Gen Z and woke marketing—why selling and purpose are not mutually exclusive

When I studied at the School of Communication Arts in London, I attended a lecture by Steve Harrison, the author of “Can’t Sell, Won’t Sell.” Harrison believes that advertising has lost sight of its true purpose, which is to sell, and instead wastes its time on “purpose-led” work. Of course, it’s an extreme viewpoint, but there is a grain of truth here. Sometimes, as creatives, we do forget it’s our purpose to sell and not to save the world. On the other hand, some ideas can do both, which is the sweet spot Gen Z is seeking. After all, selling and purpose are not mutually exclusive. You have only to look at the rise of classic purpose-led brands such as Patagonia or Ben & Jerry’s to see that this idea has existed for a long time. Also read: Gen Z roundtable on music—submit your questions for live April 17 event But in the light of the culture wars that surround us, the current backlash against purpose also represents a pushback against the idealism of Gen Z and what some call “woke capitalism.” After years of purpose-led marketing, some say Gen Z are too woke. Ad Age Gen Z Contributor Column We welcome Gen Zers to submit fresh takes exploring Gen Z within the ad industry Learn more here I believe this is missing the point of the argument. As young creatives, it’s our duty to push boundaries and change mindsets, especially when it comes to the way the business world works. Woke thinkers When I was growing up, the word woke didn’t exist—not at least the way that it does today. People talked about being progressive or liberal; further back, the words hippie, bohemian or radical were used to express similar sentiments. At some point, all these words have been used variously as compliments or insults, but ultimately, they all mean the same thing. The original definition of woke means to be awakened to important social issues, such as racism, health care, climate change and homelessness. To me, this means someone who is forward-thinking, full of new ideas and with the thirst to make a difference in the world. Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela and Madonna are examples of woke thinkers who redrew the boundaries of technology, political ideology and sexual expression. Each one faced backlash and resistance, but their determination and vision had a major impact on the world. So, when did woke go from something to be celebrated to something to be shamed? No doubt the backlash comes from a feeling that Gen Zers are overly sensitive, censoring anything that might be seen as politically incorrect or socially unacceptable. But someone is always going to be offended and it is this tension that allows us to discover new ways of thinking and working. Let’s own it I have always been woke and some might even say too woke. As an artist, I have always sought to challenge the status quo and generate new ways of thinking. At art school, I painted a map of the U.S. with each state being depicted by the most popular porn category watched in each state. Undoubtedly, this piece of work offended people, but it succeeded in stirring up conversations about a medium that is so often consumed and hardly ever spoken about. Today, as creatives, my partner Jane and I seek to make work that challenges the status quo. In one campaign, we filled hand-sanitizing stations with fake blood and placed them outside fast food restaurants to urge consumers to cut back on eating meat. It was a controversial piece of work but reached an online readership of 498 million—and landed us a job as creatives. The campaigns we most admire have many woke qualities, including “The Lost Class” from Change the Ref, which organized a graduation ceremony with empty chairs, each representing a victim of gun violence, and “The Tampon Book: A Book Against Tax Discrimination” by the Female Company, which sold tampons inside a book to avoid a misogynist tax on feminine hygiene products. Both are award-winning examples of work with real-world positive change. What both campaigns have in common is that they take what we already know and turn it on its head, finding loopholes in the law, playing with perception and even risking one’s safety to get the message across. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs None of these incredible pieces of work would have been possible if people hadn’t been afraid to go where others hadn’t gone before, to be woke in their attitude and mindset. So maybe we have the definition of woke all wrong. Those who are woke are not trying to cancel us but push us forward. Even visionaries can be scared Throughout history, people have been scared of new ideas and thinking. A couple of years ago, I saw the play “Red” about artist Mark Rothko— known for paintings with rectangular regions of color. Many artists said such abstract expressionist work was not art, but Rothko pushed on, becoming one of the most important painters of his generation. At the end of the play, pop art begins to emerge. Rothko, despite being a visionary, claims it isn’t art. The message? Even visionaries can be scared of the new. Things that scare us are good because they mean we are moving forward. Yes, we should always bear in mind campaign effectiveness and the need to sell an idea. But if brands and agencies are too scared to rock the boat, we risk never moving on and sticking to tired advertising traditions that just won’t resonate with the next generation of consumers. 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Gen Z and woke marketing—why selling and purpose are not mutually exclusive

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