AS the digital age is now on full swing, brand image and reputation is not just built around the quality of goods and services that businesses offer to their customers, but much emphasis should be given on the perceived values that they portray, and their affiliations or any persona connected to them.
Filipinos are touted to be the most active social media users in the world nowadays and this fact alone has been contributing much to business’ fear of being cancelled once drawn into a controversy or even just connected with any influencer or celebrity that people want to cancel, hence the infamous ‘cancel culture phenomenon’. In our country, ‘cancel culture phenomenon’ has even transcended to personal and political feuds hence becoming a significant predictor of the fate of the business (at least in the short run).
Cancel culture can be taken in various contexts. But as an academician in the field of business, I would often relate it to a social media driven boycott and resistance of customers towards companies or brands due to the former’s perception of misstep or wrong decisions in terms of businesses’ choice of brand ambassadors or anyone connected to their brand. What makes this trend especially intriguing here in the Philippines is its frequent intersection with political affiliations.
I started noticing a rise in cancelled businesses, which became especially prevalent during the height of political divisiveness brought about by the 2022 presidential elections, where the Filipinos had been largely split between two political sides: Marcos and Robredo.
One of the first few victims of this politically motivated business cancellation were actress and TV host Toni Gonzaga and Shopee. When Gonzaga was announced as the new brand ambassador for a then prominent online shopping platform, it prompted a call for a boycott among Robredo supporters since she was known to be campaigning for President Bongbong Marcos. As Shopee might have not contained the severe public backlash (due to negative social media reception after posting Gonzaga’s adprom material), it ultimately discontinued its partnership with the actress.
McDonalds and Vice Ganda are recent victims of this politically led business cancellation. Vice Ganda is the celebrity endorser of McDonalds for the past few years. One of his comedy skits in a concert was interpreted by some of Duterte supporters as disrespectful to the former president Rodrigo Duterte. This led to a swift and organized online movement from the former president’s supporters to unfollow Vice Ganda’s social media account and worst to boycott McDonalds.
The two incidents of public cancellation towards McDonalds and Shopee (as well as Toni Gonzaga and Vice Ganda) depict that a single action or comment from the brand ambassador or merely a choosing brand ambassador, which does not conform or align to consumers’ values, even if unrelated to the brand’s goods and services, can be amplified through digital networks and trigger a consumer response based on political loyalties.
Here are some of my key take- aways from this issue: first, for businesses operating in an environment with a potential of having politically induced cancel culture, navigating the landscape of public opinion requires a new level of awareness and agility. Second, consumers nowadays are not just buyers; they are stakeholders who want a company’s values to be aligned with their own values. Lastly, when a brand’s actions and decisions are seen by customers to be contrary to their beliefs, especially political, the consequence can be not just a lost sale, but a potential long-term erosion of brand trust and loyalty.
Cancel culture in businesses is a new reality which confirms how powerful social media is. Social media can facilitate either a positive or negative word of mouth for a brand at an instant. Companies should more careful and thoughtful in terms of their marketing communications and choice of people who will promote their brands. Their focus should no longer be on what their products do, BUT ON WHAT THEIR BRANDS STAND FOR. In a world where every action, every endorsement, and every statement is being scrutinized through a highly charged social and political lens, businesses must adapt or risk becoming the next headline in the ongoing saga of cancel culture.| –TheMetroTimes.ph
