Advocates take a more active role, working to change political, economic and social systems.Ĭompanies can be advocates when they create campaigns to promote institutional change and provide financial support for groups engaged in creating social change. In marketing terms, allies are members of a dominant social group that bring attention to important social issues.Ī company can serve as an ally when it works to increase awareness about issues affecting marginalized groups.
I’m a professor of brand responsibility, and my forthcoming research investigates brands and their relationships with social issues, including the importance of both corporate allies and advocates. And polls suggest more than half say they want to buy from brands that take stands on social issues.Īt the same time, consumers are increasingly skeptical about these partnerships – such as corporate sponsorships of LGBTQ Pride Month – and instead see them as marketing stunts rather than acts of genuine activism.
Are companies that support Pride and other social causes ‘wokewashing’? Photo above: People with the Pride Alliance Network, sponsored by Starbucks, walk along Ocean Drive during the 11th annual Pride Parade as part of Miami Beach Pride week on April 7, 2019, in Miami Beach, Florida.Ĭonsumers increasingly want companies to address society’s big problems, such as climate change and crumbling infrastructure.
