TBWA's Laurie Coots reveals findings of 'Social Activism 2.0'

At an event held in South Mumbai, Laurie Coots, chief marketing officer, TBWA Worldwide, shared the results of original research conducted by the agency on how the '20-somethings' of today use the social media space and interact with brands on this space, in order to contribute to society.

The study, aptly titled 'Social Activism 2.0', was centred on how the 'social media generation' (SMG) based in the US, expresses its responsibility towards society via the online medium. Individuals researched were under 30 years of age and had very active online lives (spent around 10-30 hours a month on social networking).

The study is slated to be replicated beyond the US, in around 15 countries, and one of the foremost countries on the list is India.

Post recession, '20-something' consumers want to associate with brands that have a clearly designated purpose. The crux of Coots' presentation was essentially about how brands are reacting to this given the fact that the SMG is increasingly using the social media space to express itself regarding the social causes it supports. "Purpose," warned Coots, "is the next big buzz word that'll do the rounds for the next two years."

Coots' research found that the 20-something group is educated, optimistic and far from inactive. The causes that the SMG is involved with include education, health, human rights, poverty, topical issues and long-tail issues, with a slight inclination towards idealistic causes such as human trafficking and race relations especially on the part of non-working people. Working people, it was found, tend to be more involved with personally relevant issues as their public persona is important to them.

Other Key Findings

Giving brands many reasons to play the Good Samaritan, the study revealed that over 75 per cent of the SMG prefers purchasing brands that belong to a socially responsible company, and 56 per cent are more likely to seek employment with a socially responsible company.

The study revealed that some of the SMG's favourite brands include Apple, Nike, Microsoft, Pepsi, and Sony.

The research also revealed that the causes that people get involved with are very personal as they apparently reflect a person's core values and beliefs. "It's like wearing a badge," explained Coots. "Social causes people get attached to are as close to them as the music they listen to, and the food they eat," she said.

It was found that while women tend to spread the word about the causes they're involved with more than men, men tend to be more active when it comes to actually doing something for a cause they've taken up. Men, it was also found, tend to heed to peer pressure more than women when it comes to taking up causes.

College students, the study revealed, tend to get involved with causes that give them opportunities to have great experiences or facts that they can include in their résumés.

Expressing how the SMG does most of its work online, be it reading the news, supporting causes or sharing information, Coots said, "This generation believes that moving information (about a cause) around in the online space is equal to activism!" Thus, the symbiosis of social activism (that is, activism online) and physical activism (that is, activism in person) is growing.

Slacktivists versus 2.0 Activists

There are two types of social activists -- Slacktivists and 2.0 Activists. Slacktivists are those who're more likely to share knowledge (in the online space) regarding causes, since for them, sharing information equals activism. They're more passive as compared to 2.0 Activists who are more likely to act in favour of the causes they support in terms of actually doing something physically (for instance, donating time/money, attending meetings/rallies/fund-raising activities).

2.0 Activists are inclined towards metrics, which means they require measurable feedback regarding their contribution.

While Slacktivists comprise 37 per cent of the online community and are more likely to be women (mostly students), 2.0 Activists comprise 40 per cent of the online community and are more likely to be men (both students, as well as working professionals).

Pepsi Refresh Project

To illustrate her point about the online medium aiding social responsibility, Coots shared the example of the Pepsi Refresh Project (2010), a movement wherein the brand gave away USD 20 million for social causes that laypersons came up with and voted for online.

Quoting facts and figures, Coots said, "1,83,000 ideas were submitted and funded, the movement garnered 76 million votes, and the website fetched 13 million visitors. As a result of the grants given out by Pepsi, 47 new organisations were started, 98 schools were improved and USD 1.4 million were allocated towards parks and playgrounds. Interestingly, USD 1.7 million was given to 61 grantees, who were under 24 years of age."

The initiative also made people very active on the social media space because they started blogging and tweeting in order to popularise their cause and gather votes.

Coots concluded by citing some of the main obstacles facing people when it comes to getting involved with social causes online. "While the lack of time and lack of adequate opportunities are popular reasons, often skepticism -- regarding whether or not one's efforts will actually yield results -- is a strong barrier," she shared.