Insights:Watchdog Consumerism: Will this go on your brand’s permanent record?

Insight Marketing Design’s “1-minute COVID-19 marketing tips” e-newsletters recently shared some great community initiatives our clients are doing to help out and give back during the pandemic.

If you haven’t signed up for Insight’s free “1-minute COVID-19 marketing tips” e-newsletters you can do it now here.

None of our clients that chose to give during this difficult time did so to receive accolades. But generosity and caring deserves to get noticed, and we felt they all warranted a well-earned pat on the back for their efforts.

Along this line of thinking, an independent organization has created a site to recognize helpful companies and celebrities, but with a twist.

The site called Did They Help? allows you to enter a famous person’s or company’s name and then it tells if they have done anything to help during the pandemic – and here’s the twist – it will also tell you if they didn’t help. And it’s not just yes or no, but actually lists ways the company did help or ways they didn’t help.

The reality is social media has dramatically increased the ability of people to hold businesses responsible for their actions.

Sites such as Did They Help? may create a whole new level of watchdog consumerism.

In the past, all but the most egregious corporate missteps often faded away quickly and were forgotten. But if sites like Did They Help? really catch on, the old schoolhouse threat of something “going on your permanent record” could become very real for brands.

This becomes an even bigger issue when we take into account that consumers are choosing brands that reflect their own values. A recent global research program found that 63% of consumers consider this as an important part of their purchasing decision-making process, and that number continues to grow year over year.

You can check out the site at didtheyhelp.com and see who landed on the good or naughty list. And remember your brand should be good for goodness sake.