"2015 will be the year brands take a public stand on social issues", 2 Jan 2014

Instead of just touting their own sustainability, this year brands will focus on gender equality, racial justice, climate change and more...Pro-social brands are more politically disruptive and inspiring than basic sustainable brands. Instead of focusing on what a brand has done internally to drive a better world, pro-social brands look outward to take a stand on key moral issues...In 2014, the Huffington Post reported on 27 major companies that boldly came out in favor of marriage equality. Taking this position wasn’t a safe stand, but it was a highly viral one...When a brand puts a stake in the ground on a controversial topic, such as carbon pricing, gender equality, racial justice, or even excessive corporate power, it sticks its neck out, adding fuel to a cause and challenging its customers to rally behind it...[B]rands like Always, Airbnb and Fat Tire are building participatory tribes around key pro-social values...I...called for brands to take bold, political stands on climate change. Not long afterward, major corporations – including Coke and Pepsi – joined forces on Collectively.org to call for political action on the issue...How big will this trend go? I predict that the most sensationally viral and impactful marketing campaigns of 2015 will be bold, political and highly in tune with the twitterverse. And I expect their message will extend beyond: “We’re sustainable. Buy from us.”...