Can You Protect Your Brand From ‘Cancel Culture’?

Whatever your stance on ‘cancel culture’, brands are increasingly under the microscope and cannot afford to be ambivalent about their reputations. Similarly, their partners, brand ambassadors and influencers are nowadays viewed as extensions of the brand. If brands and talent agencies fail to align the reputation of their talent with their stated values, they risk boycotting, cancellation and reputational damage.

We see its effects at every level, from ordinary citizens to influencers and CEOs. One ignorant, ill-conceived or misunderstood post can end careers and businesses from which it can take years to recover. At CRI we are invested in our clients’ success and facilitate long-lasting collaboration between talent, brands and agencies by mitigating the risk and reputational damage of adverse content to all parties.

So why should talent agencies and brands delve beyond a quick scroll of their brand ambassadors’ platforms?

According to a study by Edelman, 64% of consumers around the world will buy or boycott a brand solely because of its position on a social or political issue and 66% of those surveyed say even if they love a company’s products or services, they will still ‘cancel’ that company or person if it does something wrong or offensive. Creators should bethought of as business owners - “Brands have evolved their perceptions of working with creators,” said Neil Waller, co-founder of creator commerce company Whalar when speaking to AdWeek.” Creators are the new publishers who can deliver measurable results in addition to brilliant creative ideas. Theon-boarding of new talent, as a co-business owner, should be conducted with the same due diligence as hiring a CEO. Often the talent are more prominent than the senior hires themselves making their values and public image even more pertinent.

Mitigation strategies

Offence is often unintended. But the safest mitigation strategy is imagining the media’s worst impulses running riot with your mistake. There is no room or justification for complacency, especially when the tools are methods exist to identify problematic content before it reaches the press. Brands must be proactive rather than reactive; it’s much harder to protect your brand in hindsight.

As an independent, expert third-party, we combine technology, talent and years of experience vetting senior management at the world’s largest companies to provide a high level of comfort that far outstrips a quick check of someone’s Twitter profile. On every investigation we perform a deep dive identification of all available content with a focus on potential issues of concern including all major platforms including Twitter,Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit. In addition we use Python scripts and bespoke cyber tools to target the deep web. Best of all, economies of scale allow us to price this competitively meaning social media investigations are not just a luxury but an integral part of any new business relationship.