't opting for a trite portmanteau for the new name.
Splendour In The Grass 2024 Music Festival Cancelled!
Music fans all over the country reportedly relieved they can pack away their rain coats and gumboots for another year.
TV Ratings (26/03/2024): “Fairy Bread, F***ing Disgusting”: Gordon Ramsay Slams Aussie Food In Food Stars Launch
Ramsay not one for mincing his words, even when it comes to minced meat pies.
Paramount+ International Boss Doubles Down On Aussie Content, Says Ad-Tier will Grow Audiences And Revenue
Good news as Paramount will not be binning I’m A Celebrity for re-runs of Frasier.
Brent Smart: Telstra Pushing For 50-50 Brand-Performance Split But Warns Numbers ‘Won’t Look Great’ Initially
The old brand vs performance debate continues. But here, Brent is firmly sitting on the fence.
Crowded House, Tones And I & Dom Dolla Win Big At The Shure Rolling Stone Music Awards
B&T staffer reports back with humdinger of a hangover & feeling seriously uncool after mixing with music types.
Opinion: Dyslexia “A Hidden Gem” For Brands & Agencies
Dyslexics offer underappreciated benefits in the corporate field, according to this op-ed.
David Jones Taps Criteo To Power Online Retail Media Arm
Want to see ads for things you probably can't afford? David Jones has got you covered with new retail media play.
oOh!media Sets Up Team To Target Business Audiences Across Airports & Offices
oOh! wants brands to harass you every minute of your next business trip.
QMS Launches Australian First DOOH & TV Partnership With Samba TV
Samba TV, of course, is not a channel dedicated to dancing. Much to our dismany.
Slew Of New Hires At Amplify
Four new faces join the Amplify offices. Team say desk scarcity becoming "acute".
Adobe Announces Content Authenticity Initiative Expansions To Counter Deep Fakes
Try as they might to enlighten them, we suspect Trump supporters will continue to watch and believe Fox News.
The PR Group Appoints TechCrunch Senior Reporter Catherine Shu As Director Of Content & Media
Catherine Shu makes the bold leap from journalism to PR. Says inevitable pay bump was "unrelated".
HERO Nabs Ebony Santin From AMPR
Rumours Santin cleared out the stationery cupboard before departing are as yet unconfirmed.
Karena Noble Checks Out Of EVT Hotels & Resorts To Launch Comms Consultancy
Noble still managed to squeezed in a continental breakfast before departing.
Canva Acquires Design Platform Affinity To Bring Professional Design Tools To Every Organisation
Canva & Adobe face off continues. We're not picking sides but keenly aware that Canva's office is next door to ours.
“Lean On Our Team To Help You Find An Audience”: Why Understanding Audience Engagement Is Essential In Journalism
Engaging the audience is critical to journos, apparently. We'd thought self-loathing & alcoholism were key.
Adobe Summit: Major Gen AI Developments, Data Concessions & Partnerships
What happens in Vegas stays there. Unless it's the Adobe Summit and then you get to read about in B&T.