Doctor SpinThe PR BlogCrisis CommunicationsThe Culture War: Brands as Collateral Damage

The Culture War: Brands as Collateral Damage

Brands shouldn't preach moral behaviour to adults.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

Thereโ€™s a culยญture war raging for our minds.

Itโ€™s the social justice warยญriยญors versus the popยญuยญlistยญic traยญdiยญtionยญalยญists. They conยญsume much more than their fair share of the online agenda.

Where does this leave the rest of us?
Where does this leave regยญuยญlar businesses?

Letโ€™s dive right into it:

The Just War Theory

Todayโ€™s culยญture war is a jus belยญlum justum (a just war) for our morยญal values.

The just war theยญory dicยญtates that โ€œ[โ€ฆ ] war, while terยญrible (but less so with the right conยญduct), is not always the worst option. Important responsยญibยญilยญitยญies, undesirยญable outยญcomes, or preยญventยญable atroยญcitยญies may jusยญtiยญfy war.โ€ 1Just war theยญory. (2023, November 14). In Wikipedia. https://โ€‹enโ€‹.wikiโ€‹peโ€‹diaโ€‹.org/โ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹/โ€‹Jโ€‹uโ€‹sโ€‹tโ€‹_โ€‹wโ€‹aโ€‹rโ€‹_โ€‹tโ€‹hโ€‹eโ€‹ory

And this culยญture war is spelling devยญastยญatยญing conยญsequences for busiยญnesses worldยญwide. Wokeness. Populism. De-platยญformยญing. Cancel culยญture. Political corยญrectยญness. Bot attacks. Free speech infringeยญments. Coรถrdinated troll attacks. Reputation destruction. 

Businesses are tryยญing to rise to the chalยญlenge, but how?

To start, we need to underยญstand this polarยญised media landscape.

The Publics of the Culture War

So, how should your busiยญness navยญigยญate this inflamยญmatยญory culยญture war? 

We can identiยญfy three critยญicยญal online pubยญlics based on how they comยญmuยญnicยญate their underยญlyยญing morยญal philoยญsophy. And they use the interยญnet as their primary tool for organยญising themยญselves and exertยญing morยญal extortion.

Social Justice Warriors will not accept any perยญceived โ€œinjustice.โ€ They regard themยญselves as morยญally superยญiยญor and see all opponยญents as immeยญdiยญate threats to their conยญvicยญtions. According to this pubยญlic, online aggresยญsion is an approยญpriยญate politยญicยญal expresยญsion (if perยญpetยญrated by themยญselves).

Read also: Cancel Cultureโ€‰โ€”โ€‰A Serious PR Problem

Populistic Traditionalists see โ€œcomยญmon senseโ€ derived from genยญerยญaยญtions of empirยญicยญal morยญal insights to trump all othยญer forms of disยญcernยญment. They celยญebยญrate homoยญgenยญeity and patยญriยญotยญism and are often reliยญgious. According to this pubยญlic, online aggresยญsion is a propยญer politยญicยญal expresยญsion (if perยญpetยญrated by themยญselves).

Read also: How To Fight Populism

The Silent Majority are modยญerยญately invesยญted in morยญal philoยญsophy; they are more focused on makยญing ends meet in their perยญsonยญal lives. They avoid takยญing any such aggressยญive standsโ€‰โ€”โ€‰at least pubยญlicly. However, they conยญtinuยญally โ€œvoteโ€ online by clickยญing, watchยญing, readยญing, and listenยญing.

Read also: The Spiral of Silence

How should a brand navยญigยญate this culยญture war?
Either pick a side and stick with itโ€‰โ€”โ€‰or steer clear?

The Art of Online Grandstanding

For any brand strugยญgling with envirยญonยญmentยญal, social, and govยญernance (ESG) issues, itโ€™s temptยญing to try and score quick points with short-lived pubยญlic โ€œoutยญrages.โ€

Businesses that pose as beacons for morยญal modยญelยญling could gain tracยญtion with the chosen minority.

But does grandยญstandยญing make busiยญness sense?

From a pubยญlic relaยญtions perยญspectยญive, conยญflicts such as these could fuel media attenยญtion, but itโ€™s far from evidยญent that these brands will increase their marยญket shares; the share-of-voice for the loudest agitยญatยญors is rarely proยญporยญtionยญal to their actuยญal numbers. 

Gillette: The Toxic-Masculinity Misfire

A recent example would be Gilletteโ€™s camยญpaign, which attacked its cusยญtomยญer base with accusยญaยญtions of not being accountยญable enough for toxยญic masculinity.

Of course, it backยญfired.
Perhaps also affectยญing stock prices immediately.

โ€œThat raises the quesยญtion of whethยญer Gilletteโ€™s finยญanยญcial resยญults are sufยญferยญing because of its toxยญic-masยญculinยญity misยญfire. On Tuesday, Procter & Gamble (PG) beat earnยญings and revยญenยญue foreยญcasts, but the stock fell 3% on a day the S&P 500 closed at a new high.โ€
โ€”Donโ€™t Blame My Toxic Masculinity for Gilletteโ€™s Woes by Jack Hough, Barronโ€™s

In short:

Most brands will likely do betยญter if they realยญise that itโ€™s not their core busiยญness to teach grown-ups about what conยญstiยญtutes morยญal behaviour.

Few ordinยญary busiยญnesses are suited to serve as mouthยญpieces for hunยญdredsโ€‰โ€”โ€‰or even thouยญsandsโ€‰โ€”โ€‰of coworkยญers. Or cusยญtomยญers, someยญtimes in their millions.

Like me, you probยญably have your morยญal conยญvicยญtions, but these conยญvicยญtions arenโ€™t necesยญsarยญily the right baseline for all corยญporยญate comยญmuยญnicยญaยญtions activities.

Moral Conformity and HR

Brands must stand for someยญthing and be brave enough to see these fights through. A brand must find its core mesยญsage, which must resยญonยญate with ownยญers, leadยญers, coworkยญers, and customers.

But the culยญture war isnโ€™t just a PR chalยญlenge; the foundยญaยญtion for long-term straยญtegic sucยญcess in manยญaging the organยญisaยญtionยญal culยญture befalls HR, too. 

HR is being encourยญaged to hire and fire with diversity in mind. But when it comes to morยญal conยญvicยญtions, diversity of thought sudยญdenly becomes the numยญber one enemy of the HR department.

Today, HR must decide whethยญer to hire or fire based on conยญflictยญing morยญal standยญards. You must look difยญferยญent, but simยญulยญtanยญeously lack the trait of thinkยญing differently.

Finding coworkยญers that fit morยญal double standยญardsโ€‰โ€”โ€‰while being a comยญpetยญent, indeยญpendยญent thinker at the same timeโ€‰โ€”โ€‰is an impossible HR strategy.

How To Navigate Cancel Culture

Spin Academy | Online PR Courses

Cancel Culture and Social Media

โ€œCancel culยญture on social media is a form of pubยญlic shamยญing that aims to difยญfuse pubยญlic disยญcourse and proยญmote tolยญerยญance, but can also be viewed as a form of intolยญerยญance against opposยญing views.โ€
Source: Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities 2Velasco, J. (2020). You are Cancelled: Virtual Collective Consciousness and the Emergence of Cancel Culture as Ideological Purging. Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, 12. โ€ฆ Continue readยญing

Cancel culยญture, de-platยญformยญing, and woke journยญalยญism are becomยญing chalยญlenยญging PR problems:

โ€œCancel culยญture or call-out culยญture is a phrase conยญtemยญporยญary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a form of ostraยญcism in which someone is thrust out of social or proยญfesยญsionยญal circlesโ€‰โ€”โ€‰whethยญer it be online, on social media, or in perยญson. Those subยญject to this ostraยญcism are said to have been โ€˜canยญcelledโ€™.โ€
Source: Wikipedia 3Cancel culยญture. (2023, January 4). In Wikipedia. https://โ€‹enโ€‹.wikiโ€‹peโ€‹diaโ€‹.org/โ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹/โ€‹Cโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹cโ€‹eโ€‹lโ€‹_โ€‹cโ€‹uโ€‹lโ€‹tโ€‹ure

Public opinยญion often forces brands to de-platยญform indiยญviduยญals, partยญner organยญisaยญtions, advertยญisers, colยญlabยญorยญatยญors, etc.

โ€œDeplatforming, also known as no-platยญformยญing, has been defined as an โ€˜attempt to boyยญcott a group or indiยญviduยญal through removยญing the platยญforms (such as speakยญing venยญues or webยญsites) used to share informยญaยญtion or ideas, or โ€˜the action or pracยญtice of preยญventยญing someone holdยญing views regarded as unacยญceptยญable or offensยญive from conยญtribยญutยญing to a forยญum or debate, espeยญcially by blockยญing them on a parยญticยญuยญlar webยญsiteโ€™.โ€
Source: Wikipedia 4Deplatforming. (2023, January 8). In Wikipedia. https://โ€‹enโ€‹.wikiโ€‹peโ€‹diaโ€‹.org/โ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹/โ€‹Dโ€‹eโ€‹pโ€‹lโ€‹aโ€‹tโ€‹fโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹mโ€‹ing

Hereโ€™s how to navยญigยญate the morยญal war as a business:

  • Avoid breezy grandยญstandยญing. CSR- and ESG activยญitยญies should be laser-focused, clearly defined, and business-relevant.
  • Internally, celยญebยญrate the diversity of thought. Having coworkยญers who think difยญferยญently is an asset to any busiยญness culture.
  • Donโ€™t let the canยญcel culยญture intimยญidยญate you. Protesters are loud and noisy, primarยญily online, but they donโ€™t have the numยญbers to match.
  • Direct your resources towards your brand comยญmunity. Most of your cusยญtomยญer base will be in the silent majorยญity, not in the extremes.

Learn more: How To Navigate Cancel Culture

๐Ÿ’ก Subscribe and get a free ebook on how to get betยญter PR.

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PR Resource: The High Road Tonality

The Stoic Tonality

An organยญisaยญtion is the polyยญphonยญic sum of all its coworkยญers. Imagine extractยญing each coworkยญerยญโ€™s most virยญtuยญous and mature traits and comยญbinยญing them into one voiceโ€‰โ€”โ€‰the Stoic tonality.

  • Openness. A virยญtuยญous organยญisaยญtion underยญstands that everyยญone must be allowed to express their thoughts and opinions.
  • Fairness. A virยญtuยญous organยญisaยญtion will see (and respect) both sides of a divisยญive argument.
  • Strength. A virยญtuยญous organยญisaยญtion is conยญfidยญent in its chosen strategies and acquired abilยญitยญies, not because theyโ€™re perยญfect, but because they are grounded.
  • Wisdom. A virยญtuยญous organยญisaยญtion will take the time to explain comยญplex topยญics without condescending.
  • Humility. A virยญtuยญous organยญisaยญtion underยญstands that no one can have everything comยญpletely figured out and that we all have learnยญing and growยญing to do.

Stoic Tonality Examples

โ€œWhy doesยญnโ€™t your brand speak out against indusยญtriยญal overยญfishยญing killing our oceans?โ€

โ€œAs a comยญpany that sells fishยญing gear, we want our oceansโ€‰โ€”โ€‰and all animยญals and plants livยญing in them!โ€‰โ€”โ€‰to be healthy and plenยญtiยญful. We, too, were disยญturbed by the recent news of overยญfishยญing. How could anyยญone not be? We now ask ourselves, how can our comยญpany make more of a difยญferยญence? Honestly, weโ€™re disยญcussยญing our strategy for susยญtainยญabยญilยญity every day. I canยญnot say how or when we might take speยญcifยญic action regardยญing this latest news, but rest assured that weโ€™re takยญing the genยญerยญal issue of savยญing our oceans seriously.โ€

โ€œWhy doesยญnโ€™t your brand engage in Black Lives Matter?โ€

โ€œAs for right now, weโ€™re listenยญing. Weโ€™re listenยญing to the storยญies being told. Weโ€™re listenยญing to underยญstand betยญter how we can learn and grow as a comยญpany. As for inclusยญiveยญness and human rights in genยญerยญal, we think weโ€™re doing a great job, and part of that is to stay open and careยญfully listen to peopleโ€™s storยญies. We might take speยญcifยญic actions, but weโ€™re listenยญing and learning.โ€

โ€œWhy doesยญnโ€™t your brand join our protests against toxยญic masยญculinยญity and the patยญriยญarchy?โ€

โ€œHonestly, weโ€™re a product comยญpany. We make products for anyยญone who likes them. And I dare say that weโ€™re experts in makยญing these products. However, weโ€™re not experts on ideoยญloยญgies or sociยญetยญal strucยญtures. So, for now, we listen. And we conยญtinยญue to focus on makยญing the best products that we can. For everyยญone. We believe thatโ€™s our best way of conยญtribยญutยญing at this point.โ€

โ€œWhy doesยญnโ€™t your brand sign our petiยญtion to boyยญcott all comยญpanยญies on our Environmental Black List?โ€

โ€œAs a comยญpany, we operยญate difยญferยญently. Instead of signยญing petiยญtions or parยญtiยญcipยญatยญing in othยญer pubยญlic demonยญstraยญtions, we take action withยญin our sphere of influยญence. And I dare say that our many envirยญonยญmentยญal iniยญtiยญatยญives are makยญing a lot of difยญferยญence worldยญwide relยญatยญive to our size and reach. If we were to sign your petiยญtion, we would first have to use our resources to research the legitยญimยญacy of its creยญatยญors and then make sure that none of the comยญpanยญies on that list is being wrongยญfully accused. While it would be posยญsible, weโ€™ve decided that we can do more good by dirยญectยญing our resources to where we can make the most difference.โ€

โ€œWhy doesยญnโ€™t your comยญpany act against your female employยญees who take time off for aborยญtions?โ€

โ€œAll our employยญees are grown-ups, and what they do on their own time is frankly none of our busiยญness. Weโ€™re a large comยญpany, and we have employยญees who are pro-life and pro-choice. We believe we have a workยญplace where people can have difยญferยญent opinยญions but still respect each othยญer and work well together.โ€

โ€œWhy hasยญnโ€™t your comยญpany offered your thoughts and prayยญers for the vicยญtims and their famยญilยญies of the school shootยญing?โ€

โ€œThe vicยญtims and their famยญilยญies have our empathยญies, of course. I speak for everyยญone workยญing at our comยญpany when I say we were devยญastยญated by the news as everyยญone else. But youโ€™re right that we havenโ€™t posยญted any status updates about the shootยญing on our Facebook page. Itโ€™s not that we donโ€™t care (we do!), itโ€™s just that we focus our updates on our products and serยญvices and how they make a posยญitยญive difยญferยญence in the world.โ€

Learn more: The Stoic Tonality: Rise Above With Integrity

Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Kaufmann, Whispr Group, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

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The cover photo has

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