Ask Jupiter No. 3 — ‘How do I get my job to be more progressive?’
The classic marketing advice is “it doesn’t matter what you think, it matters what the client thinks!” and to that I say "No ❤️"
Hey Jupiter!
My question for you is a little personal…
How does one seamlessly infuse their personal beliefs and values into brands and companies? How can companies or nonprofits respond to recent events and things people care about in a relevant way? How do brands decide what their values are and what they choose to celebrate or recognize in their content? Ya know things like posting about the queer community always and not just during Pride but also doing that in a way that’s relevant to the brand and in the brand’s voice.
Okay that was more than one question but you get the gist. I know people want to support brands that align with their values AND I know that sometimes it’s not appropriate for, say, a US-based cancer nonprofit to comment on genocide. BUT ALSO INTERSECTIONALITY. And also silence is not always helpful? And also not everyone or every brand can be an expert on everything and maybe it’s okay to not always take a stance or comment on things we care about personally? And also thank you late-stage capitalism for making it so we all somehow turn off all the bad things in the world to go to work during the day. 🫠
Anyways… there has to be a balance and I’m curious what you think!!
I bid you goodbye before the spiral continues xoxo thank you!
— Intersectional Spirals
Hi Intersectional Spirals!
Before we get into it, I gotta say, I’m really impressed by how you grapple with the challenges of late stage capitalism and still want to bring your activism into your work.
I think many people hear “no ethical consumption under capitalism” and think it means “no point in trying to have ethics.” Which, 1. not what that means and 2. folks use it as an excuse to not give up on dismantling systems of oppression. And sure we could get into the “can you change a system from the inside?” discourse but smarter leftists than me have more helpful things to say on the matter (Both/And comes to mind here).
Based on your letter and who you submitted it to (unhinged nonbinary freak), I think you probably work for a progressive corporate nonprofit! If you filled out my question form and wrote that you were a defense contractor, I’d probably have some more intense shit to say.
So let’s talk about it!
Starting off with your first question, ‘How does one seamlessly infuse their personal beliefs and values into brands and companies?’
I think the standard industry reaction would be “you don’t!”
The classic marketing advice is “it doesn’t matter what you think, it matters what the client thinks!” and that maybe worked in 1985 when most of the U.S. thought having an opinion on Reagan was the most political thing you could do.
But it is 2024, and we did not just fall out of the coconut tree. I think your question is less so ‘infusing personal beliefs,’ and more so ‘how do you uphold your own moral compass and push your company further left (hehe) without making false promises or doing something inauthentic to the brand?’
Before we go into the specifics, I want to break the decisions you’ll have to make as a Brand.
Should my brand comment on [issue]?
How can we comment on [issue] that speaks to our audience and aligns with our messaging?
How can we avoid performative posting and actually make a difference?
What happens if shit hits the fan?
1. Should my brand comment on [issue]?
As I was chewing on your letter, I realized that I usually walk myself and my clients through a certain series of questions to determine whether to Comment On Something. So I whipped out my SPACIES pad and started a very cryptic rough draft.
Here’s the legible version:
Note: All steps in number 1 should get brand sign off from higher ups, whether you are a team of 2 or 2000.
I want to take a sec to acknowledge the wide range of causes you can address and support. Some with little backlash, like “save a cat from a tree” to some hot-button issues where people WILL fight in the comments no matter what (divesting from Israel).
I’m operating under the assumption that you work for a corporate nonprofit that is progressive but not revolutionary.
We can put our flowchart into action using examples based on the two things you mentioned, Pride and then genocide, which I assume refers to the Free Palestine movement!
Example A - Should my US-based cancer non-profit post about Pride?
Does Pride relate to your brand’s mission/vision?
Not exactly.
Is Pride relevant to your brand’s values or important to your clients/employees?
Yes! You’re queer yourself, you work with queer people and you serve queer clients, though they are just a part of the people you help. You want your audience to know you’re a safe space.
Great! Do you have a clear POV and messaging plan on the issue? A response plan?
No. We post for pride every year, but don’t want to tokenize our queer clients by keeping it to in June.
It’s time to get to work on a comms plan!
I’d recommend developing a plan to post about queer issues year-round as it relates to your clients and donors. This doesn’t have to be complicated either, it can be as simple as always sharing content from a partner organization.
A few jumping-off points:
Work with queer patients? Is there a way to share their stories that focus on them as a person and not just their status as a queer person?
Are there queer organizations you can partner with or uplift?
Are there resources you can create that directly speak to queer folks?
Example B - Should my US-based cancer non-profit post about Free Palestine?
Does Free Palestine relate to your brand’s mission/vision?
Not exactly.
Is Free Palestine relevant to your brands values or important to your clients/employees?
We have clientele and donors that both stand with and disavow Palestine.
With a divided audience, I’d ask…
If the brand (or the person who founded the brand) value one side over the other?
Is your brand willing to take a hard line in-the-sand?
Is this topic something your audience expects you to comment on?
If any of these answers are no, you’ll likely have to put the campaign on ice.
This is where #2 comes into play.
Can you live with your company not taking a stand? Are you upset enough to leave your job?
No matter what, I’d encourage you to get involved with the cause. Corporations are not going to save us. We are going to save us.
Corporations are not going to save us. We are going to save us.
2. How can we comment on [issue] that speaks to our audience and aligns with our messaging?
I think creating content on whatever issue truly comes down to how your brand interacts with that issue.
If an issue is a part of the bedrock of your organization, it should be something you communicate about regularly.
If it impacts your clients, donors, or employees, I’d focus on the stories that connect the brand to the issue.
3. How can we avoid performative posting and actually make a difference?
You can ensure your posts are not just lip service one of two ways
Literally help the people! Make a donation! Carve out a section of your business that helps the people involved!
If you can’t do that (which is totes fair), make sure all of your content, even stuff you just share to stories, has a CTA to support organizations and/or people that are directly involved with the issue.
For example, with supporting Palestine, you can encourage your community to call their representatives, donate to the GoFundMes of the families evacuating Gaza or direct them to follow organizations like the Palestinian Youth Movement to get more involved.
4. What if shit hits the fan?
If your comment section looks like SpongeBob’s brain trying to remember a name, take a deep breath! It’s going to be fine.
This is why you put together a response plan! Especially one that the people running the company signed off on.
Here are questions you can ask yourself:
Why are people angry about this? Is it because they disagree with the message or the delivery of the message?
Who is getting upset with this? Did the post leave my internet neighborhood?
Homophobes got hold of your pride post? Delete, block, keep it moving.
Activists trying to call you in? Maybe the post wasn’t as meaningful as you think!
Okay, but it’s really really hitting the fan! I think we need to issue a public apology to save the company!
My friend, this is where I encourage you to hire a crisis comms professional 🫶
Phew! I think that is everything?
Remember my intersectional spiral, where you cannot push your job to be more progressive. You can always redistribute the funds you make and show up intensely outside of the office.
I won’t tell 😉
💌,
KP @ Jupiter Content Co.
P.S. If you’re like “Wait, I have so many ideas. Can I borrow your brain for an hour?!” I offer 1x1 consulting, you can book a call with me here.
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