政治消费（英文版）.pdf

THEPOLITICALCONSUMERDRIVERS2INTRODUCTION THE POLITICAL CONSUMERMore than ever, todays consumers are immersed in politics. Between celebrities like Beyonc or LeBron James taking open stances on political issues and the bombardment of political articles on social media, it has become more difficult to ignore the hot-button topics of the day.There is no doubt that the turmoil of the US presidential election and the confusion of post-Brexit-vote politicking in the United Kingdom have fueled the fire. Amid a year of political strife almost without precedent, divisive issues are forcing their way to the front: womens rights, sustainability, immigration, and others.Despite the sound and fury of 2016, none of the above issues are tied to any one election cycle, and theyre not going away after the votes are cast. Even for brands, its becoming more difficult to avoid taking a standthose that sit on the sidelines risk missing out on important conversations, or even alienating consumers who seek a better alignment with their values. Consumers are watching carefully. In its 2016 annual study on the relationship between business and politics, the Global Strategy Group found that public awareness of corporate stances on political events hit an all-time high in 2016, having nearly doubled since 2014. A tweet by Speak For Yourself, quoting co-host Jason Whitlock, 2016INTRODUCTION THE POLITICAL CONSUMER 3Madame Tussauds clay heads of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, 20164INTRODUCTION THE POLITICAL CONSUMERAmericans are also overwhelmingly supportive of brands that take stances on issues: 78% agree that companies should take action to address the important issues facing society, while 88% agree that corporations have the power to influence social change. It can be difficult to navigate the conversation effectively. In a climate saturated by social media, brands that are perceived as insensitive or inauthentic run the risk of getting called out by consumers. On the other hand, with so many consumers paying close attention, brands that are able to successfully weigh in on the polarizing issues of the day have a nearly unparalleled opportunity to grab the public spotlight. The power of social media virality means effective responses may not require a huge media budget. There is also an opportunity to engage consumers on a more meaningful level, pursuing the “authentic” connection that many seek.  Whats changed? Why are we suddenly so politicized? This introduction will look at the three key factorseconomic, technological, and culturalthat are crucial to understanding todays hyper-politicized landscape and finding a winning strategy within it. #DontFuckMyFuture advertisement, encouraging the UK to vote during the EU Referendum. Pictured top is  Keira Knightley and bottom is Lily Cole. Courtesy of Adam & Eve/DDB, 2016.5INTRODUCTION THE POLITICAL CONSUMEROf all the changes that have occurred in recent decades, the most tangible for the average citizen are the economic ones. Stagnating incomes have led to frustration for many, and a sense that any change is better than the status quo.The transition to a service economy has left behind many workers whose skills are no longer in demand. Industries such as manufacturing and construction, which once provided steady employment in certain communities, have largely moved overseas or developed new technologies that have replaced unskilled labor. Todays jobs offer less stabilityaccording to the McKinsey Global Institute, roughly a quarter of the working-age population in the United States and Europe work in the “gig economy,” which cannot guarantee regular benefits.What about the middle class? In 1970, the middle class controlled nearly two-thirds of US income; today, it controls closer to 40%, according to the Pew Research Center. Even for this once-comfortable demographic, economic anxiety persists as incomes stagnate and housing costs rise.  For those at the top of the economy, the ride has been far smootherresulting in an income gap so tangible that the nickname “Unequal States of America” has been floated as an alternative. The top 1% of the US population earns 40 times more than the bottom 90%, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. (The top 0.1% earns an average 185 times more.) In the UK, the richest Shinola Detroit I Belong Here advertisement. Filmed by Bruce Weber.INCOME AND INEQUALITY6DRIVERS THE POLITICAL CONSUMER1% is now worth 20 times as much as the countrys poorest 13 million combined, Oxfam has recently found. The result? Large swaths of the population are advocating strongly for change. “What people are feeling is that the economy failed them, their government failed them,” Hillary Clinton told the Washington Post. “They just are looking for somebody who will explain, in a way they will accept, whats happened.” Meanwhile, Donald Trumps anti-trade tirades speak to voters economic fears.The UK referendum on leaving the European Union was another wake-up call about the power of a large and politically vocal group. “If youve got money, you vote in,” one voter neatly summarized the gap for the Guardian, following the vote in June. “If you havent got money, you vote out.” A few brands and retailers are finding opportunities to address the economic divide. Luxury lifestyle brand Shinola appeals to consumers in part by stressing its role in bringing manufacturing jobs back to Detroit. The brand ran an ad called “I Belong Here” on CNN during the Trump-Clinton debate, a nostalgic, hopeful love-letter to the city. Shinola is planning to open a luxury hotel in downtown Detroit in fall of 2018.Major brands have embarked on their own initiatives to support economic and racial diversity. Amazon expanded its same-day delivery service to minority areas in several major cities after press reports revealed a correlation between Prime Now availability and race. Starbucks plans to open 15 locations in low- and middle-income neighborhoods by 2018, and Whole Foods has committed to building four locations in low-income and predominantly minority areas.Boost Mobile, a low-cost cellphone provider marketed toward urban minorities, recently launched the “Boost Your Voice” campaign, which seeks to transform its stores into polling places for the 2016 election. This will be the first time a brand has offered its own storefronts as polling places.“Last election, millions of lower-income and minority voters faced long lines and inconvenient locations,” said William Gelner, chief creative officer at partner agency 180LA. “With Boost Mobile stores in these areas, why not offer them up as places to vote and allow all voices to be heard?”Across economic classes, its a challenge to build and preserve brand loyalty amid widespread rejection of institutions. Post-Brexit-vote surveys showed steep declines in trust in the United Kingdoms government, as well as a renewed hesitancy to commit to big purchases. More than 70% of Americans believe the economy is rigged, according to Marketplace-Edison Research, while just 18% express confidence in big business as of June 2016, according to Gallup. Its crucial that brands face the economic shifts, as theyre not likely to go away any time soon. The Brexit vote only compounded anxiety in the UK as the country waits to see the full effects of leaving the European Union. And entire industries, from manufacturing to trucking, are likely to suffer significant job losses as technologies like artificial intelligence and self-driving cars continue to advance. Brands today have the opportunity to take a strong stance on economic issues. For the immediate future, at least, uncertainty reigns.7DRIVERS THE POLITICAL CONSUMERTiffany & Co. featuring a gay couple for the first time in its advertising, 20158DRIVERS THE POLITICAL CONSUMERConsumers today are eager to express their political views onlineand arent afraid to call out brands on divisive issues. A clear majority of Americans (62%) now get news from social media, including 18% who do so “often,” finds the Pew Research Center. Meanwhile, consumers are cutting the cord on traditional media, with a full 40% of millennials choosing to rely solely on streaming services or the internet. These changes in media consumption have democratized access to information, as well as to the platforms used to share it. A new wave of digital-first activists is harnessing the power of social media to unite viewpoints, with powerful real-world effects. The #ShoutYourAbortion campaign, which was tweeted more than a quarter of a million times within two months of its launch in 2015, resulted in a lasting movement that changed the national conversation around reproductive access. This summer, a grassroots social media campaign challenging the high price of EpiPens spread to Congress and ultimately resulted in a price drop. Live-streaming video is another powerful new tool with the potential to change the conversation. Black Lives Matter leader DeRay McKesson live-streamed his arrest at a protest in July; the video has been viewed more than 650,000 times. In October, 40,000 watched as actress Shailene Woodley  TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA#ShoutYourAbortion. Amelia Bonow is encouraging women to share abortion stories. Photography by Brady Hall9DRIVERS THE POLITICAL CONSUMERBlack Lives Matter leader DeRay McKesson live-streamed his arrest at a protest in July 2016live-streamed her arrest for protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline (and the power of the live stream doesnt end with the live action; the video on Woodleys Facebook page had been viewed 4.7 million times and shared over 88,000 times just 10 days after it was posted). Although early platforms like Periscope and Meerkat brought life to live-streaming, the April 2016 launch of Facebook Live really brought the medium to a mass audience. Younger people, especially, view live streaming as an authentic means of presenting a view, with no editing or scripts involvedin the SONAR survey conducted for this report, 51% of generation Z respondents and 56% of millennials say live video on social media plays an important role in political discussions.“Video in this election is being used to hammer home important points,” says Devra Prywes, VP of marketing and insights of Unruly, a video ad tech company. “Things just seem more real documented in video. Especially fueling the Black Lives Matter movement all of these things that people dont usually see, bringing them to life and exposing them. What were seeing right now with the police and communities, video is making it very real.” But does reality still matter to voters? According to some, weve entered an era of post-truth politics. Appeals to emotions often hold just as much sway 10DRIVERS THE POLITICAL CONSUMERRed Feed, Blue Feed by Wall Street Journalas appeals to logic and reason. Trust in traditional media is at an all-time low. According to the most recent Gallup poll, only 32% of Americans trust the media to report the news fairly. Today, some viewers see even fact-checking operations as politically biased.Social media can isolate viewpoints, leading to less exposure to opposing arguments. Since May, the “Red Feed, Blue Feed” feature in the Wall Street Journal has been exploring the “echo chamber” effect. One feed features news from sites classified by Facebook as “very liberal,” and the other as “very conservative.” At a glance, the two feeds appear to be discussing entirely different events. “If youre looking at your feed every day, and you have the same set of sources that youre getting news and opinions from, if you just see those every day, again and again, maybe youre assuming that everyone else sees this,” says Wall Street Journal visual correspondent Jon Keegan. “When you do encounter stuff that challenges that view, it can be pretty jarring.”Facebook can now extrapolate its users political leanings, meaning political affiliation is now taken into account by the sites super-targeted advertisingso users are even more likely to see posts from brands or politicians that confirm their views. Social media is fanning the flames around the most 11DRIVERS THE POLITICAL CONSUMERTop image: Tic Tac's Twitter reaction to Donald Trump's recorded comments from 2005 Bottom image: Adidas' quick social media response on Instagramheated political division US has seen in decades: For the first time since 1992, around half of all voters would use terms like “afraid” and “angry” to describe their feelings toward the opposite party. In short, its the perfect media climate to fuel strong political discourse. Social media has ignited new conversations around issues like womens rights, racial representation and gun control, creating strong and opinionated networks. Brands that tap into these networks may benefit from the rapid pace of sharing; on the other hand, its equally easy to end up on the wrong side of popular opinion. Finding a way to cut across different demographics will constitute a challenge for brands moving forward. In a rapidly shifting media environment, the stakes remain high.12DRIVERS THE POLITICAL CONSUMERSpring 2016 Barbie collection by Mattel. The new collection includes different body shapes and ethnicities.13DRIVERS THE POLITICAL CONSUMERBy the middle of the century, the populations of the United States and the United Kingdom will look radically different. A series of demographic shifts means that minority voices will have more impact on the political landscape than ever before.In the United Kingdom, ethnic minority groups will outnumber white Britons by approximately 2070, according to David Coleman, professor of demography at Oxford University (although immigration reform, back on the table after the Brexit vote, could influence that percentage). In the United States, more than half of the countrys children are expected to be minorities by 2020; by 2060, minorities will be the majority, predicts the Census Bureau. With demographic shifts come ideological shifts. Old centers of power are eroding in industries that have seen the makeup of their members shift dramatically in recent years. From the downfall of TV executive Roger Ailes to the #OscarsSoWhite backlash and boycott, cultural elites are less insulated from the politics of race and gender than in the past. At the same time, identity-based political movements are on the rise. In 2016, the United States saw a wave of activism that challenged laws discriminating against transgender people, while the Black Lives Matter movement continues to change the national dialogue about race. At the Democratic National #OscarsSoWhiteIDENTITY AND CULTUREConvention in July, Hillary Clinton became the first candidate to candidly address “systemic racism” in a speech.Identity politics are not new. But todays movements are more visible, and, arguably, are positioned to make a bigger impact on the c