Brand Dig: Dove, Air BnB and Ryanair Fight Against Incorrect Political Agendas
In this blog series, we dig into the world of marketing and discuss brands, news, trends and examples that have made the digital headlines. In this week’s post, researcher Harry looks at how brands are taking a moral stance against controversial politics.
Dove shows the absurdity of Trump’s lies
Rather than call them for what they really are - outrageous lies - one of the chief counselors to the newly inaugurated US president described his fibs as "alternative facts". While it certainly adds another dimension to the 2016 word of year "post-truth", it's not quite as elegant as the latter euphemism. But before it disappeared from the headlines, one brand decided to have some fun with it. The beauty brand Dove took out a two-page advert in the Guardian and the Times of London. On the left page there was a picture of a new Dove deodorant alongside blatantly false claims. Apparently the new Dove antiperspirant was first used by Cleopatra, it can increase your IQ by 40 points, and it can even plan your next holiday at a competitive rate. Then at the bottom of the page is a single hashtag - #AlternativeFacts. On the right page, Dove counters it's lies with one truth - its new deodorant cares for your underarm skin like never before. And the message is wrapped up with #RealFacts. The genius of the advert is it makes a powerful statement that's both politically and culturally relevant to today, but makes no mention of Trump or his advisor. The strength of the message lies in its subtlety – making it easy for those who know the meaning behind “AlternativeFacts” without alienating those who don’t.
Airbnb draws a line to protect its values
Zuckerberg said he was concerned about the impact. Microsoft is already providing legal assistance to its employees in countries that are affected. And Starbucks promised to hire 10,000 refugees over the next five years. Trump’s immigration ban from seven majority Muslim countries has provoked a variety of different reactions from brands. But perhaps the most relevant response was from Airbnb, which announced it would offer free housing to anyone impacted by the executive order. “Not allowing countries or refugees into America is not right,” tweeted Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. “Stay tuned for more, contact me if urgent need for housing,” he continued. For a platform whose core ethos is to bring people together and that anyone in the world can “belong anywhere”, Trump’s ban contradicts everything that the brand stands for. Defending its values with a sincere offering of housing to those affected is not only a chip at the president, but shows the brand is serious about defending its mission statement. Even setting up a cause to donate to all the refugees in the world. After all, if brands don’t stand up for what they preach, how can they expect people to continue to remain loyal?
Ryanair is just being honest
While some brands are subtle about showing their political opinions, and others use it as an opportunity to defend their values, some companies are just shamelessly blatant when it comes to stating why they are choosing a side. And it's perhaps not surprising Ryanair – which used to thrive on controversy – took the latter route in last year's EU referendum. In the run up to the vote the airline announced it would fly British expats home at reduced prices at around £15 on polling day and the day before. The reason? Ryanair wanted to stay in the EU because leaving it could mean extra tariffs on its flights from the UK to the continent. In short, the airline would make less money. So this was its thinking – if even just a small percentage of the 1.2 million British expats flew home to vote it could help the ‘remain’ side win. Clearly not enough expats took the flights home or perhaps they didn't vote the way they were supposed to. Either way there was no subtlety, no standing up for their values. It was just a rational position based on the economics of Ryanair's business model. But after a year of "post-truths" and "alternative facts" maybe people want more honesty and less lies from everyone from politicians to brands?
In this day and age there are too many companies that seem to sit on the fence so that they don't isolate themselves from an target market. However what these brands understand is that there is a point to be made, and they understand the morality of the situation, so by staying true to their beliefs they resonate with their audience exceptionally well. If you’d like to hear how we’ve been able to help agencies and brands resonate with just an audience but with people, get in touch with us here.
