Why you must scare some customers away: Walking the talk as an ethical, conscious business

From time to time, there are opportunities for your business to take a stand on social issues. Whether it’s the upcoming Indigenous #VoicetoParliament referendum in Australia, the issues around domestic & migrant workers in South East Asia, or issues around labour sources globally (the list goes on), these issues go beyond mere politics — they tap into the moral and societal fabric of humanity.

Recent findings in the Edelman Trust Barometer underscore an intriguing shift. Australians are placing more faith in businesses than in their own government, which gives brands a unique opportunity to step in as educators and facilitators for key social movements. We can be the change we want to see in the world.

Now is the time to walk the talk. Let’s do more than say we are ‘conscious’ and ‘ethical’ and be okay to respond to social issues to alienate the ‘wrong customer’ and draw the right ones even closer. It isn’t just good from an authenticity point of view, but it also makes good business sense.

So how do you take a stance when you might alienate some customers? How do you bring your stakeholders and customers together on social issues? How do you get comfortable in the uncomfortable?

In this Masterclass you will learn:
– How and when to take a stand on a social issue
– How to get employees, stakeholders and customers together on social issues in a meaningful way
– How to get comfortable in the uncomfortable
– What role you can play as a business leader on social issues
– The costs and benefits of taking a stance

About the speaker: Melissa Packham

Brand-Led Business, Director

Melissa Packham is a brand-centred strategist, who leverages two decades of marketing experience to guide businesses in finding clarity, making agile decisions, and building standout brands sustainably and ethically. With deep empathy, strong commercial acumen, and an infectious enthusiasm for positive change, Melissa inspires action and empowers clients to create value and meaningful impact.

With Brand-Led Business, she helps SMEs create brands that aren’t ‘business as usual’, with purpose-directed strategy and a systems-approach.