26 Nov Why companies must lead in highlighting public issues
In Kenya where business and politics often intersect, taking a stand on public issues will likely invite political backlash, threats from the regime, market tension or public skepticism. On the flip side, not taking a stand on any single issue, especially in these times, has a greater risk of rendering a company irrelevant. It works against the future of the business.
With many policy changes and other issues redefining the Kenyan social structure, from taxes, climate change, unemployment, corruption and all manner of societal issues. The public has become more informed and interested in governance issues.
In recent times, Kenya has witnessed cases where activists and various citizen formations call for the boycott of companies especially where the companies are seen not to speak for them or otherwise, in bed with the government. This is an example of instances where a public believes that the corporations they support through their purchases do not speak for them or worse, act against them.
The public is increasingly expecting business entities, especially big corporations to take a stand not just on profits, but on principles. Neutrality is seen as indifference. This means brands must be alive to the fact that they are viewed as part of citizenship and are judged not only by the quality of the product or service they sell but what they stand for.
Leading in public advocacy beyond CSR and CCR campaigns
A company donating to a school is good optics and a worthwhile media story, for the longest time a reliable and great company’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. The same to a company that has a vibrant Corporate Civic Responsibility (CCR) strategy, but are these approaches enough to fit or define today’s national and global conversations?
The current Kenyan society expects brands and influential individuals to use their influence, communication and media to highlight issues directly affecting society. Where charity should also translate to corporates advocating for citizen rights.
The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE), is on record speaking against monetary policies that affect Kenyans who are their employers. On many occasions this is a group voice, but for brands to stand out in articulating issues that affect the public, there is a need to pick a point or a cause where a company’s single voice will be amplified in highlighting societal issues.
There are brands who have played an integral part in advocating for public good for instance Safaricom, a major telco in Kenya which has publicly supported the fight against gender based violence by offering airtime for tele-counsellors to provide support for victims and survivors of gender based violence.
In the United States, sometime in 2018, Nike adopted a controversial and political stance that helped improve their public image under the Just Do It campaign. The campaign featured American civil rights activist and former American football player Colin Kapaernick who in protest against police brutality knelt during the national anthem at the start of an NFL game attracting backlash from a section of the public and the political class. The Kapaernick feature helped Nike sales jump 31% in just four days of the campaign launch, according to outside estimates.
The Nike example shows how the company took a stand and stuck to it despite backlash that even included boycott calls.
Why the Public Expects More
The public or consumers who are made up, majorly of informed young people, expect more from influential figures and brands, remaining silent in the eyes of injustice or perceived injustice feels like complicity in the eye of the public. The consumers expect that companies have a moral responsibility to advance public advocacy.
The public expects that companies ensure worker rights are upheld, have transparent policies and values, and most of all advocate for public issues. During the height of the Gen Z protests, artists and musicians who are also brands got a lot of slack from the public online for not speaking out against the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
The thin line between risk and reward
Businesses should endeavor to balance between being principled and not necessarily political. Speaking on issues such as corruption, inclusivity and governance does not mean partisanship but commitment to values that translate to sustainable development. Brands that remain silent during defining moments of national debate risk losing the trust of their customers, employees, and stakeholders.
Strategic advantage of corporate advocacy
Taking a stand on societal issues and actively pushing for change offers brands a good advantage when it comes to managing crises because they have already earned public trust. Purpose driven brands attract loyal customers, motivated employees, and supportive communities.
Advocating for societal issues goes beyond doing PR but shapes both policy and perception.
The New Role of Corporate Communication
Corporate communication in this sense requires a mastery of public affairs, policy, and social context.
Communicators must interpret public sentiment around national issues, frame their brand position clearly and consistently while building alliances with government, civil society, academia, and media to advance shared causes. The executives must also be trained to communicate with empathy, not defensiveness and must also keep tabs of issues affecting the larger public.
When businesses use their voices to challenge inequality, support democracy, promote responsible governance, or protect the environment, they help stabilize the society that sustains them.
The most powerful brands of the future will not be those with the loudest advertisements or CSRs, but those with the clearest purpose as partners in progress.
At FELT Africa, we help organizations evolve into corporate citizens by guiding and helping them craft strategies that align brand purpose with public value, and voice with vision.