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Five years ago, I was sitting on the couch in my mom's living room
when a Campbell's Soup commercial caught my attention.
Campbell's was releasing its Star Wars branded soup.
And a commercial began with a dad feeding his little son
with Star Wars shaped noodles in the spoon.
Saying, and I quote, Cooper, I am your father.
>> [LAUGH] >> The camera then zooms out, so
Cooper's second parent is also seen, who then says emphatically,
no Cooper, I am your father.
>> [LAUGH] >> My heart melts as
I quickly realize that without singing word Campbell's was making
a tremendous statement by choosing to have two dads in its commercial.
From that moment on I knew that a company could sell products
while still taking a stand.
Now five years ago, it had already been three years since I'd first come out.
But coming out is always a continuous process.
And I was slowly reconciling the religious and
traditional views of my Caribbean household with my own sexual orientation.
While we've made tremendous strides in representing
LGBT individuals in the media today, they are still few and far between.
A common belief is that brands should stay out of social issues, and
many companies have chosen to stay silent on issues going on today.
This opinion is changing, however, and consumer expectations are shifting.
Instead, in a world where US consumers state that they hold more trust
in businesses than in the government, consumers are looking to businesses
to use their influence and their power to make a difference in the world.
And neutral is no longer neutral, it's choosing to stay silent.
In fact, according to Cohn Communications, 87% of consumers say they would
purchase a product because the company supported an issue that they cared about.
And 76% said they would refused to purchase a product if a company held
views contrary to their beliefs.
These statistics are evident in brands that have gained support because of their
social values, such as Everlean, and brands that have lost support,
such as Chick-Fil-A Prior to my time at Stanford GSB,
I spent my career in marketing research and strategy, digging into the mindsets of
diverse consumers from all different age groups, demographics, and backgrounds.
I've interviewed hundreds of individuals.
And one of the biggest learnings that I've had is that individuals,
especially younger consumers,
are expecting businesses to be more personal and more real.
To showcase this, I'll share with you an ad from the brand Always.
>> Hi Erin.
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Show me what it looks like to run like a girl.
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>> My freaking hair.
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>> Show me what it looks like to fight like a girl.
>> [SOUND] >> Now throw like a girl.
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>> Awe.
>> So do you think you just insulted your sister?
>> No, I mean yeah, insulted girls but not my sister.
>> My name is Dakota, and I'm ten years old.
>> Show me what it looks like to run like a girl.
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Throw like a girl.
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Fight like a girl.
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What does it mean to you when I say run like a girl?
>> It means run fast as you can.
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>> This video has been viewed over 90 million times,
making it one of the most watched ads of all time.
This is incredible for an ad that doesn't even showcase the product.
And following the launch of the ad,
Always' Twitter followers tripled in three months.
And in a study conducted, 70% of women and
60% of men said that the ad changed their perception of the phrase like a girl.
In the end, it wasn't about the actual product,
it was about what the Always brand stood for.
Since then,
many other brands have followed suit by choosing to join social movements.
Starbucks, for example, promised to hire 10,000
refugees following President Trump's immigration ban in 2017.
And following an incident in 2018, where two black men were arrested for
using a Starbucks bathroom, the company closed 8,000 retail
locations in order to hold racial bias training for all of its employees.
And lastly, following Nike's very controversial Colin Kaepernick ad,
Fast Company reported that Nike gained 163 million
in earned media and got a 31% boost in sales the following week.
In the end, it wasn't about the coffee or
the shoes, it was about what these brands stood for.
And actions like these will become even more relevant,
especially as consumer demands in corporate social responsibility
coincide with the fact that, according to the US Census Bureau,
50% of the US population will be non-white by 2045.
Now, I've often gotten the question, how do we know if a brand
is being authentic versus just trying to make money?
I've pondered this for a while with the conclusion that I actually don't care.
>> [LAUGH] >> Whether a brand is doing this
to sell more products or to promote its social values,
if they do it well then the end result is still the same.
Nike will promote racial justice in our country.
Always will further the conversation about gender equality.
And Campbell's will normalize LGBT relationships.
And if they make money, even better.
When I sit back and I reflect on the Campbell Soup commercial today,
I think about the power of representation.
It's nearly impossible to fathom what you can become
without seeing others who have walked in your shoes.
I personally remember the Campbell's Soup commercial, so I can only imagine
the countless other queer people that the commercial impacted, perhaps
individuals who grew up in much more conservative environments than I was in.
Or the power of the commercial on straight individuals, helping to further normalize
the fact that gay families exists and are happy and are just like theirs.
Moments like watching the Campbell Soup commercial broadens perspectives,
it brings a sense of belonging, and it can even change the world.
So as future business leaders, I'm asking that use your influence and
your power to promote change.
The actions you take as advert as having an ad promoting social issues,
or as subtle as just having diverse people in your ads,
do make a difference and can benefit both your business and society.
And lastly, we're all consumers.
So I'm asking that you dig internally to find the values
that are most important to you.
For me it's diversity, where for you it could be anything
from workers rights to public health to the environment.
Then I ask that you buy from companies that do well in supporting those causes,
and that you stop buying from companies that disappoint you.
Then expect more, expect that brands show up at protests,
that they pay employees fair wages, and
that the people who work there are as diverse as the people they serve.
The movement is growing, but the movement depends on you.
Thank you.
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