A couple of weeks ago I noticed that M&S had launched a new sandwich.  It was a BLT sandwich with a twist.  They added Guacamole to Lettuce, Bacon and Tomato to make an LGBT sandwich.  WTF is going on?  Let me explain….

Cashing in by caring

In the age of information overload, when consumers have far too much choice anyway, and too little time to think, it’s hard for brands to cut through all the noise and get noticed.  They are desperate to appear relevant, hip and caring.

For many years smart brands have adopted cause related marketing strategies.  Saatchi & Saatchi, never slow to spot a trend, were happy for two of its executives to write “Brand Spirit – How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands”.  Published in 1999 it cites many examples of brands that have adopted good causes as means of overcoming consumer indifference.

As with so much else, today’s generation of marketers have taken an old idea and repackaged it as something fresh and innovative.  Brands that use this well established strategy are now being hailed as “woke brands”.  That comes from the slogan “stay woke”, meaning “be socially aware” – especially when injustice (perceived or real) is occurring.

So, for instance, you have Nike featuring American footballer Colin Kaepernick and his protest at racial inequality.  This one was a hit for the brand (but not with Donald Trump).

Brand New World

The efforts of other brands have backfired spectacularly.  Remember that commercial where Kendall Jenner joined a protest march and diffused a tense stand-off with police by handing out a Pepsi to a particularly good looking one?  All you need to bring people together, and agree on stuff, is to pass the Pepsis, right?  Maybe Mrs May missed a trick there in her negotiations with Brussels?

Then there was Gillette and its toxic masculinity commercial.  Created a shit storm.  As an aside, what made them think it was OK to brand masculinity as toxic?  Try suggesting that feminism might have some toxic elements to it and see where that would get you….  Let’s not go there.

More recently Lacoste announced it would swap its trademark crocodile logo for 10 limited-edition polo shirts featuring a different endangered species instead.  The COOP supermarket is set to launch a gender-neutral version of its gingerbread man and asking its customers to help come up with a name.  The list of brands tying themselves in knots with their right-on posturings grows longer by the day.

Mothers Pride

Back to M&S and their gay guacamole.  It smacks of desperation from a brand that is struggling to stay in touch with the younger generation.  What has gender got to do with a sandwich, for heaven’s sake?!  I’m more interested in what it tastes like than its possible sexual orientation or views thereof.

The fact that they have used this stunt to flag up a £10,000 donation to the Albert Kennedy Trust, a charity dedicated to helping homeless LGBT+ youth, is just a means to deflect the criticism they correctly anticipated calling down on themselves.

In my opinion this whole woke brand trend is just the latest cynical attempt by marketers to make money under the guise of “doing good”.  There’s a very old word for this.  Hypocrisy.  Orwell, in 1949 (in the novel 1984), came up with a variant.  Doublethink.  With hypocrisy the perpetrator knows that they are involved in a deception.  Doublethink is more sinister because the perpetrator doesn’t – they have been brainwashed into accepting and overlooking the contradiction.  Doubtless today’s generation will come up with a word that makes this form of myopic amnesia sound sexy.  I can’t wait.