Should your company post about political injustices in the world?
Zoya Matin
16 replies
Keeping basecamp and Coinbase in mind - is this something your company would do or not? As marketing/PR manager, I feel like it's always important to stand up for injustices or at least voice that your company GIVES A SHIT but at the same time I feel then your entire company feed will be, well, about things other than your company. Help a girl out!!
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Claire Glisson@claire_glisson
I think this depends SO MUCH on the context of the political issue/ situation, and the brand's identity. Brands should only be making stances if they are actually prepared to back them up... if they aren't they're just participating in clicktivism, and modern consumers can see right through it and will shit on you for it... and you deserve to be shat on if you're just participating in important cultural conversations just to be part of it.
For example, I managed the brand an Ecommerce kitchen product around the same time as George Floyd was murdered and BLM gained a ton of new traction amongst consumers, media, and brands alike. When the CEO asked me if he should be positing about it, I answered him with a question: What kind of stance SHOULD a kitchen product take? And more importantly, what do YOU (and by proxy, your brand) intend to do to make the world more equitable for BIPOC? Will you start a commitment to bring on more diversity on your internal teams? Will you donate a share of profits to BLM or related orgs? Will you do anything to realistically support this cause? If not, I told him, your kitchen tool has no business taking up valuable social real estate that could be better utilized to actually move the mission forward.
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@claire_glisson Ok I loved this!! Thank you!! Puts things so much more into perspective. Yes I totally agree that the brand's identity plays a large role in this and the context matters a lot. But who is to say a kitchen product SHOULDN'T be taking any type of stance on the matter? E.g maybe you have employees who feel very strongly about the issue, and would really value working at a place that placed emphasis on equality etc. But had your company stayed silent, maybe they wouldn't be very happy. But ofc like you can't just throw around empty words without backing them and having messed up ethics otherwise
@claire_glisson Also I do feel that in some situations maybe you can't just be by-standers. After all, every voice counts, right??!?!
@zoyamatin Great point - if there were actually an internal push to play an active role in the cause, a kitchen product certainly has a role to play. It's the activity level for me. Saying stuff online and not actually doing anything is a big no no for me, both personally, and when it comes to managing brands.... and my stance still stands if internal employees feel passionately about the cause. Unless the brand is willing to actually DO something, posturing helps no one, including the employees who had hoped to be part of an org who took a stance, then got their hopes and idealized view of their employer smashed when the brand didn't follow through. I think employee satisfaction would ultimately be worse off for it. I'm all about transparency in life and in politics!
Troopr
The thing is we hardly know what is right or what is wrong, it depends on what channel we watch or who we follow, making general statements (like we believe in gender equality) are fine but going against any particular group accusing injustice (like they don't promote gender equality) would be unnecessary in Company post as truth is seen differently by different people. Now a days the divide is so big that people can really get upset with it. Further, there are other forums to express your feelings, your thoughts, use them instead.
@rashjbp Hmm I agree with what you're saying but at the same time.. Some injustices are black and white? I mean there will always be people on either side of an issue but standing up for one side or expressing solidarity doesn't necessarily mean you are spreading hate against the other. I don't know it's a bit tricky - but I get what you're saying. Thanks for the advice! I think it also depends on what the Company does right, maybe?!
You have lot of places to raise your voices against political injustice. When it comes to politics both sides will find justification and it will become a endless fight and debates. I'm in an opinion of not having political debates or talks in office.
@sreekanth850 Hmm while it's true that there's so many places to have those discussions outside of the workplace, it's also a bit weird to have to suppress a big part of yourself in a place you spend more time than you do at home
@zoyamatin What is the outcome of this if you talk in office. It will bring more hatred and toxic environment. There are places where you could express and make the things to media and all. But i don't think debating in the office will make sense.
@sreekanth850 Does ignoring things help remove hatred and toxic environments or create underlying tensions and distrust ????
@zoyamatin Yes. Atleast there will be less personal issues. I have couple of groups in WhatsApp where i saw spoiling friendship due to the debates. That too with school friends so imagine if it will be a colleague. I always prefer not to discuss political issues with my colleagues.
I think its a touchy matter/subject, see the term here is 'POLITICAL injustices' the word politics just means some rubbish is going on FROM BOTH SIDES. So as much as I agree that we should all speak out when certain injustices are happening but its a touchy matter because you might have employess from both these places ie Palestine and Israel. So what then? Who do you speak for/against?
@dante_roberts Yeah see tough one - Actually the tougher one is who ends up forming the opinion, like do you take a company vote and see what majority says and then say ok this is our unified opinion? Or is the CEO supposed to say "this is what I care about" so then that's what the Company automatically cares about..
Also as far as Palestine and Israel goes, I probably wouldn't think twice before posting about the oppression were it my own company even if I had employees from both places - Hoping I'd have hired people who regardless of where they are from understand a violation of human rights when they see it