Beyond Brand Optimism

Optimists play a vital role in our society, envisioning a better world by seeing opportunity where others see challenges. This ambition for positive change fuels the burgeoning social good sector, where optimists lead the charge, working with determination on some of the world’s most pressing issues, with communications spreading messages of hope and potential.

It hasn’t always been this way. Conventional wisdom used to be that highlighting a challenge motivated people to want to fix it. I still vividly remember the commercials of starving children in Africa that made Unicef a household name in the ’80s. I also remember the uneasy feeling of exploitation they left me with.

Thankfully, hope-based communication strategies took over years ago, focusing on solutions rather than challenges. Abundance over scarcity. Hope over fear. It’s been well-documented that while the “poverty porn” approach can fuel short-term fundraising, it causes long-term social harm, othering whole cultures. The white savior complex that feeds it is harmful to society and leads to short-lived, unsustainable interventions. Even on smaller or more local issues, communications based on fear or guilt can often backfire. To truly make the world a better place, we need to value long-term systems change over short-term fundraising hits. And long-term systems change requires the unrelenting vision of an optimist.

At this point, though, when it comes to branding and communications, having an optimistic take is “table stakes” in the social good sector. Every for-good brand believes that they can change the world and will have a huge impact on whatever issue is centered in their mission, shouting it from the rooftops. They tell a great story of how their theory of change will bring results, using narrative-based storytelling to take audiences along on the journey. I mean, if you can’t envision a better world and didn’t think you could help achieve it, why even bother in the first place?

But it’s not enough to explain your organization or your vision, you need broad action. Partners. Evangelists. Donors. Activists. The biggest issues in the world now — from climate change to gender equality to human rights — are interconnected and require coalition-building to address. Yet, when faced with societal challenges, many people feel helpless, lacking influence or knowledge on how to create change, and overwhelmed by interconnected issues and competing interests.

To expand impact on the world’s biggest challenges, we don’t need more optimism from our brands, we need more optimism from our people.

What brands need most is to convert their audiences into optimists. To shift from explaining their organization to rallying around the cause. Activism over awareness. Empowering over inspiring. Social good brands can play a key role in shifting public mindset, but what’s crucial is to focus on instilling optimism within your audiences — the ones who carry the torch and can amplify impact in broad waves. Not only does this deepen engagement on your issue, it strengthens the connection between your brand and your cause in the public’s mind.

From fighting Parkinson’s Disease to stopping suicide, the thing we’ve found at Ultravirgo that is the most valuable brand asset our clients can have is a passionate community that is empowered to act. And most of all, an optimistic culture lifts the tide for all causes, making it easier to sustain forward progress toward a better world. Frankly, as communicators, I think it’s our responsibility to use our influence and skills to empower people and move society toward more positive outlooks and outcomes.

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For our friends who are building social good brands, here are six ways you can help empower your audiences and create a culture of optimists.

Paint a clear picture of the future you are building and how to get there.

When discussing your mission and vision, make it tangible and real without losing ambition. Avoid empty words like “hope” and “change” in brand messaging and focus on outcomes and distinct visions. For example, the mission of our client the United Nations is, “A world where everyone thrives in peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet.” That’s something I can envision, is worth fighting for, and that I want to help achieve.

Write a manifesto.

From Mary Wollstonecraft to F.T. Marinetti to Martin Luther King, Jr., manifestos have been inspiring cultural movements for centuries, commanding attention and giving identity to communities. When developing your brand strategy and core messaging, think in the language of a manifesto. Tap into universal themes of humanity to unite, backed with action-oriented language that motivates. This manifesto can be an internal document that inspires your messaging, or it can become a public message itself. The manifesto has been a core part of our brand strategy documents for years, and it often gets such a strong positive reaction that it ends up word-for-word on the about page of the website.

Understand what motivates your audiences to specifically support your cause.

Your audiences are not “targets”, nor are they homogeneous blocks with easily summarized demographics. They are real people with human motivations. But remember that you don’t need to inspire everyone. Always stay focused on empowering the key audiences who are most critical to achieving your mission. The more you understand what motivates them — surveys and perception studies can help, as well as ongoing direct engagement — the more you can build upon those motivations to empower more people who believe similarly.

Inspire action, but give options.

Everyone has their own resources, interests, lived experience, and capabilities, and it is important to acknowledge these differences for people to feel like they can contribute in a meaningful way. In calls-to-action, clearly state where the levers of change are, but let people choose how. Often having a few options for a call to action — ranging from a low lift to more sustained effort — will broaden the ability for people to contribute. Don’t make it overwhelming, which leads to choice paralysis. Two or three options in a given situation is ideal. And acknowledge that the best options for a given person to contribute to the cause may not be through your organization. Maybe they need something more local or more specific. When presenting options for engagement, think in terms of support for your mission first and foremost, not just supporting your organization.

When you discuss the challenge, include the progress that has already been made.

One of the most common mistakes we see in social good communications is spending too much time explaining the challenge. Most audiences can understand your issue very quickly, and likely already know about it. It’s also important to clearly explain your approach or solution, of course. But often forgotten in the story is an overview of learnings and progress made so far. A strong narrative about forward momentum can address feelings of helplessness by showcasing that change is actually possible — “See how far we’ve come!” — and deepens the connection to what needs to happen next, fostering a sense of empowerment — “I want to be a part of it!”. Ideally, this should focus on your organization’s direct impact, but younger organizations can mention broader progress on the issue and acknowledge how they are building on others’ successes.

Champion the successes of others.

Even more important than acknowledging past progress is highlighting the successes of today. But this is often limited to press releases and annual reports of your organization’s activities. Featuring the successes and learnings of others across your sector — in social media, conference talks, and other less formal channels — creates a supportive community, connects your organization’s brand to your cause, and ultimately fosters a sense of forward progress that empowers people to see the change that is possible.

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The future is built by those who can envision it, clearly see a path forward, and bring others on board. As communicators, the more that we use our skills to build a society of optimists, the better the future that we will create for all.

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Cover image: Portrait of Mary Wollstonecraft. 18th century. From New York Public Library Public Domain Archive.

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