If you operate in this age of social media, belong to Gen Z or are surrounded by one, you must be aware of the #CancelCulture. Every week, platforms like Twitter see Cancel Culture Hashtags trending over some bizarre issues. These issues are sometimes related to a person, other times a brand. The Cancel Culture does not spare anyone.

The recently launched ‘Jashn-E-Riwaaz’ campaign by FabIndia on the occasion of Diwali faced a backlash and dragged them to the limelight for all the wrong reasons. The Cancel Culture hit them hard as #BoycottFabIndia trended on Twitter when Netizens slammed the brand for

‘De-Hinduising Deepawali’.

So, What exactly is ‘Cancel Culture’, how important is understanding and dealing with it and how can brands avoid being affected by it?

Cancel Culture refers to shaming and boycotting a person or a brand on social media thereby tarnishing their image and position in the market. It mostly comes into play when one individual or a group of people get ‘offended’ over an idea.

Introduced by Gen Z, this culture is experiencing unprecedented support in the social media era and very recently it has spilt over into the world of marketing and advertising. A field that has always cultivated and praised different views is now being criticized for the smallest shift in viewpoint.

From Tanishq to Zomato, various brands have been ‘cancelled’ time and again for their ads and marketing strategies. A brands’ first reaction towards such a callout is “reactionary”. It is usually seen defending itself, apologizing and justifying its actions and ideology and finally giving in to the consumer pressure and bringing down the ad. Consumer callout has so far always been successful in pressurizing the brands into listening to the customer, but is the customer always, right?

Preparing for such a situation is more than important because at some point or the other your brand will go through the ‘cancel’ moment as you cannot keep everyone content.

And especially when the Gen Z (proud torch-bearer of the Cancel Culture) forms the majority of your customer base, there is no way you can neglect forming a strategy to deal with such situations.

It may not be inevitable but is definitely manageable. Following are some ways you can prevent/ deal with being ‘cancelled’ as a brand:

1. Study your consumers well- The first and foremost step for any campaign is to study its consumers and their mindsets well. If your brand aims to put a quirky ad, make sure it is understood by your TG, aligns with your brand personality and goes in favour of your product. For instance, a medical product cannot be sold through humorous content creation as the industry demands a certain level of seriousness and professionalism.
2. Accountability is the way out- This culture is all about owning up to your actions, right or wrong, and responding in an appropriate way that makes your customers feel heard. Act with dignity and if you have hurt a certain individual or community’s sentiments, apologize for it.
3. Work on purposeful campaigns- When your brand campaigns have a clear purpose, it becomes easier to hold your stance and gives you a strong foundation to justify yourself in case things go wrong. Having a positive impact on society through your brand should be the first purpose to follow.
4. Choose your brand ambassadors carefully- Many times brands get cancelled due to their association with a certain person/celebrity. In the recent turn of events, brands with Shah Rukh Khan as their brand ambassador are facing a tough time due to his son’s ongoing predicament. Brand ambassadors are the representatives of your brand and in case your audience develops any sort of aversion towards them, your brand image may go for a toss in the eyes of the public.
5. A crisis plan is a MUST- As mentioned in one of our previous blogs ‘ How to Manage A Brand Crisis’, the importance of such a plan has increased in recent times. The external surrounding is dynamic and can turn unfavourable any time, anywhere. Therefore, devising a plan beforehand to keep your brand from suffering a bigger loss, a ‘crisis plan’ must be formulated to give your brand the direction it needs during the crisis.
6. Actions speak louder than words- Not responding on being ‘cancelled’ is the worst, and the best way to deal with it is to take actionable measures. Making high claims will not be convincing enough. Consumers will look for your stance and what you are going to do from that point forward to address the situation, so make it worthwhile.

Navigating the cancel culture might seem impossible without effective strategies but if planned and prepared steps are taken at the right time and the right way, keeping the relevant action points in mind, a brand can sail through this new-age crisis smoothly.