Hot Take, Ep.7: Marketing And Cancel Culture

By Stephen Osomba

Advancement in information technology has seen a lot of changes take place in society. Some of these changes have had far-reaching effects on how we live, how we interact with the community, and how we voice our opinions.

Digital media, as one of the fruits of technological innovation, is constantly shaping conversations and deeply held viewpoints. Unlike in the past, people across the globe can now freely exchange ideas on virtually any subject, at least in countries where civil liberties are not a privilege.

Today, we have established spaces or platforms where discussions on critical issues facing humanity like social justice, sustainability, and development take place. Increasingly, and worth noting, more and more organizations are getting involved in these mainstream dialogues. Previously, given the sensitivities around the topics, the majority would have instead preferred to stay clear of the course.

Indeed, participation by various stakeholders has greatly enriched discourses on issues that matter. Although we are nowhere close to eradicating the world’s problems, we are finding solutions much faster than in the days gone by. While the sail has been smooth for a better part of the new age media, a new phenomenon is threatening to rock the boat: cancel culture.

The raging fireball let loose by Dave Chappelle on his latest stand-up show, the closer, on Netflix has once again put the spotlight on cancel culture. Is society curtailing freedom of expression? Have we grown overly sensitive? Do we want to confine everybody to a single, individual reality?

What is 'cancel culture'?

Cancel culture can be described as a modern form of activism where someone or an organization is banished for a perceived act of transgression. Even though lauded as a good cause in demanding accountability from celebrities, government agencies, and brands, the cancel culture movement seems to have taken a life of its own over the years.

Celebrities and companies have often found themselves on the sharp edge of cancel culture. The former has seen endorsement deals plugged off, while the latter has lost customers after boycott calls. Some cases are usually justifiable but in many, it is frivolous. Seemingly, society has become overly critical and sensitive, turning cancel culture into a pastime. The implications have been adverse for various stakeholders, particularly prominent personalities and brands.

Creativity in captivity

As a result, companies have found themselves walking on eggshells. Anything could anger the public and trigger a costly backlash. For marketers, particularly those involved in advertising, this is akin to working while your hands are tied behind your back. The cancel culture has held some sort of leash around creativity, the most important piece of ingredient for ad gurus.

Indeed, ads that could have easily been aired on TV without any qualms in the past cannot even be considered for shortlisting today. The rich creativity we used to see during the old days has been largely curtailed.

Consequently, marketers have settled for mediocre standards just to appease the public’s sensitivities. Because it is not possible to know beforehand if a piece of an ad is going to anger a section of the customer base. The perceived sensitive themes are in constant flux and often, the goalposts shift depending on who is being hanged in the courts of public opinion.

Also, we have the aspect of culture. Every country has a unique culture. From a general standpoint, the majority of developed countries tend to be liberal while developing countries, on the other hand, are mostly conservative. In that light, some things could easily pass in one country without much ado and not the other.

Inclusivity, for example, is a popular running them across the world. In the west, this would mean race, feminism, and LGBTQ. Ads in these countries are likely to include these three factors. However, in developing countries, issues like ethnicity, language, and gender are likely to be important factors. So, while ads with LGBT characters may run smoothly in the west, it will not be possible to air in Africa since the society is yet to embrace homosexuality as part of their culture. Therefore, every company, especially multinationals, must pay close attention to the prevailing culture.

Final thoughts

Accountability for the sake of corporate citizenship is indeed a noble cause. However, sometimes calls for responsibility can be frivolous. But it will still be prosecuted in the courts of public opinion in complete disregard of due process. So, the threat is real. Nothing should be left to chance. The public wants what it wants. There are no two ways around it but to abide.

In ensuring society’s high expectations are not breached, ad testing has now become an extremely vital step in ad production than ever before. Ostensibly, being a marketer in this new world order of heightened sensitivity can be a daunting task. To stay ahead of cancel culture, companies must constantly observe or conduct regular market research to uncover the cultural nuances.

Stephen Osomba?currently serves as the Lead Partner, Communication & Marketing at SMD Consulting Associates where he helps SME clients deliver value by adjusting the solutions to each company's mission, product, strategy, and industry.