Imagine you are suddenly faced with a condition that changes your life forever, that makes others look at you differently and your access to safety and prosperity is in question. How would this new reality impact the way you navigate the world? How would you wish to be treated by your friends, family and colleagues?

There is a vast amount of research that shows underrepresented voices and perspectives add value to business endeavors, policy creation and various other aspects of life. When we include diverse perspectives, it helps us consider potential outliers and drawbacks of our initiatives, which leads to more long-term success.

In 1997, American psychologist Marsha Linehan recognized that validation involved both empathetic understanding and communication. She acknowledged that messages of support can improve the psychological state of those facing an assortment of stressors by targeting their confidence and self-esteem, thereby reducing stress.

The benefits of inclusion, accordingly, promote sustainable solutions for society at large and contribute to the well-being of those recognized. The business campaigns, social initiatives and public announcements that PR professionals assist their clients in executing must consider these factors for longevity.

When public relations professionals advise their clients to be intentional about elevating underrepresented voices in a world that continues to be plagued by discrimination and violence, it shows respect and understanding. This display of consciousness can increase recognition and captivate clients and stakeholder trust, resulting in increased brand awareness and revenue. Most imperative, though, is the impact that representation can have on society.

The tactics used to tell stories in a way that penetrates the noise of existing public discourse are inextricably linked to our ability to better our world. When organizations doing incredible work to address societal issues use communication strategies that effectively articulate their mission, it can catalyze support and allow them to expand and enhance their services.

Not only does uplifting the voices of underprivileged communities have the potential to grant validation to those with similar experiences, but the increased support to those providing services can also supply disadvantaged individuals with increased access to resources.

It is also important to note that PR professionals must operate beyond using politically correct terminology as a PR tactic – we must do our due diligence in understanding intersectionality and context.

This entails securing media placements for those impacted by the services our clients offer and wish to speak up, making sure our clients’ messaging accurately depicts a holistic understanding of the complexities in the communities they serve and pushing our clients to pursue initiatives that are multi-dimensional in their approach.

We must execute these initiatives with respect rather than appropriation and exploitation. Performative consciousness is easily identified and can be the focal point of intense public scrutiny. In order to make real change for marginalized communities, we must be genuine in our approach.

A rapidly evolving component of the modern human experience demands at least some recognition of memes. While we still rely on the daily forecast as a trusted conversation starter, memes have encroached into interpersonal dialogue so pervasively that the question, “Did you hear about the sexy M&Ms?” is just as commonplace as, “When do you think this rain is going to stop?”

The manifestation of the M&M debate and its corresponding memes from the far left and right have led to mass coordinated communication efforts and nuanced brand messaging that contextualize this digital phenomenon as offensive to some and hilarious to others. Evidently, the M&M/Mars Wrigley franchise has tapped into the minds of PR professionals to craft their recent announcement to indefinitely replace their beloved (or hated) spokescandies with Maya Rudolph. At a moment when the media buzz had seemingly reached its peak, M&M demonstrates how coordinated statements surrounding internet phenomena continue to capture our attention in a widely successful manner.

Merriam-Webster defines a meme as, “an amusing or interesting item (such as a captioned picture or video) or genre of items that is spread widely online especially through social media.” Widely adopted memes can help inform us on what is catchy, what works and what is digestible to mass audiences.

While discussing memes and their widespread adoption, it’s crucial we understand the environment of niche audiences versus the masses. In modern media landscapes what is now considered “viral” remains relative to the very type of social media we exist on or within. This in part could explain the connectedness we feel towards particular memes that circulate within the smaller sects of our online lives. We don’t inquire about the forecast with an expectation that whoever we’re speaking to has a background in meteorology in the same way that we don’t joke about “woke M&M’s” as if someone had a hand in the recent spokescandy makeover. However, when we consider the niche echo chambers we pride ourselves as belonging to, engaging in conversations surrounding specific internet phenomena has potential to reveal aspects of our identity.

Memes that circulate through a subgroup rarely reach the fingertips and screens of those on the outside. This is where nuanced messaging plays an imperative role in the public relations space. Regardless of the goal of any select communication effort a target audience is a requirement. For example, in media outreach a single reporter or a select group of reporters from the same beat are carefully chosen. Leveraging what we know about the infectious nature of a good meme, PR professionals can apply similar tactics of a humor based or light hearted approach when appropriate to help establish a relationship that feels personal and intentional, not surface level and practical.

While PR pros should remain discouraged from swapping out meaningful messaging for memes, consideration towards what internet phenomena offer us in order to craft meaningful messages is warranted. In dissecting a successful meme, pay close attention to the culturally significant takeaways stemming from its circulation and pinpoint how the surrounding discourse may be leveraged to your client or company’s advantage. While Mars Wrigley/M&M could have remained silent amidst all the internet buzz regarding their recent rebranding decisions, they leveraged PR tactics using sarcasm and humor to further engage both their left and right audiences in order to garner more media attention.

In 2013, the mutually beneficial partnership between Kanye West, now Ye, and Adidas began. The launch of Ye’s clothing line brand, Yeezy,  catapulted him to his billionaire status in just a few years and allowed Adidas to diversify and shift its consumer base toward streetwear fashion.

However, Ye’s success slowly lost its integrity due to controversial comments he made publicly on social media. Controversy is not new for Ye – he’s made numerous inappropriate comments about different groups and topics over the years. In 2018, Ye discussed his views in an interview with radio host Charlamagne Tha God that “slavery was a choice.” Just one of the many instances in which he directed hateful comments toward specific groups of people. In October, he was restricted on Twitter and Instagram for stating he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE”.

Recent actions have sparked new outrage toward the artist. On October 3, Ye and his models were seen wearing “White Lives Matter” shirts at Paris Fashion Week, a phrase considered a hate statement by The Anti-Defamation League, which prompted Adidas to review its partnership. Shortly after, a video clip from a podcast episode of Drink Champs went viral on October 21. Kanye stated, “I can say anti-Semitic things, and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what? Now what?” Since the clip started circulating, #BoycottAdidas trended on Twitter as people expressed their outrage toward the company for not speaking up about Kanye’s actions.

After the clip went viral, so did photos of a Los Angeles hate group that hung a banner reading “Honk if you know Kanye is right about the Jews.” The pictures have been circulating social media with information on combatting anti-semitism and hate speech and that there should be no excuse for Kanye just because of his status as a wealthy celebrity.

The media has been covering numerous anti-semitic remarks from Kanye over the past month, leading the general public to become outraged that Adidas still had not released a statement regarding his actions, its opinion or where the partnership stood.

As outrage grew, Adidas finally posted a press release to its website explaining they do not “tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech” on October 25. The company claimed Kanye’s actions violate its values of diversity and inclusion and decided to terminate the partnership immediately. Adidas also explained that this will have an impact on the company’s finances and that they will still have the design rights to existing products as part of its partnership with Kanye.

Considering Kanye’s anti-semitic comments have been public, many employees, customers and the general public were disappointed in Adidas’ lack of accountability and failure to act quickly. Adidas willingly tolerated hate speech from its partner numerous times without acting, which brings into question its values as a company.

A LinkedIn post by Sarah Camhi, Director of Trade Marketing at Adidas, explained her point of view on the situation. Camhi is a member of the Jewish community and expressed that she could “no longer stay silent on behalf of the brand that employs [me]. Not saying anything, is saying everything.” She pointed out that Adidas has dropped partners before, but was hesitant to denounce hate speech from one of its top partners.

It is clear that silence is no longer an option for large brands. Successful companies with worldwide audiences, such as Adidas, need to be part of the movement toward social justice. Billion dollar companies have the power to set an example by being inclusive and helping communities. They have a platform and a voice that must be used in the right way. Adidas chose to stay silent during a time when they should have been loud. They stood with a partner through hate, damaging its reputation and going against its alleged values.

From a crisis perspective, Adidas waited too long to respond, showing no issue with anti-semitism, by tolerating Kanye’s derogatory comments. Instead of immediately terminating the partnership, Adidas put profits over morals and values, reputation and consumers. This resulted in what could have been an avoidable loss of brand loyalty from employees, customers and the general public. A proactive crisis plan would have helped the company tremendously in this situation.

Given Kanye’s antics over the years, his remarks didn’t come as a surprise. Adidas would have benefited from a plan on how to handle situations similar to this, in order to be better prepared to move forward with an appropriate course of action. Adidas waited for public anger to terminate its partnership with Kanye. If people did not express their opinions, would Adidas still have felt pressure to act? This poses questions regarding the company’s ethics. Tolerating injustice from others is just as bad as being the aggressor – a lesson Adidas learned the hard way.