‘Go woke, go broke’ not true… it’s official

To be woke or not to be woke, that is the hot topic facing many marketing departments. Is it best to create compelling but complex brand campaigns that focus on issues of social injustice – from BLM and Me-Too to LGBT+ and trans rights – or, by ignoring those complicated issues, to take a more traditional and safe route?

It’s a tough question. 

A perfectly pitched campaign that carefully reveals a brand has an authentic social conscience can be very successful. But it’s also very easy to get it wrong. Even if you thought you thought you were getting it absolutely right. Remember Gillette’s The Best Man Can Be campaign? In the wake of the Me-Too movement it must have made sense to disrupt a little and subvert the usual ‘shaving-is-for-bestubbled-men’s-men’ message. A little brand activism makes perfect sense as, research often reveals, millennials like a brand to count for something. So the ad starred men behaving very badly (sexist, aggressive, all the toxicity tropes) and a clear challenge: men can do much, much better. And the public backlash was immediate. The ad was dismissed as exploitative and cynical.

The more conservative right rejoiced and warned: ‘Go woke, go broke’. And they had a point. Some early woke ads hit the bottom line. Bud Light’s tie-up with Dylan Mulvaney – a trans activist – ended up with $7.9 billion being wiped off the company’s value. Kid Rock was so unimpressed he posted a video blasting some Bud cans with his rifle…

Woke – quite rightly – works

But going woke does not have to mean going broke, according to compelling recent research. Quite the opposite, in fact. Ad campaigns that are more inclusive can have a positive impact on profits, sales and brand worth, according to the global study by the Unstereotype Alliance, a business initiative convened by UN Women.

The figures are persuasive as it was a hefty piece of work based on 392 brands in 58 countries and across product categories such as confectionery, snacks, personal care, beauty, pet food, pet care, alcohol, consumer healthcare and household products. And the research was conducted by the Saïd Business School at Oxford University using data collected by heavyweight businesses, including Diageo, Kantar and Unilever.

The findings? A piece of advertising that authentically and positively portrays a full range of people – devoid of stereotypes – can boost performance, positively affecting both consumer preferences and long-term sales figures. Some 62% of buyers are more likely to choose the product and more than 15% of shoppers are more loyal. Shorter-term sales rose 3.5% while longer term sales were up 16%. 

Inclusivity – a valuable goal

“The idea that inclusive advertising content can commercially damage a business has limited progress for too long,” says Sara Denby, head of the Unstereotype Alliance secretariat at UN Women. “The assertion is consistently unfounded – but we needed to provide evidence to the contrary. 

“This irrefutable data should reassure any business and encourage brands to renew their commitment to inclusivity in all forms, to not only benefit the communities they serve but also to drive growth and financially prosper.”

So the message is simple: going woke works, provided the brand tells the right stories and remains respectful. There are plenty of examples of what not to do, like treating serious issues as a bit of a joke. Pepsi’s popularity seriously lost its fizz when it tried to capitalise on the Black Lives Matter movement by bizarrely suggesting Kendall Jenner could halt a protest by handing a can of soda to a police officer… 

There’s no magic formula to getting the tone of an ad campaign pitch perfect, but there are certainly golden rules that help. It’s vital to be authentic. Any brand has to be honest about the work it is doing and should draw a clear parallel between its stance – what it is talking about – and its business operation. 

“Of course, whether a brand is already comfortable with inclusive advertising or it’s exploring it for the first time, getting it right requires curiosity, nuance and the ability to listen,” adds Valeria Piaggio, Global Head DEI, Kantar Sustainable Transformation Practice. 

But, she goes on, it’s worth the effort: “Inclusive advertising is essential for driving sales and enhancing brand equity. What’s more, the short-term boost in sales proves the impact is immediate. The fact that this effect only intensifies over time means that organisations which commit to inclusive advertising now are future-proofing their brand.”

If you would like to explore how inclusive advertising can drive both brand loyalty and sales growth, let’s start a conversation. We’d love to help you develop a strategy that aligns your brand with today’s values while ensuring future success.