Another Minneapolis business: Modern Times (diner) announced it has rebranded to “Post Modern Times” and will operate as a free and donation based restaurant as they refuse to give money to the government via taxes
You know what, thank you for calling me out and the invitation to discussion. I just poked around and the content is much different from the last time I interacted with the brand, and seems to uphold what you're saying. The commitment to DEI page in particular caught my attention.
While I still remain skeptical of the entire space at the moment, it's clear I spoke out of turn and put my foot in my mouth with such a targeted commentary. Thanks for meeting it with grace.
I can see why you'd think that, given the swerve so many wellness brands have taken (including more than a few friends), and the way we used to show up in the space in our earliest days. I appreciate your willingness to give us another look. We've evolved quite a bit over the last 17 years.
That's clear, and I'm sure you will keep evolving. Excited to watch that!
And as I write this my copy of Drop Acid (by David Perlmutter) is over my shoulder on my bookshelf, which I vividly remember making graphics for with your blurb from the book (ran his social for ten years). It's nice to have a slightly more...dynamic interaction!
I appreciate your response! And your skepticism of the space is valid. We will continue to always try and do what's right.
Trust me, most days it would probably be much easier for us to be in the pocket of MAHA and anti-seed oil crowd, but we are firm in our approach to changing things when we know better or as new research is done.
I hear that. My background (and perhaps why my knee-jerk reaction is both biased and strong) was in working with health and wellness authors for many years and I've seen too many former friends and clients fall down that pipeline (a certain Citizen Journalist comes to mind). It's good to know this is top of mind for y'all and something you're unwavering in. Kudos.
Just because RFK is a part of the Trump admin, that doesn't mean everything the MAHA movement is doing is wrong or right. Whatever helps keep human beings as healthy as possible, I would think, should be considered neutral, and I would hope Whole30 is also just trying to promote human health, not politics. I could be way off, but our whole country is so polarized that promoting balance is really needed to bring some sanity back to society. After all, every mentally healthy human being wants to be healthy. (I hope) LOL
This whole situation has made me wonder why in society it has been labeled a bad thing to be political, to speak up for your values, and to speak up against wrongdoings. I'm astonished by all the commentary in many of the brand accounts that spoke up of people telling a brand to stop being political and stick to whatever is their thing. Why are we so against people, brands, etc., openly advocating for what they believe in? You should look into The Korean Vegan, who has been covering the backlash she's gotten for being political in her content and being told to go back to sharing recipes. It would be an interesting piece to explore.
I really appreciated this post, Rachel. Thank you for writing it. The cognitive dissonance of being a social media marketer in corporate America is real.
I love this. And. Leaning into our values as institutions means operationalizing them in more than our comms. One thing I think comms leaders can do is help others realize how important it is to make sure that what we say we value external matches how we operate internally and interact with the world.
If we say we value humanity and fairness, do we treat our employees with respect? (And can we back that up with numbers.)
If we say we value and support nurses, are we working with nurses to address the real issues that affect their health and profession (kinda hard to sell scrubs if there no nurses left).
If we say we care about health and nutrition, can we work to understand the structural issues that keep fresh foods away from families? (Ask your state health department about how about SNAP and WIC work and the barriers low income families face.)
I love that brands want to be in the arena. I want their humanity to come start with value and build into community, connection, and collaboration.
Great post! Rare Beauty did something similar to Sesame Street, as they offered a free live chat/therapy session which is actually very on brand with their values. That for me it's so important, that the actions are consistent with the brand.
Thank you for pointing out that decisions like this must be made based on your values and with consistency. The thing I worry about in times like this is when people start saying they won’t shop somewhere if they don’t take a stand, and the message the brand hears is, “We should go where the money is.” I really don’t want us to be in a place where we, as the public, look to brands and corporations to fight our social battles just because they have money and influence, because if the corporations are following the money, our preferred “team” might not always be the one that wins. If your values are clear and you act consistently, then you can actually make an impact instead of just hollow statements.
Thank you for saying this! This is the risk exactly—so many brands I worked for who posted about BLM in 2020 have done a hard pivot to the right since, and it’s hard for me not to find many of these examples opportunistic and disingenuous. It feels like a way to stay “relevant” in a week where frankly I don’t want to hear from brands at all. We’ve got to stop expecting profit-based institutions to serve anyone other than their shareholders and look to other institutions for our moral compass. Sesame Workshop & others with semi non profit structures MAYBE get a pass.
Thanks for covering this topic; I was in charge of social for a huge millennial brand when social media activism became a thing. It was definitely a struggle internally and missteps were made. You give great advice in saying to decide what your company actually stands for. I take issue with brands opportunistically using à la carte activism to create a social media moment and acquire customers. In my opinion, it’s no different than ambulance chasing.
You make a good point too about the fact that doing this is feeding consumerist brain rot; I think we’ve passed the point of no return on people engaging in issues and politics outside of consuming. Lots of parallels with exploiting “education” to sell products on social media as well.
Can you clarify: When you say “most people want to hear from brands” are you referring to your Instagram poll? I wonder about this; as you know the people who engage online are not necessarily representative of your entire customer base, and for certain brands, they may not represent your customers at all. Plus I imagine people you follow you are definitely going to say they care. Sorry if I missed you referencing other data.
I hear you on the customer acquisition front. There's a difference between connecting donations to sales vs other actions that can be taken IMO.
And oops re: people wanting to hear from brands. Was responding quickly and didn't mean to make it sound like it was from a large study. Was referencing my Instagram poll. Edited for clarity. Obviously not perfect data. But you're right in that I think that although consumers might be appreciative of it right now (many of the brand posts have positive comments), I think the skepticism can come weeks after the fact. When consumers realize this was a blip of activism and not an actual value of the brand. (I think Ben & Jerry's is a good example of consistent advocacy that's really baked into everything they do.) Which is why I recommended conversations instead of immediately posting.
Ya when thinking about it this week, I was having a hard time thinking of “rules” for when it’s “ok” to tie donation to sales (putting in quotations to indicate subjectivity, not being snarky!). I’ve seen companies who had launches in the queue to happen this week say that 100% of profits will go to legal defense funds. This feels “good” bc we can’t expect businesses to cease operations, and there is no way to plan for what’s happening next. At the same time, it’s not fair for consumers to expect this from brands. I am not in the financial position to do this with Kraum.
My biggest worry is around the internet bullying companies for not commenting or donating. It has such serious implications that impact individuals who are likely feel the same way about the issues. And for what? What does it do to help the people suffering? It’s such a distraction from the issues at hand and waste of energy. It really irks me when companies who do attach themselves to an issue imply that companies which don’t are somehow “on the wrong side of history.” Among other reasons, this is why I think Dieux’s actions recently are a good examples of what not to do, despite what looks like overwhelmingly positive feedback from their community.
That line about brands wanting to be friends but not always caring really lands, Rachel. If you’ve built a “besties” voice, silence or vague statements feel loud. Consistency is what makes the difference between care and cosplay.
Another Minneapolis business: Modern Times (diner) announced it has rebranded to “Post Modern Times” and will operate as a free and donation based restaurant as they refuse to give money to the government via taxes
Thank you so much for the shoutout (Whole30/Melissa U). We must stand with our community and humanity.
Person from Minneapolis here. This hit big for me. Rachel, this take is so thoughtfully articulated. Thank you. Solidarity felt.
Good on ya for surfacing this about your Hootsuite relationship and taking action.
It's also too bad that Whole30 is part of the MAHA pipeline but alas...
Hi Jonathan! Absolutely not -- would love to have a productive conversation or share information to encourage you to consider otherwise!
You know what, thank you for calling me out and the invitation to discussion. I just poked around and the content is much different from the last time I interacted with the brand, and seems to uphold what you're saying. The commitment to DEI page in particular caught my attention.
While I still remain skeptical of the entire space at the moment, it's clear I spoke out of turn and put my foot in my mouth with such a targeted commentary. Thanks for meeting it with grace.
I can see why you'd think that, given the swerve so many wellness brands have taken (including more than a few friends), and the way we used to show up in the space in our earliest days. I appreciate your willingness to give us another look. We've evolved quite a bit over the last 17 years.
That's clear, and I'm sure you will keep evolving. Excited to watch that!
And as I write this my copy of Drop Acid (by David Perlmutter) is over my shoulder on my bookshelf, which I vividly remember making graphics for with your blurb from the book (ran his social for ten years). It's nice to have a slightly more...dynamic interaction!
I appreciate your response! And your skepticism of the space is valid. We will continue to always try and do what's right.
Trust me, most days it would probably be much easier for us to be in the pocket of MAHA and anti-seed oil crowd, but we are firm in our approach to changing things when we know better or as new research is done.
I hear that. My background (and perhaps why my knee-jerk reaction is both biased and strong) was in working with health and wellness authors for many years and I've seen too many former friends and clients fall down that pipeline (a certain Citizen Journalist comes to mind). It's good to know this is top of mind for y'all and something you're unwavering in. Kudos.
We have too. Valid reaction. Thank you again!
Just because RFK is a part of the Trump admin, that doesn't mean everything the MAHA movement is doing is wrong or right. Whatever helps keep human beings as healthy as possible, I would think, should be considered neutral, and I would hope Whole30 is also just trying to promote human health, not politics. I could be way off, but our whole country is so polarized that promoting balance is really needed to bring some sanity back to society. After all, every mentally healthy human being wants to be healthy. (I hope) LOL
This post is an essential read for all who work in marketing rn. Thank you Rachel.
Love this Rachel, thank you for sharing your thoughts.
More and more, I come back to: if we want to 'humanise' our brands, then that involves every aspect. We can't pick and choose.
This whole situation has made me wonder why in society it has been labeled a bad thing to be political, to speak up for your values, and to speak up against wrongdoings. I'm astonished by all the commentary in many of the brand accounts that spoke up of people telling a brand to stop being political and stick to whatever is their thing. Why are we so against people, brands, etc., openly advocating for what they believe in? You should look into The Korean Vegan, who has been covering the backlash she's gotten for being political in her content and being told to go back to sharing recipes. It would be an interesting piece to explore.
Exactly -- "When there’s a framework in place, these moments won’t feel like fire drills, and you’ll be able to fall back on firm beliefs instead."
I really appreciated this post, Rachel. Thank you for writing it. The cognitive dissonance of being a social media marketer in corporate America is real.
Absolutely loved this read!
❤️❤️❤️
Great reminders Rachel
I love this. And. Leaning into our values as institutions means operationalizing them in more than our comms. One thing I think comms leaders can do is help others realize how important it is to make sure that what we say we value external matches how we operate internally and interact with the world.
If we say we value humanity and fairness, do we treat our employees with respect? (And can we back that up with numbers.)
If we say we value and support nurses, are we working with nurses to address the real issues that affect their health and profession (kinda hard to sell scrubs if there no nurses left).
If we say we care about health and nutrition, can we work to understand the structural issues that keep fresh foods away from families? (Ask your state health department about how about SNAP and WIC work and the barriers low income families face.)
I love that brands want to be in the arena. I want their humanity to come start with value and build into community, connection, and collaboration.
Great post! Rare Beauty did something similar to Sesame Street, as they offered a free live chat/therapy session which is actually very on brand with their values. That for me it's so important, that the actions are consistent with the brand.
Yes, I thought it was amazing that Rare Beauty did that!
Thanks for featuring Whole30. We have to seriously gird our loins (and our mental health) when we share posts like that, but it's worth it.
Thank you for pointing out that decisions like this must be made based on your values and with consistency. The thing I worry about in times like this is when people start saying they won’t shop somewhere if they don’t take a stand, and the message the brand hears is, “We should go where the money is.” I really don’t want us to be in a place where we, as the public, look to brands and corporations to fight our social battles just because they have money and influence, because if the corporations are following the money, our preferred “team” might not always be the one that wins. If your values are clear and you act consistently, then you can actually make an impact instead of just hollow statements.
I generally agree and I think that’s why I really wanted to emphasize that the action here is to ask hard questions internally before posting.
Thank you for saying this! This is the risk exactly—so many brands I worked for who posted about BLM in 2020 have done a hard pivot to the right since, and it’s hard for me not to find many of these examples opportunistic and disingenuous. It feels like a way to stay “relevant” in a week where frankly I don’t want to hear from brands at all. We’ve got to stop expecting profit-based institutions to serve anyone other than their shareholders and look to other institutions for our moral compass. Sesame Workshop & others with semi non profit structures MAYBE get a pass.
I hear all of that. What do you make of the majority of consumers from my Instagram poll *wanting* to hear from brands?
Thanks for covering this topic; I was in charge of social for a huge millennial brand when social media activism became a thing. It was definitely a struggle internally and missteps were made. You give great advice in saying to decide what your company actually stands for. I take issue with brands opportunistically using à la carte activism to create a social media moment and acquire customers. In my opinion, it’s no different than ambulance chasing.
You make a good point too about the fact that doing this is feeding consumerist brain rot; I think we’ve passed the point of no return on people engaging in issues and politics outside of consuming. Lots of parallels with exploiting “education” to sell products on social media as well.
Can you clarify: When you say “most people want to hear from brands” are you referring to your Instagram poll? I wonder about this; as you know the people who engage online are not necessarily representative of your entire customer base, and for certain brands, they may not represent your customers at all. Plus I imagine people you follow you are definitely going to say they care. Sorry if I missed you referencing other data.
I hear you on the customer acquisition front. There's a difference between connecting donations to sales vs other actions that can be taken IMO.
And oops re: people wanting to hear from brands. Was responding quickly and didn't mean to make it sound like it was from a large study. Was referencing my Instagram poll. Edited for clarity. Obviously not perfect data. But you're right in that I think that although consumers might be appreciative of it right now (many of the brand posts have positive comments), I think the skepticism can come weeks after the fact. When consumers realize this was a blip of activism and not an actual value of the brand. (I think Ben & Jerry's is a good example of consistent advocacy that's really baked into everything they do.) Which is why I recommended conversations instead of immediately posting.
Ya when thinking about it this week, I was having a hard time thinking of “rules” for when it’s “ok” to tie donation to sales (putting in quotations to indicate subjectivity, not being snarky!). I’ve seen companies who had launches in the queue to happen this week say that 100% of profits will go to legal defense funds. This feels “good” bc we can’t expect businesses to cease operations, and there is no way to plan for what’s happening next. At the same time, it’s not fair for consumers to expect this from brands. I am not in the financial position to do this with Kraum.
My biggest worry is around the internet bullying companies for not commenting or donating. It has such serious implications that impact individuals who are likely feel the same way about the issues. And for what? What does it do to help the people suffering? It’s such a distraction from the issues at hand and waste of energy. It really irks me when companies who do attach themselves to an issue imply that companies which don’t are somehow “on the wrong side of history.” Among other reasons, this is why I think Dieux’s actions recently are a good examples of what not to do, despite what looks like overwhelmingly positive feedback from their community.
That line about brands wanting to be friends but not always caring really lands, Rachel. If you’ve built a “besties” voice, silence or vague statements feel loud. Consistency is what makes the difference between care and cosplay.