Unless you have been living under a rock on another planet, you have realized that 2020 has already turned out to be a memorable year. But our daily routines are not the only things that have changed this year. You may have noticed the shift in companies’ advertisements and media messaging over the last few months. I was a bit rattled in March to see that almost every commercial on TV referenced the way that companies are pivoting during the global pandemic. (As a side note: not airing the season finale of The Walking Dead is not the answer, AMC. Please tell us what happened! We HAVE to know!)
In the past few weeks, we have seen a surge of support for the Black Lives Matter Movement from several large companies. If you ask Siri or Google “Do Black lives matter,” you will get the response: “Yes, Black lives matter” with a link to BlackLivesMatter.com. Nike created a moving video in support of the movement. Amazon and Twitter have both updated banners to show their support. The list of companies that speak out in support of social justice and specifically this movement continues to increase daily.
Companies around the world have responded to the changes with a variety of social media strategies. Some feel that major corporations should stay out of activism and current events and focus on selling their products. Some feel that posting on a company social media account is not enough; they call for increased diversity in the workplace and are mounting campaigns across their organizations to address it. Either way, it is clear that companies’ social media has changed in recent months.