The key theme that emerged from my presentation at the International Broadcasting Trust on brand activism and its impact on charities earlier this week, was that changes in consumer attitudes are creating new opportunities for brands and NGOs to work together.
In 2018 YouGov reported a whopping 54% of Brits think brands have a responsibility to the society they act in. This is driving brands to go far beyond having a brand purpose, by directly tackling social, political and environmental issues head on. According to the Charities Commission for England and Wales, the UK’s trust in charities and NGOs is at its lowest point in thirteen years.
We have seen many different brands, including sportswear Nike, high street fashion Jigsaw, frozen food retailer Iceland, brewer Heineken and P&G’s laundry brand #Ariel take positions in their marketing that would have been unthinkable five years ago.
In a room filled with IBT members the consensus was (with plenty of red flags) that for some NGOs and brands, there may well be some new types of opportunity to work together that could be more aligned with brand marketing teams rather than the CSR team.