Brands' role in social change

BENTONVILLE -- A brand's leadership must be authentic to who they are and the values they believe in to connect with consumers and create social change, a panel of women executives said during a Bentonville Film Festival event Tuesday.

Danielle Carrig, Lifetime senior vice president and public affairs; Kristine Decker, director of North America brand operations for Procter & Gamble; Michelle Ferguson, executive vice president of marketing for Clif Bar; Raquel Harris, vice president and divisional merchandise manager at Sam's Club; Elise Mitchell, CEO Mitchell Communications Group; and Stuart Kronauge, senior vice president of customer marketing at Coca-Cola, discussed the power brands have for social change during a panel held at Northwest Arkansas Community College.

The festival started Tuesday and will run through Saturday. Films, panels and other special events are being held at various locations throughout Northwest Arkansas. Most are being held in Bentonville.

Authenticity was one theme that ran throughout the midday panel discussion. Mindy McAlindon, panel moderator, said recent studies have shown that 55 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for a product that has a positive social change or "punish" companies who fake it.

Procter & Gamble connects with its customers through its brands, Decker said. Company employees spend a lot of time with consumers to find out what their needs are and what it is they care about deeply.

There's a responsibility and opportunity to change the conversation, she said, using the Always "Like a Girl" campaign as an example.

Procter & Gamble found 50 percent of girls have a significant drop in confidence during puberty and some never fully recover, Decker said. The words "like a girl" are often seen as an insult.

Always created a video to use "like a girl" to uplift rather than tear down. The video first shows several people acting weak or incompetent when asked to perform certain actions like a girl. Then young girls perform the same actions with confidence and enthusiasm when asked to.

Only 19 percent of girls felt "like a girl" was a positive statement before seeing the video. That increased to 75 percent after seeing the video, Decker said. Two out of three men surveyed also said they had no idea of the implications of using "like a girl" as an insult.

The video was released last summer and has more than 100 million views in 150 countries, Decker said. There's also been 1.5 million consumers who have shared it on social media, she said.

Mitchell used Honey Maid's "This is Wholesome" campaign as an example of how a brand influenced social conversation.

It launched a commercial in spring 2014 that featured diverse families, including an interracial couple and gay fathers. The company received both positive and negative feedback. It then made another commercial where each negative comment was printed, rolled up then stacked together to make the word "love." Each positive comment, over 10 times as many, also was printed, rolled up then stacked together around the already made "love."

"I loved it because they changed the conversation about families, and they did it in a very brave way," Mitchell said.

Companies and brands always are asking if they should take stands on polarizing social issues, Mitchell said, adding that it's appropriate to do so when the stance is authentic to that brand or company.

"If it truly reflects your values and beliefs as an organization, be bold in taking that stand," she said. "You will find your audience."

Also, everyone has a different definition of what is controversial, Carrig said.

It's up to a brand's leaders to say something isn't controversial anymore despite the naysayers who may still exist, she said. Brands have the power and money to change the tide on some issues that are important to society, she said.

NW News on 05/06/2015