With the March for Our Lives set for Saturday at venues around the country, what should brands be doing, if anything, to prepare? We asked Barie Carmichael, a senior counselor at APCO Worldwide and a former CCO with Dow Corning and EVP of corporate relations with VISA USA.
In short, it’s a delicate dance. “Of course, what a brand should do on Saturday is not a generic question. If you’re a brand with a direct connection, one that makes guns, for example, you will approach [the march] one way. If you’re a brand that sells guns…you might take a different stance.” Most important, Carmichael advises, is for brands to understand whether or not they have a connection to the issue.
Think of Your Supply Chain
Senior Counselor, APCO Worldwid
The problem, though, is brands that believe they have no connection to the march might not realize they have an indirect link to it. For example, a lot of people will be traveling to march sites. Brands that transport the travelers or perhaps supply them with food or living accommodation could be said to have an indirect connection to the march, Carmichael says. She advises brands to “think of your supply chain…how could you be indirectly caught up in this march?”
She points to the communicator’s role in planning a brand’s tactics and strategy for Saturday. “You need someone at the table with a social imagination…who can anticipate various potential issues...shame on anyone who doesn’t brainstorm” scenarios ahead of Saturday, she says.
A Connection to Your Brand’s Values
OK, but what should a company say? That depends on your brand’s values, Carmichael says. Does the issue connect to your organization’s core beliefs? She’s spoken to many companies where employees are urging management to take a stand; other employees, though, have a different view. Remember, “Your audience might be as diverse as your employee base…a good brand manager will look at this from 360 degrees.”
A Recruiting Battle
One of those 360 degrees to consider is the need for companies to appeal to millennials for future recruiting purposes, she says. “Make no mistake…Saturday’s march can be thought of as a [recruiting] battleground,” especially with baby boomers reaching age 65 at the rate of 10,000/day through 2029, according to the Pew Research Center.
A Range of Responses
Brands should consider a range of responses and platforms (traditional and social media). For example, a company could speak internally to employees and not issue a public response via social. Likewise, it is wise to think of a range of spokespeople, she argues. Perhaps instead of having your CEO make a statement, it should come from the chief talent officer if it angles toward recruitment, Carmichael says.
While the social conversation should be monitored Saturday, so should other information portals. Any employee who will come in contact with information and the public should be told to monitor reactions. In addition, they should be sending information into a central area, Carmichael says.
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