How To Use Socially-Conscious Marketing

Socially-conscious marketing is a difficult play for many brands. Many brands want to take bold stands on relevant social, humanitarian, and political issues, but often don’t know how to. Unfortunately, a poorly-executed statement or advertisement could cripple your brand in the eyes of public opinion, so many companies prefer to stay out of any sort of social commentary.

Unfortunately, these companies are missing opportunities to show what they are all about. Consumers actually prefer brands that have bold and purpose-driven mission statements. You might think of socially-relevant marketing as a fad, but it’s a crucial part of how your brand is perceived. A company that actually has values has a huge leg up in differentiating itself from the competition. Being authentically yourself as a brand is a good thing and communicating values is a great way to this end.

To help you navigate the murky waters of socially-conscious marketing, we compiled our thoughts on what makes a successful advertisement or statement. Again, as usual, pay attention to your unique needs. These are good starting points, but always adjust these recommendations to your use case.

Read On To Learn About Socially-Conscious Marketing

Socially-Conscious Marketing Tip 1: Be Sincere

The worst thing you can do is to make a statement on an issue you couldn’t care less about merely because everyone else is. Your customers and potential customers are discerning; they can smell insincerity a mile away. It’s much better to not make any sort of statement or commentary than to appear half-hearted or inauthentic.

Pick your battles. Your customers will prefer coming out strongly for certain issues than making weak statements on any and all trending topics. Think of it as a dilution vs concentration problem: better to concentrate your social capital on the issues that matter to you than to spread that social capital across multiple concerns.

Per that advice, consider our second tidbit…

Socially-Conscious Marketing Tip 2: Connect To Your Brand’s Mission

A big news story might seem like the perfect time to make a socially-conscious statement, but be wary. If every other brand is releasing ads related to a certain social issue, yours might be drowned out. Your socially-conscious advertisements will land better if they’re in some way connected to what your brand does.

Patagonia’s statement on reduced federally protected land in the U.S. is a great example of this. Patagonia has always been an environmentally-active brand and its advocacy on this issue aligns really well with its mission statement. No consumer would be surprised as to why Patagonia had strong opinions on this issue; it just “fits” in their eyes.

If you’re a law firm specializing in international law, a statement about asylum policy will resonate more than a statement on economic justice. Pick and choose the issues you decide to take a stance on and those that you do will resonate more with your audience.

Socially-Conscious Marketing Tip 3: Don’t Cash Grab

You may be sincere in the issue you select and it may align perfectly with your mission, but there is still a wrong way to go about this. If your idea of socially-conscious marketing is to give a nod to a hot-button issue at the start of an advertisement with five seconds of screen time before promoting a sale, then you need to reconsider your strategy. Consumers can tell when you sincerely care about the issue in question and when you really just want the props and revenue that comes with appearing socially en vogue.

Because consumers are savvy, we recommend taking a high-level approach for any sort of social or political issue statement or advertisement. Your brand messaging should be high-level and should merely advertise that your brand cares deeply and authentically about the issue in question.

No sales, no limited-time offers, no discounted rates. (Donation matches to a non-profit or trumpeting a humanitarian contribution you’ve made is fine.)

Socially-Conscious Tip 4: Find The Line Between Risky & Safe

There is no one-size fits all formula for speaking out on social issues and you are always going to take some amount of risk when doing so. Of course, there’s always risk in business, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Just be aware of these risks and find the appropriate amount for your unique situation.

More buzz on any advertisement will usually bring more negative attention with it, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you’re ok with the extra attention, both good and bad, making a bold stance on a political or social issue is a valid tactic. No one can tell you exactly what your risk tolerance is, so be sure to consult internally with your boss, other departments, and other revenue-generating teams for maximum agreement on if the play in question is a good one.

An important caveat: we don’t necessarily recommend you lead off with this approach. In our eyes, communicating values in a brand-safe way is better than running a risky advertisement.

Socially-Conscious Tip 5: Always Focus Group Your Socially-Conscious Advertising

You’ve done your homework internally, but it’s always a good idea to get some external perspective on any potentially controversial statement or advertisement. Your internal stakeholders might love the marketing material in question, but you may be missing how others will react. This is why we recommend gauging external stakeholder opinion as well.

It’s imperative you get honest and unfiltered feedback from those who didn’t help approve the idea in question, whether it’s in the form of a focus group, a customer poll, or a company-wide survey. This feedback may be the difference between hitting a socially-conscious marketing homerun or crashing and burning spectacularly.

Socially-Conscious Tip 6: Don’t Be Partisan

This is different from avoiding any sort of “political” statement. Unfortunately, politics covers a wide array of issues. Causes as noble as conservation, infrastructure, and public education fall under the “political” umbrella. At JSL, we don’t think a world where companies avoid any commentary on the biggest issues of our day is a good one.

Now, this is different from being partisan. A good mission statement or advertisement should be focused on an issue, not supporting a political party, or regurgitating partisan talking points.

To gauge if you’re doing this correctly, ask yourself if your advertisement or statement would appeal to people who are on different political sides of the aisle, but support the same advocacy issue. (Conservation is a great example of an issue with political underpinnings that is still supported by people on different sides of the aisle.) If so, then you’re likely good to proceed.

Consider the following rules of thumb. If your statements or ads are any of the following, you may be perceived as an ideologically motivated company instead of a passionate, issues-driven brand.

• Is your Socially-Conscious Marketing Too Adversarial?
• Is Your Socially-Conscious Marketing Demeaning?
• Is Your Socially-Conscious Marketing Stoking Unnecessary Fear To Motivate Action?
• Is Your Socially-Conscious Marketing Likely To Only Resonate With A Small Subset of Viewers?

If you’re unsure about any of the following, return to your focus group and get their feedback. That will continue to be your main source of critical thinking and feedback throughout your planning phase.

Call JSL For Advice

Marketing is not easy. Turn to trusted agency experts to help you navigate your brand messaging!

JSL Marketing & Web Design is…

• A Proud Forbes Agency Partner
• Five-Star Reviewed On Google
• Zapier Certified
• The Manifest 2020 Top Web Design Agencies contender

Beyond brand messaging and advice, we can also offer a variety of marketing tactics! We’re a one-stop shop agency with experts in the following ready to serve you!

• Web Design
• Content Marketing
• Search Engine Optimization
• Social Media Marketing
• Graphic Design & Branding
• Email Marketing
• & More!

Fill Out Our Contact Form To Get In Contact With Us Today!