When brands take a stand: High-stakes game of activism marketing

AS marketers, we were all recently exposed to a communication campaign by a popular tea brand in Sri Lanka that sparked significant discussion on social media, with certain audiences and factions deeming it controversial.

- By Imasha Fernando

This type of communication can be classified as brand activism — where a company publicly endorses or dismisses a social, political, environmental, or cultural issue — advocacy marketing, where a brand advocates beyond its product utilities or benefits — or the more recent term, woke advertising.

In light of this subject being heavily discussed, we as marketers can use this as a platform for learning and explore how to establish insights for the future. This article will examine case studies of campaigns of this nature that have both succeeded and failed, noting key learnings we can build upon.