{"id":174134,"date":"2020-07-28T18:48:44","date_gmt":"2020-07-28T22:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countingpips.com\/?p=174134"},"modified":"2020-07-28T18:48:44","modified_gmt":"2020-07-28T22:48:44","slug":"companies-are-struggling-to-engage-with-todays-activists-a-new-survey-explores-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/2020\/07\/companies-are-struggling-to-engage-with-todays-activists-a-new-survey-explores-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Companies are struggling to engage with today’s activists \u2013 a new survey explores why"},"content":{"rendered":"
July 28, 2020<\/div>
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By Fred Cook<\/a>, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Dozens of companies with no track record of activism have made statements<\/a> in recent weeks in support of Black Lives Matter following what I believe is unprecedented pressure from racial justice protesters.<\/p>\n

It may have come as a surprise to some \u2013 given just a couple months ago corporate America showed little interest in the Black Lives Matter movement \u2013 but to me and my colleagues at the USC Center for Public Relations, it made sense.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, we conducted a global survey<\/a> on what we dubbed the \u201cnew activism.\u201d At the time, we were aware that activism was a growing force in American society but couldn\u2019t have predicted the topic would become so relevant so soon. Only a few months later, the brutal killing of George Floyd<\/a> in late May sparked an eruption of activism<\/a> on the streets of America, which has created a series of complex challenges and opportunities for the corporate world.<\/p>\n

Our survey shows that companies, which have little experience working with activist groups and causes, have struggled with the rise in activism, not only among the public but among their employees as well. Our research also found that companies recognize the benefits when they engage.<\/p>\n

Whom we spoke to<\/h2>\n

To get the perspective of companies and their communicators, we surveyed 837 public relations professionals \u2013 including both consultants and in-house employees \u2013 around the world from Jan. 21 to Feb. 24.<\/p>

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The views of public relations executives are important in understanding how companies think because they are the ones who counsel corporate CEOs on how to communicate effectively with customers, employees, activists and others.<\/p>\n

Separately, we surveyed 296 activists from March 14 to March 15. The respondents self-identified as people who are proactively engaged in social causes and political issues.<\/p>\n

While we don\u2019t suggest our results are representative of the PR field or activists, we believe our data provides numerous insights about their attitudes and beliefs. Separate from the survey, we also identified several activist leaders<\/a> and PR professionals for in-depth interviews and conducted follow-up conversations. In crafting the final report, I also relied on several other data sources and my three-and-a-half decades of experience<\/a> in the world of PR.<\/p>\n

Here are four key takeaways from our survey.<\/p>\n

1. Activists see voting as more important than protests<\/h2>\n

We believe one of the most profound shifts we\u2019re seeing among activists is from protest to policy.<\/p>\n

In the recent anti-racism protests, there\u2019s been an ongoing<\/a> debate<\/a> about whether activist energy needs to stay in the streets \u2013 such as in Portland, Oregon<\/a> \u2013 or whether it should focus more on gearing up for the election<\/a> in November.<\/p>\n

We asked respondents to name the most effective way to create long-lasting change among 21 different tactics. Over 40% of activists chose voting in elections as the best way to create change, followed by 20% who selected running for office and 19% who picked mobilizing voters. Only 11% cited protesting in public or participating in strikes or walkouts as the most effective tactic.<\/p>\n

On this strategy, they are in total agreement with communication professionals, who also picked mobilizing, voting and running for office as the best ways to effect change. This suggests activists and companies can find common ground and work together \u2013 if the corporate commitment is genuine.<\/p>\n