Do I Have to Share My Opinion on Every Issue (Or Can I Just Get on With My Work?)
When keeping thoughts to yourself is as unfashionable as a nylon shell suit.
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about 2020 so far (apart from the obvious), it’s that I’m constantly being preached to by an endless parade of brands-on-a-mission.
That mission isn’t simple promotion of their wares, but lofty dreams of a better world. Coke refuses to be “a stranger in (my) own living room”, while McCain extols the virtues of family life. The focus is on harmony and inclusion, rather than fizzy drinks and chips.
It’s not just TV. You can’t move for earnest brand messaging on social media, either. Idly checking your Twitter feed means coming up against the likes of Burger King’s recent handwringing plea for us to buy from McDonalds too, or Nike’s support for Black Lives Matter (“for once, don’t do it”).
“Your Brand Needs to Have an Opinion”, crowed a recent article for Marketing Brew. But personally, I’m weary of their grand opinions and patronising advice. Is it too much to ask that a brand simply explains what it does, then leaves you to decide whether you want it or not? It seems like a hazy vision of utopia.
