Tackling Taboos

Published 29 November 2017

Author

SMG

We are experiencing a cultural moment for not keeping silent about typically taboo or under-represented issues. Brands should be seizing on this opportunity to be bolder and braver, as tapping into these conversations will fuel better engagement.

A New Honesty

Normalising Issues

Nuanced Perspectives

Engaging the Unsupported

In the last decade, a cultural shift towards more open, confessional discourse has occurred. Millennial consumers in particular are seeking relationships with brands that are unafraid to speak honestly about difficult subjects.

Health and body issues have long been a source of shame and embarrassment in wider culture. A long-overdue sea change is occurring as brands begin to normalise these subjects through the sensitive subversion of traditional approaches.

Brands are becoming increasingly outspoken on issues of race and immigration at a time when the issue often sparks violent reaction. Stepping in where politicians have failed, marketers are able to express a far more nuanced perspective.

Advertising is traditionally a place of happy families, but in the real world, family dynamics are often more complicated. Brands are beginning to address these complex realities as a way of connecting with consumers who feel unsupported and underrepresented by mainstream marketing.

Tackling Taboos

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Topics

Automotive & Transport

Advertising & Branding

Media & Entertainment

Parenting & Families

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