Corporate activism. Knowing when and how to engage

Corporate activism continues to gain momentum as brands are expected to have the right message, tone and delivery when communicating publicly about where they stand on sociopolitical issues.
 
But organisations also risk pushback from those who disagree with their stance.
 
To get the balance right, brands must authentically respond to critical social moments with a well-thought-out message that includes some commitment to effecting positive change.
 
But in today’s polarizing world, it’s challenging — if not impossible — to show support for these topics without also alienating at least some portion of your stakeholders.
 
❓ So what can you do to get it right?
 
🔺A seat at the table
To have any chance of getting it right, it is essential the PR/corporate communicator is involved from the beginning when corporate activism plans are being devised.
 
Why? Because very often comms are the ones that are responsible for influencing what gets into the media, they know what resonates among employees and they are the experts on how to position and message the issue in relation to the organisation.
 
🔺Authenticity
Authenticity is also essential in determining what to say and when. Equally important here is to not chase every issue but only those that align with a company’s mission, vision and values.
 
For this to happen, companies really need to sit down and define what are those areas that they genuinely believe in. And to have the discipline to say, this isn’t something that we are going to step into.
 
Or say – this is an area we are going to step into, and we know that we’re going to get backlash for it and we’re going to ride it out.
 
🔺Clear & consistent messaging
Uniformity of messaging is also key, both internally and externally. Having an isolated message can easily fall apart at the seams when nothing else backs it up.
 
To combat this, allow your organization’s key internal and external stakeholders a chance to weigh in on the messaging before it goes public. They may also be able to help you identify some blind spots and potential risk.
 
🔺Be prepared for fallout
Companies and PR pros should always prepare for fallout.
 
You’re going to have stakeholders who no longer support you, such as customers that are going to walk away. Because quite simply you can’t please everyone all the time.
 
But not every negative response is truly a crisis. Your crisis plan should include a ranking of the issues that are most important to respond to and those that are the least critical.
 
Weighing how to respond in corporate activism scenarios and evaluating the potential negativity to your business – in terms of impact on your bottom line can really help to identify when and where to step up.

For more tips and examples click here. For advice or support get in touch!