Following the first three parts of my 20 Lessons from 2020 – on marketing, business and the economy – part four is a slightly longer read, and looks at lessons 15 through 20, what we can learn from society. The next and final part will summarise what we can all learn from 2020 and where we might go from here.
15. Zoom kept us together
I couldn’t write a Top 20 without reference to Zoom. It’s been so prevalent, I could’ve included it in any of my Twenty Lessons chapters. Like many of the new phrases we learnt last year, ‘shall we Zoom?’ was adopted by all generations at lightning speed. The company quickly addressed early security issues to become the number one video conferencing platform and has been an amazing enabler – hosting everything from business meetings to family parties to yoga classes and every other conceivable get-together.
With many people new to video calling, we’ve all seen a lot of foreheads and chins and even – on one occasion – an elbow (no idea how he managed that). There are lots of “How To” guides out there, so it’s worth checking out the tips on lighting and camera angles next time you’re getting ready to be interviewed by Sky News or join an informal networking meeting. Just one final plea from me – please don’t bring your breakfast or lunch along – this is a horrible hangover from real-life meetings IMHO and, honestly, no one wants to see you eating in close up.
16. Black Lives Matter
On a more serious note, if there was ever something that shouldn’t need saying, it’s this. BLM was clearly one of the zeitgeist movements of the year and can probably claim a lot of the credit for kicking Trump out of the White House. Like the #MeToo movement, it will hopefully be a catalyst for real change in society and industry, where positions of power are still disproportionately held by middle-aged white men. In marketing, we’re definitely seeing more on-screen representation, and it was reassuring to see the sadly predictable racist backlash against Sainsbury’s met with such unity by the other supermarkets. But that’s not enough. Brands must take positive action to ensure BAME voices are heard at the boardroom table, not just seen in the advertising (Nike et al, please take note).
17. Rainbow Washing
I’ve written before about how brands love to jump on a band wagon (or brand wagon, as I call it) and it’s usually easily ignored if it’s not your cup of tea. But a worrying number of brands are supporting the transgender movement without really understanding what’s behind it, or the impact it has on the lives of women and girls. For most women, this cultural appropriation of womanhood is as offensive, but far more dangerous, than black face.
This movement has nothing to do with LGB rights or genuine transexuals, alongside whom women have shared spaces for decades. It is driven by a misogynistic minority which silences, threatens and tries to destroy the career of any woman who dares to dissent, usually by stating basic biological fact (most notably, JK Rowling and Maya Forstater). The tweet shown is one of the more ‘polite’ examples.
Unable to ever explain what rights they don’t have, they are instead fixated on removing the rights, freedoms and safeties of women and girls. They advocate for the medical sterilisation of young children and support ‘Self ID’, which allows male rapists into women’s prisons and domestic abuse shelters and mean male crime statistics can be reported as female. Lurking at its fringes are paedophiles and extreme sexual fetishists (with quite some evidence that they, and Big Pharma, are the driving force behind the movement).
Women are not ‘TERFs’ or ‘transphobes’ for expecting the retained protection of the 2010 Equality Act. It cannot be acceptable for less than 0.5% of the population to demand the removal of the rights of 51% based on the denial of biological reality.
Recent court cases and political judgements suggest the tide may be turning, so let’s hope 2021 sees this debate become more reasoned and a solution found. A ‘third space’ compromise must be explored.
Meanwhile, brands must do more to stand up for women. Please take a proper look into this world before you spray your logo pink and blue. Or think that making your women’s toilets and changing rooms unisex is ‘inclusive’ (always the women’s, never the men’s). Or give money to dangerous organisations like Mermaids or Stonewall (the latter now so toxic, the original founders have left). Or consider calling women “menstruators”, “lactating individuals” or “people with vaginas” in your communications. (These terms are all real examples, often used by organisations established to support women’s causes. Yet we’re asked to believe ‘transwomen are women’ so why is this dehumanising language even necessary?).
At the very least, talk to your female customers to understand their views and do some research into who’s behind these organisations. Because – should you need reminding – women account for over 80% of purchasing decisions. They are not a group you want boycotting your brand.
18. Valuing our key workers
Back to a nicer topic. During the first lockdown, we happily lined up outside our houses to ‘Clap for Carers’*. Most Brits have always felt incredibly fortunate that we have this amazing asset – staffed by incredible, dedicated people – at our disposal. But it also became abundantly clear that there are a whole lot of essential frontline workers that we used to take for granted – from bus drivers, to bin men, to posties, to supermarket staff – that we simply cannot exist without. For brands looking for a community-based social purpose, there’s one right here. A band wagon that’s actually worth jumping on. (*Apparently it’s just been resurrected, now called ‘Clap for Heroes’ to include all these critical key workers).
19. Protecting the elderly, the vulnerable & our veterans
When Covid started sweeping through care homes and the staff were forced to lock the residents away for their own protection, we all got a bit of a wake-up call. Captain Sir Tom Moore’s incredible fund-raising walk shone a new light on the need to protect both our elderly and our veterans. Last year, I was fortunate to work on a couple of projects for The Royal Hospital Chelsea (home of the famous Chelsea Pensioners) and The Big Issue – two organisations representing the polar opposites of privilege – helping them think about how they might find new sources of income. For the charities operating in these areas, the silver lining of Covid is an opportunity to reach new supporters who are keen to help – maybe more aware than ever that charity begins at home, and our elderly and vulnerable are too easily forgotten.
20. Communities rekindled
So, finally, here we are at number 20. And I’ve probably saved the best ‘til last. The pandemic has done wonders for local communities. We’ve seen the really good side of Social Media – especially the local Facebook groups which have brought people together who want to help. People volunteering to look out for lonely or vulnerable neighbours, do their shopping, share their food, or walk their dogs. We’ve met new neighbours as we’ve stood outside clapping. We’ve rediscovered our local shops when lockdown made a trip to the big supermarket feel as big and scary an ordeal as climbing Everest. We’ve been inspired by pubs and restaurants donating surplus food (including entire Christmas dinners) to people in their communities. Some of us even developed a new appreciation for our own countryside when our foreign holidays got cancelled.
One of the biggest hopes for 2021 must be that this community spirit continues. If we’re going to be working at home for the foreseeable future, our small towns and villages need more amenities. If our dormitory towns, villages and suburbs are no longer dormitory, we’ll need places to go for lunch and meet friends and colleagues for coffee that are not our own kitchens. We’ll need places to buy birthday cards and toiletries, places to get our shoes repaired and our clothes dry cleaned. Small business has an opportunity to thrive and big business has an opportunity to introduce *truly* local, ultra small scale formats.
So what did we learn? Appreciating the value of our own communities got lost as our lives to got fuller and busier. An empty diary and an enforced stop have given us the opportunity to look up and smell the roses, to be kinder and to get to know our neighbours and colleagues as people. Humans are social animals – we need connections – yet one of the early ironies of the internet was it became easier to have a conversation with someone 5000 miles away than with the person next door. Social Media has fuelled so many divisions, but it can also be a force for good. If anything, Covid-19 has shown us that we’re all in the same boat and as no-one knows how long this is going to last, it’s high time we all got along better. We can but hope.
