How Covid-19 Silently Reset Brand Purpose

Naturally, many initial conversations centered around canceled launches and events or delayed content partnerships and campaigns. As the initial dust settled, the industry figured out new ways to operate in our changed world. Production restarted in earnest, albeit with vastly different rules, and media projects picked up steam. Things returned to some predictability.

However, what many did not predict was the great brand purpose reckoning. And it was just on the horizon.

Purpose, purpose, purpose

In the history of brands, taking a stance was, until relatively recently, seen as risky business confined to the odd startup, local business or Ben & Jerry’s.

Brands That Survived the Pandemic Met New Societal Needs

I leared this firsthand. One of my first meetings as CEO of Gay Times magazine was sitting with a brand manager who said the logo would “never be seen” inside their buildings.

It was a sobering moment. The fear of the LGBTQ+ community stemmed from perceptions that it was lewd or inappropriate—nothing a renowned brand should be associated with. I didn’t judge the comment, but it did remind me that our work to re-educate, dispel myths and bridge gaps had only begun.

Fast-forward a number of years. Pride parades glittered down city streets, organizations proudly added rainbows to their logos during Pride Month, and clothing brands rushed to merchandise the action. Job done, right? Well, not quite.

#TBT to Pride 2020

It wasn’t a surprise when Pride organizers worldwide canceled in-person festivities as June 2020 approached. The idea of parading down the main avenues across the world, covered in glitter and rainbows, was unthinkable. Not soon after the parades were called off, many brands did so with their LGBTQ+ campaigns.

What—if there is no Pride—was the purpose?

Yet, the LGBTQ+ community hadn’t exactly gone anywhere. So, with the lack of spaces and events to activate in, the conversation turned online and in the streets into self-organized protests and marches.

The pandemic had forced everyone to slow down, take stock and assess our personal values. When the distractions of parties and parades were taken away, it left space for hugely necessary and challenging conversations to take center stage. It isn’t by chance that a significant refocus on the Black Lives Matter movement and Black LGBTQ+ stories and communities took place during this time.

And as those conversations began, so too did the calls for accountability. Brands suddenly found themselves exposed, with consumers looking for measurable declarations and acts of inclusion, allyship and change.

Gone are the days of Pride being a calendar moment, a fun time to party, a colourful June campaign activation. Consumers—especially those from non-mainstream communities—were using social media to call out what they saw as historic tokenistic decision-making.

In short, the reckoning had begun. The goal posts of brand purpose had changed, and fast.

After the storm

The pandemic has seen consumer demand for taking a stand go stratospheric.

However, when it comes to building positive brand purpose, it’s not going to be as easy as it used to be. Rainbow logos in June, intermittent hashtags or using someone’s identity as a trend is not just low impact—it is now more than likely damaging as consumers call out virtue signaling and turn their backs.

Supporting used to mean just showing up. Today, consumers need to see deeper commitments.

At Gay Times, we have worked for many years with brands taking genuine action and creating change for their audiences, such as paying for programs or internships, making consistent activism pledges and improving the industries in which they operate.

The exciting part comes when you ask yourself these questions:

• What can we give back to the community we are engaging with?
• Who can we ask in that community what they might need from us?
• How can we make a lasting impact in a defined way?
• How can we measure and explain our commitment with credible partners?

Simple questions that can transform your actions, and related purpose-based work, into results that truly make a difference.

Google Exec Says Pandemic Has Reinvigorated Purpose-Driven Marketing