You know how they say you should not talk about religion or politics at work? Advertisers are realizing it is smart to take that into consideration for campaigns as well, along with excluding sensitive social issues. While some brands embrace social issues, the backlash from Pepsi’s most recent commercial is making most brands think twice.
Many brands tend to incorporate current trends and issues as a way to connect with consumers. But in the case of Pepsi, consumers caught on to the bandwagoning and called BS. The brands that have leveraged including sensitive topics have done it authentically and clearly, have cultural awareness as to not dismay consumers from the goal of the campaign. Studies have also found that aligning brands to causes does not necessarily work. A study done by Traction found that “consumers are increasingly skeptical of companies using causes and issues to push products.” All in all, it is best to stay away from sensitive topics that may end up hurting a brand more than helping.
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