Black Lives Matter: The revolution isn’t a commodity
In my 2018 work entitled "How Brands Use Trends to Improve Credibility" I focused on brands and their opportunistic relationship with black culture. I knew that it would not be the last time that I would have to stand up for not exploiting black lives. So it would be dishonest to say that I'm surprised that in response to #BlackoutTuesday we would see the same kind of brand reaction.
When silent brands and corps rolled over to exchange black screens and statements of support, I questioned, among other things, the timing and integrity of this alliance through brands. According to Douglas Holt, the guru of cultural branding, brands have to co-opt cultural movements at the right moment to stay relevant – they also have to be consistent. Although many brands believed that this was the right time, their “efforts” quickly met with contempt. That moment reminded me when brands like Pepsi were asked to co-opt the Black Lives Matter movement with the infamous Kendall Jenner ad (which re-entered public discourse this week). Or when Dove was called up for her t-shirt ad (and other ads) in the same way that we demand that brands do better today.
The Black Lives Matter movement is not a trend that is becoming a commodity. I repeat, the Black Lives Matter movement should not be turned into a commodity. But it has already been used by brands and people. Whether it is brands that join together to sell merch for the lives of black people or members of the victim communities, it raises the problem of intentionality. While brands are taking a stand around the world, virtual protest is asking consumers these three questions. Where were you back then, why now and how long will you take a position?
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Brands have failed to prioritize either black or LGBTQ + votes in June – as if the two might not be able to coexist. Against this background, there are very few brands that could authentically adapt to both causes.
Ben and Jerry have recently been praised as the ones who watch how many brands gather to understand how to be an ally 101. The ice cream brand made its alliance with Black Lives Matter clear in 2016 after Ferguson protested for Mike Brown (picture of this statement shown above). They were one of the few brands whose recent virtual protest was received very positively due to their consequences for the cause. The key is to be consistent in your approach.
However, this does not guarantee immunity to criticism. Absolut has been working successfully for the LGBTQ + community for 35 years, so that vodka itself is celebrated as the “Spirit of Pride”. Absolut continues to donate to LGBTQ + organizations and carries the rainbow all year round, not just during the month of Pride. Absolutely, however, was criticized despite 35 years of continuous support. The problem is the idea that brands are now supposed to support the causes of black and LGBTQ + if in the past they only focused on benefiting from aspects of their culture. Brands have to be ready to face battles, instead of just calling themselves allies.
While the creative industry tries to put measures behind their promises with contributions and donations, numerous opportunities and mentoring have been offered especially for black people. As a result, black creatives rush to now available opportunities that they once believed were limited or nonexistent. It is disturbing that these are only opened after such a tragedy, and raises the question of why they only arise after the fact.
"Falling in love with black things for a short time is essentially racist."
It is racist to care only about offering help or opportunities to black people for a period of time. It sets a timer on the relevance for a community against which entire systems and structures are set.
"This whole way of falling in love with black things for a short time is essentially racist," said Courtney Callender, former director of the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, in 1973. "A hypothesis is still being made." a great sense of separation and a feeling of treating black activities as a kind of curiosity; either benign or threatening, one way or another. When it threatens, "Oh my god, they'll get upset or something." And if it's benign, we'll let them paint or draw or sing or dance whatever they want to do. Until we, the white community, are fed up with it "and this whole structure is essentially racist."
The creative economy is cyclical in the way it adapts to blacks and culture. The difference is that consumers and employees are no longer waiting for changes, but demanding them. Though black creatives are talking about the injustices in this industry, brands like Google have reportedly dropped their diversity programs because they fear they may be too conservative.
The virtual protest makes consumers ask these three questions; Where were you back then, why now and how long will you take a position?
It took countless murders and a global pandemic for organizations to make efforts to make room for black workers. If the advocacy is genuine and does not depend on selling a product or responding to a new wave in a longstanding fight against racism, it cannot live alone in external branding or virtual explanations. Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, showed what real brand allies look like when he stepped down and campaigned to be replaced by a black person. Recognizing that the impetus for change must come from above to ensure that the life of black really does matter at all levels of a brand's organization.
I hope that the work will be done with longevity, with the intent to include and keep black people in a workforce that has a plan to support them. Because the revolution in diversity programs cannot be sustained.
Leonie Annor-Owiredu is a cultural strategist and writer. thisisdiversityinaction.com