In 2022, war isn't only about sending ground troops into a country to take over. It’s also about public
opinion. And, in this case, global public opinion. Just hours before Russia invaded the Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky recorded this video. Appealing directly to the Russian people, and asking for their help in his country’s plight, it went viral across the globe. Have you ever heard of a president appealing directly to an opposing country’s citizens as a defense tactic? Only in a world driven by social media and brand messaging could such an appeal both reach its intended audience and be effective.
Take a minute to imagine the world we’d live in today if the Polish government had the power of You Tube and social media behind it in 1939. 🤔 Here are 3 marketing lessons from President Zelensky’s speech and the world’s rethinking of partnerships with Russian businesses:
1.Have multiple audiences? Speak directly to the end user and everyone will hear. Many businesses have an immediate purchaser of their product or service, and then, a different demographic that actually uses or benefits from it. Think: An MGA markets to brokers who in turn sell coverage to business owners.
This poses a challenge for marketers seeking to identify a single audience to write to. What many don’t realize is that when you only speak to your immediate purchaser, you don't reach the end user, but when you speak directly to the end user, your immediate purchaser still comes to understand the benefits of your product/service. In this case, President Zelensky’s video doesn’t address
Putin. Rather, he talks directly to the people of Russia, without whom Putin lacks power. 2.Go directly to your audience. This is a fantastic example of targeted content distribution! Imagine if President Zelensky sent this video to Russian TV channels to distribute. They may have censored it. Think: Pitching the NYT or the WSJ when you’re a small, private corporation not on their radar. Dead end.
What if his team just uploaded the video to the Ukranian government’s
site and hoped people found it? Think: Adding your blog to your website and hoping people go there. Another dead end. President Zelensky’s message only reached its intended audience because of where and how it was distributed — on YouTube, then via social media and ultimately picked up and distributed by online publications across the globe. He did it the organic way! 3.Public perception of your brand trumps all. Regardless of how long it takes Putin to lose this war on the ground, he’s already lost the PR war and that may prove to be even more detrimental. International sports teams and leagues cut sponsorship deals with
Russian brands last week and global tournaments scheduled to take place on Russian soil have been rerouted.Shell and BP pulled out of their agreements with Russia’s oil giant Gazprom – and more. While U.S. government sanctions only go so far, as the sports community, big oil and the global online purchasing public continue to apply their own sanctions, the Russian brand loses currency – literally.
Bottom line:With social media and globalization, the power of a brand’s message (in this case, Ukraine's message) is infinite.
The question is: Can this PR war win the war on the ground? Only time will tell. May the Ukrainian public stay safe, its armed forces be successful and may we always find ways to use our influential brands to do good in the world.
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