Should Brands Take A Stand on Socio-Political Issues? | Full Debate

Across the globe, #brands are becoming more vocal about #social  and #political  issues. This wasn't always the case, till a few decades ago, brands considered any form of advocacy as 'bad business' and prospered on playing it safe. However, as employees and customers become ever more environmentally-conscious, socially-aware and politically-engaged, it has become increasingly challenging for brands to remain silent on raging culture wars. As they say, with great power comes great responsibility - with the kind of influence they assert, brands are expected to speak out.

Many corporations have begun to evaluate their impact on the community and the environment. Through their brands they try to proactively show that they care about more than just minting profits. When big brands choose to take a moral stand, it can count for potent messaging too. This can be evidenced in popular advertisements, campaigns (such as #nike  ‘For Once, Just Don’t Do It’ campaign with respect to #racism in #america  or P&G's ‘We See Equal’ campaign designed to fight #genderbias ) or even in the choice of brand ambassadors, which are quickly absorbed into public conversation. Some have welcomed this #corporateactivism, for it is these organisational values that in turn form a big part of their overall identity and cultivate an authentic brand promise.

PANELISTS:

1. Jessie Paul
Jessie Paul is a marketing specialist and the Founder/ CEO of Paul Writer,  India's leading B2B consulting firm. With over 18 years in services marketing, including a stint with Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Ms. Paul is considered an expert in brand globalization and has been named one of the most influential business women in the Indian IT industry.

2. Dr. Daniel Korschun 
Dr. Daniel Korschun is an associate professor of Marketing at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business.His areas of expertise include brand and corporate reputation management, corporate social responsibility, internal marketing, marketing strategy, relationship marketing and country reputation.He is co-author of the book Leveraging Corporate Responsibility: The Stakeholder Route to Business and Social Value (Cambridge University Press).

3. Dr. Prakash Bagri
Prakash Bagri is currently Associate Dean – Corporate Engagements & Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing at the Indian School of Business.He has three decades of experience bridging industry and academia, including leadership positions in Unilever and Intel. He has been adjunct/ visiting faculty at the Indian Institutes of Management in Ahmedabad, Bangalore & Calcutta. 

4. Dr. Madhu Visvanathan
Dr.  Madhu Viswanathan is a Senior Assistant Professor of Marketing at the Indian School of Business (ISB). Prior to joining ISB, he worked as an assistant professor at University of Arizona. Professor Viswanathan’s research work focuses on the role of distribution channels, B2B relationships, salesforce compensation and its impact on marketing mix elements like prices and assortments.

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