Social media silence on social issues – Why it’s not a wise strategy?

Let’s face the truth, 2020 has been a controversial year. While a majority of the world battled and continues to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice movements have appeared and intensified more than ever before. Each day brings a new surge of information on the latest global developments, from anti-maskers to rising unemployed public, from natural calamities to standing up for basic human rights.

In the midst of so much chaos and uncertainty caused primarily due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, followed with endless shutdowns, brands and its leaders are facing unparalleled challenges. In reality, brands and those at the top positions, are striving hard to locate their place in the public dialogue. Many do not know what to state or do externally or how to speak internally to employees and colleagues.

So, how do you identify if your brand should weigh in or not on current events or controversies? This apprehension has been on the minds of almost every branding expert, digital marketing professional, social media specialist, and content lead in the world right now, irrespective of the industry. And this pops up all sorts of related considerations. Can our brand afford to step up on social issues? Where’s the boundary between genuine support and vague signalling? How can we make our message stand out without damaging our brand identity?

While the saying that saving lives is more crucial than sparing feelings holds true, but it stirs a question: can a well-intended tweet or an Instagram post actually make a considerable difference? Before we sit to analyze that, let’s also consider another option of ‘saying nothing’. In the case of issues related to human rights and morality, silence is involvement. The denying of speaking up and taking action is what keeps the wrong doings going! Besides, reports have time and again suggested that audiences of the internet age clearly want brands and its leaders to speak out. A survey conducted in 2019 pointed out that a majority consumer says it’s vital for companies to take a public stand on both social, as well as political issues. Interestingly, Edelman, in one of their reports, highlighted that 64% of consumers globally base their purchasing decisions on companies’ social and political stances.

It has been observed that brands that stay silent are at a major risk of losing investors, customers, and revenue. The biggest relevant example here would be Facebook. Hundreds of brands withdrew their ads from the social media platform in protest of its rejection to take action against hateful content. The #StopHateForProfit campaign demonstrated what happens when big brands refuse to take action. At first, it may seem risky, but it’s evident that ‘saying nothing’ can be just as hazardous for brands – if not more so.

To seamlessly understand whether or not to speak up and when the right time is to say nothing at all, it’s important to think through every potential downside your brand might fall into. If you decide to adopt the social silence route and not going completely dark, ensure having the right combination of your gut instinct and backing from the leadership team. Implementing social silence on behalf of your brand indicates, you:

Admit there is nothing ‘business as usual’ in the present environment
Are willing to maximize the reach of important messages that your consumers and audience need to be informed about
Want to minimize the risk to come off as insensitive or out of touch to the situation

With this, what follows is knowing when to go back to being present as usual. Of course, brands cannot afford to stay silent forever. And here, audience sentiment plays a huge role in determining when the appropriate time is to go back to the old ways of marketing online. When brands decide to show their presence, they must start slow to test the waters. It’s imperative to decide what is supposed to be said before-hand. Which reminds of how something uncomplex as words can transform the way societies function. Take for instance the recent world-wide movement against the police force, which came to light after the news of George Floyd’s murder revealed. Both individuals, as well as companies, flooded social media with comments of solidarity against racism. Here’s where taking an effort to change the ideology that backs systematic racism comes into play. Simply identifying that it exists and it’s not okay is important.

But what if brands or its spokesperson say the wrong thing at the wrong time?

By now, we have all witnessed and cringed at companies that publish tone-deaf statements and are instantly accused of outright hypocrisy or virtue signalling. Perhaps, it’s not always very simple to find the perfect words when there are countless conflicting opinions being put out there from all angles. That said, if the job of finding the right words and putting out there is handed over to the people in relevant positions, combined with genuine desire to deliver the right thing, it won’t be a tough task to avoid errors and empty words. And remember, holding a stance for what you believe in will most likely benefit your brand in the long run, even if that involves short-term loses.

Takeaway

All the brands, as well as its people, regardless of their positions, have the responsibility to voice their views on issues that impact themselves, their employees, their customers, and the society as a whole. Let it be the pandemic or case of racism, it applies to pretty much every scenario. And there cannot be a better time to learn than now. Thus, brands must take the opportunity to think about the platform they possess to address the issue at hand, and leverage it. Whether we agree or not, we live in an age when social justice movements and current events are tracked like never before. So, stand up, do something, say something, and put your brand not on the side-lines, rather, on the right side of the history!

About the author:

Shiraz Khan, Founder & Director, Spicetree Design Agency (SDA)