Woke Consumerism

Simanta Barman

(Media & Communication Professional)

“From universal brands like Coca¬Cola, to indi-vidual micro brands like your neighborhood coffee shop, the brands in our lives serve a vital human purpose: they give identity, meaning, and connectivity to our experiences and possessions,” – writes AK Pradeep in The Buying Brain: Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious Mind. ‘Woke Consumerism’ or ‘conscious consumerism’ emanates from this very idea of identity, relevance and a sense of belief and belonging that defers from an individual or a group to the other.

We, perhaps, cannot out rightly give a concrete timeline for this phenomenon. The steam that ‘woke consumerism’ has got may be higher in recent years, but conscious or selective buying had existed for long. Social outlooks and individual beliefs have been shaping consumer narratives for ages, albeit more pronouncedly in recent times.

However, with more sensitivity towards animal rights, more stringent call for sustainability and infectious spread of social media chatter, the onus on conscious branding is paramount now. When Nike launched the ‘Dream Crazy’ advert starring Colin Kaepernick, it is not that they did not map the consequences it might have beforehand. A segment of consumers cancelled on them expectedly, while a majority supported. At the end, Nike got away with not only higher sale and brand value, but also an Emmy.

Campaigns that seem less consequential at the onset, also beget a significant share of discourse among the ‘woke consumers’. For instance, Zomato’s ongoing campaign of how one pronounces its name has definitely stirred the hornet’s nest among consumers, especially Gen-Z consumers, who are more particular about these kind of seemingly frivolous attributes of a brand. Whichever way the debates sway, the ball is in Zomato’s court only.

This shift in consumer behavior and the collective outcry for sustainability concerns, CSR initiatives, circular economy, and labor inclusivity, have led to brands being more conscious of their resource segregation, end-purpose, carbon footprint, and the overall socio-economic impact they can create.

‘Woke consumerism’ does not mean that it is voicing only for the right concerns. On one hand, call for slow and sustainable fashion is helping small businesses mushroom through effective social media marketing and other tactics; while on the other hand, selective outrage by a segment for cancelling a brand or product for not aligning with their beliefs, may create more waste and disrupt the economy chain. There is hence also an argument of differentiation between ethical and ‘woke’ consumers. What is, in that case, ‘ethical’ for one, may not necessarily be ‘ethical’ for the other.

Brands like Coca Cola, Pepsi etc. that are generationally being blamed for plastic pollution, have now been shifting towards recycling, gradually. Be it paper cups and glasses replacing plastic alternatives in restaurants and outlets, or thread bags for shopping, a gradual overhaul of consumer preferences is taking place. People, nowadays are also very active and prompt in citing gender appropriation, creative loopholes or any legal flaw in any kind of product or services. Amidst such a tide of the so-called ‘woke consumerism’, brands are bound to test the water before sailing.