Justice for George Floyd – By @eudaimonicr
By Rachael Simoes
^ Here’s a list of things to do to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Something as simple as a retweet or signing the petition will help.
A while ago I watched the episode of Madmen where Peggy found out one of the clients she was working on didn’t hire black people, and she confronted Don on it. Don’s response was something like “that’s not our job”. Advertising has changed, as has racism. But both are still very much alive.
The Target that was looted funded the Minneapolis Police Department. For those still misinformed, the buildings that were set on fire was done by undercover police. And Twitter is yet to deactivate Donald Trump’s account after making an explicitly violent threat.
Communications will eventually restore these brands’ image.
I’ve mentioned in a previous SCAB that since lockdown started advertising feels increasingly arbitrary. Spending my 9-5 making a campaign about Skips fizzy crisps while I intermittently see systematic oppression continuing to murder innocent people feels arbitrary.
I go into this industry as a jumping point into other careers, and with the hopes that I can do good while I’m in it. And while I feel like a brand such as BP is better in my hands rather than a conservative’s, that doesn’t change the job.
We all know what advertising is. We’ve been told several times at this school that if we’re not willing to sell, we should leave and go to art school. I haven’t done that and I’m not going to. This is merely a confession of my guilt for working in it. It’s not crazy for me to feel guilty about it, and I’m not crazy to continue working in it. It just is what it is. I’m tired of the narrative that I have to be blindly in love with it and not question it to be in the industry. I am aware I make industry people uncomfortable with this but I’m not doing anything wrong so that’s a personal problem.
On an unrelated note, I refuse to be told by middle-aged men that what Burger King did in 2017 that popped-off on twitter is still relevant to making effective marketing today. To me?
Honey, I am the tastemaker. How people manage to make themselves blind to the fact that user-generated content (your average youtubers, viners, tiktokers) is THE ONLY relevant thing on social media to real-non-advertisement-people SPINS me.
Anyway, please educate yourself on the brands you buy from, no brand is perfect, some much better ethics and foundations than others. Consider the environment (packaging and how they source their ingredients), animal cruelty, slave labour, and what they stand for.
And try not to buy from Amazon where possible, the easiest way of doing this is by looking
A depressing SCAB for a depressing time. Be sure to educate yourself on and support Black Live Matter. Rest in power Belly Mujinga.
