Social Businesses Addressing Social Issues: Is it a Good or Bad Idea?

With businesses becoming active on social media to create compelling content in order to connect with their consumers it is always a toss up on whether these companies should address social issues. We are in a time when consumers are using their social media accounts to stand up for social issues they carry close to them. So why shouldn't companies be given the same privilege? I mean a company's social business is used to create human-like connections with consumers and this can be an effective way to do so.

With our current political climate, most big name companies have taken jabs at addressing social issues. Some succeeding such as Heineken with their #OpenYourWorld commercial which addressed the power of having a conversation to create a space for people with opposing views to understand one another. While others haven't had much success....cough.....cough......Pepsi.

While political issues create conversation among consumers, I believe that companies can also create more of a focus on personal issues that their consumers may be going through. For example, Axe recently stepped away from their iconic girl chasing guy commercial to address toxic male gender norms with their 'Is It Ok for Guys?' campaign.

By creating more content like this, companies can connect with all consumers no matter their sexuality, race or gender. It is time for companies to turn away from the stereotypes they use to portray in commercials and instead address real issues that face their consumers.