Companies are perpetuate woke-washing, often pressured by online trends and the urge to be part of the conversation without taking the time to fully educate themselves on such complex topics to appease.
According to The American Conservative Value; The Walt Disney Company, Meta Platforms Inc. (formerly known as Facebook), and Alphabet (Google) were identified as the top woke companies in ACVF’s survey.
Not long ago companies predominantly in the United States avoided political statements for fear of losing customers increasing America’s woke capitalists operating to the instinct of self-preservation. This is not simply about the bottom line. It is about the legitimacy and marketing of their corporation in the global economy.
The World Is Not Woke
Winston Churchill famously said; “If we open a quarrel between our past and present, we are sure to lose our future.” This is occurring within the culture of the United States and other western democracies.
Businesses need to prepare to offer market their products and services to the expansive and constrictive populations not a one-fits-all strategy. Astonishingly, many companies and entrepreneurs fail to recognize these mistakes and that is where business consulting and constructive marketing can product astonishing results.
China’s population is over four times bigger than the United States and therefore its economy could therefore surpass the United States in scale long before it matches it in sophistication. Its GDP per person needs to reach only a quarter of America’s for its total GDP to become the biggest in the world.
Granted, there have been controversies in China such as Human Rights. Chinese human rights include religious and reproductive rights, but the overwhelming focus remains on the right to political expression and world-wide most societies would agree that improvements can be made. However, the Chinese cultural influence is felt throughout the Asian region and has impacted the capitalist woke world on a large scale through the arts, sciences, cuisine, production and trade. If you don’t believe this… look at your computer, coffee machine, iPhone, make-up and cosmetics are all ‘Made in China’ and marketed in the United States.
As a country, China is not as woke and has proven it can be without the western goliath tech corporations such as Google and Meta and still economically growing in a market you probably do not have access to. An example, would be Baidu. The second largest search engine in the world, with huge consumer demand holding a 76.05% market share in China’s search engine market. Would you like a piece of the pie?
Majority of the United States Is Not Woke
That’s right. Think about this. Most of the United States is not woke. There is doing good and having things like moral law, social responsibility, and being polite! And there’s humble-bragging about how much of a difference you’re making which in the corporate world while others are paying for. Ironic.
In the last few years, tech companies have introduced badges that tell us if a business is:
- Woman-owned
- Minority-owned
- Veteran-owned
- Black-owned
- LGBTQ+ friendly
Why do companies need to highlight if a business is black-owned? Do people need to specifically shop at companies that women own because they can’t succeed without the additional male support? No. It’s marketing discrimination within some but not all tech companies. Again, another reason you should consider business consulting before starting your marketing campaign.
What Is Woke Capitalism?
According to The Economist, examples of “woke capitalism” include advertising campaigns designed to appeal to millennials, who often hold more socially liberal views than earlier generations. These campaigns were often perceived by customers as insincere and inauthentic and provoked backlashes.
The only reason that Wall Street loves wokeness is the capital in the market. Beyond the misdirection from companies, there is a lot of money to be made catering to the woke. This has nothing to do with what “most people” in the world want or need.
Except for extremely isolated, marginalized and numerically insignificant pockets of society, virtually everyone agrees that all lives have the same value but their marketing campaigns do not signify this.
How You Can Market Your Company Correctly?
There are many excellent brands in the United States! Something we can all be proud of!
However, believe it or not – commitment to “social justice” doesn’t run much deeper than marketing for majority of companies. This is evident with the likes of Starbucks target audience and brand culture; 25–40 years old, employed, and earns about $90,000 annually… with a brand culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome only if you got the cash.
Another example is Nike. The brand knows it has a disproportionately black customer base and markets to a specific demographic. But only 8 percent of their vice presidents are black. What’s more, the company is notorious for using sweatshop labor in the third world to produce its expensive sneakers for peanuts on the dollar.
Focusing on your core capabilities and expanding on them is a key ingredient to marketing your company correctly.