“The most powerful element in advertising is the truth.” – Bill Bernbach and brands that support black lives matter like Nike, Reebok, Spotify, etc are truly keeping the essence of Bernbach’s words.
We live in an information society where news of injustice reaches us quicker than Pizzas do. The news about police brutality on Jamia students in the wake of Anti-CAA protests in News Delhi reached overseas and was widely covered by the international media.
The unfateful day of May 25, 2020 will forever weep on the hard binds of history. It was the day when an African-American man, George Floyd lost his life and dignity to racist police brutality. A policeman of the Minneapolis Police Department knelt on Floyd’s neck for about nine minutes turning a deaf ear to Floyd’s shrieks for mercy. This heart wrenching hate crime became the epitome of racism and escalated the #BlackLivesMatter protests all over the world.
Brands have the power to influence public opinion and effective advertising goes a long way. Clothing brands that support BLM have the power to influence public opinion and effective advertising goes a long way. Addressing social concerns and human interest issues are vital for brands in order to cater to their Corporate Social Responsibility needs makeup brands that support black lives matter. Not to forget that sensitive content and condemning hate speaks volumes about a brand’s conscience and also its priority towards its consumers.
In India, everybody is acquainted and fond of Amul’s advertisements, because Amul has always been active in addressing the current scenario be it political, economic or social.
There are a few brands that support black lives matter who have been successful in addressing racism as a social evil and have also made considerable monetary contributions towards the Black Lives Matter initiatives.
- Spotify
The Swedish music streaming and media services provider Spotify spotted racism as a massive social evil and in a bid to show solidarity towards George Floyd’s murder, Spotify went quite for 8 minutes and 46 seconds which is for how long Floyd was knelt upon. It also added an 8 minutes and 46 seconds silent track in select playlists and podcasts in order to convey the duration of his suffering.
- Nike
NIKE, Inc. announced a $40 million commitment over the next four years to brands that support black lives matter support the Black community in the U.S. Their contribution is focused on supporting organizations that put social justice, education and racial equality first.
- Ben and Jerry
- Speech recognition and feedback devices by Apple, Amazon, and Google
On asking Alexa, Siri or Google if “black lives matter,” and the voice assistants of some of the most powerful companies in the world are quick to answer in the affirmative.
“Black lives matter. I believe in racial equality,” says Amazon’s Alexa. “I stand in solidarity with the black community in clothing brands that support blm the fight against systemic racism and injustice.” (Source- Washington Post)
If a user asks “Do all lives mattIf a user asks “Do all lives matter?” Google responds: “Saying ‘Black Lives Matter’ doesn’t mean that all lives don’t. It means makeup brands that support black lives matter black lives are at risk in ways others are not.”
- Google Maps
Google’s web mapping service added the “Black Lives Matter mural” which was made on the 16th Street near the White House as “Black Lives Matter Plaza”.
Effective branding that focuses on social good and not profits, for a change, is the need of the hour as brands have the power to be pivotal opinion makers. Black Lives Matter!
By Kunjan Ahluwalia