In the first of a two-part series, Group CEO for HAVAS Creative ANZ and Global Chairman of HAVAS PR James Wright looks at what a decade defined by anger means for marketers.
There’s been no escaping Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, but there’s another era marketers should be paying close attention to. The age of rage we’re living in now.
Welcome to the Raging 20s. An era of anger that presents challenges for business - and creates opportunities for brands that can tap into the mood and take action to turn the anger and upheaval into a force for connection.
During the Roaring 20s, silent movies gave way to talkies. In the Raging 20s, voices go viral in a hyperconnected world. And angry consumers use them, online and off. In 2023’s Customer Rage Survey, 43% admitted to yelling or raising their voice to customer service reps. One in 10 wanted revenge by badgering, belittling or threatening an employee. Almost one in five (17%) was uncivil towards a company - not because of a product or service issue, but because of a perceived difference in values or beliefs.
They’re not just statistics. They’re your customers.
One hundred years on from the decadence and excess of the Roaring 20s, this decade of polarisation and upheaval couldn’t be more different. From dancing the Charleston to rioting in Charleston after George Floyd’s murder. From exuberance and Gatsby, to exasperated and ‘Pangry’ - anger around the pandemic and now a cost of living crisis.
There’s raging at broken systems, as communities, countries, continents and corporations confront urgent issues on every front - social, political, environmental, technological, economic.
People feel they’re being wronged. Or left out. Left behind. Left unheard. Left on hold. By government. By business. By community. Price gouging. Social injustice. Climate change. War. Reproductive rights. Gay rights. Privacy. Data breaches. Misinformation.
How can brands break through the anger and forge meaningful connections when their customers, employees, and communities are so angry? By remembering that anger is passion, a powerful and motivating emotion that is a bridge to connections build brand loyalty.
Kantar research shows digital ads that elicit strong emotions have four times more impact than those with weaker emotional connections, and are more likely to go viral. They are more powerful in driving long term brand equity. And nothing gets people talking more than something they're outraged about.
Empathy is an emotive response too. Research by Deloitte found when a brand builds trust by showing a high degree of humanity - kindness towards customers and other stakeholders and treating everyone fairly - customers are more loyal, 2.8 times more likely to stick with a brand through a mistake, 1.7 times more likely to promote it on social media, and 2.6 times more likely to spend more with it.
From anger to action
Whilst harsh rhetoric is not new in American politics, the elections in this decade upped the ante in ways once thought not possible. From harsh, ugly and personal name calling to out-right fist fighting, from an assassination attempt to angry politicians battling with their core bases. All on full display in our 24-hour news cycle. Whilst there is certainly no positive outcome from physical violence, more level-headed voters are channeling their anger in the way of higher turnout at the polls. With record-breaking donations, and now high levels of mobilization and engagement in the Presidential race, it reinforces the power of turning anger into action.
Many people now have an expectation that brands have an opinion and speak out on social issues important to them. The mindset that staying silent and doing nothing equals complicity has entered the business realm, with research showing brands are increasingly expected to play a significant role in social change by taking a stand on social and political issues.
It is an increasingly important factor in decisions around who they want to buy from and work for. But it has to be authentic. Piggybacking on a cause of convenience to build connection through deception invites backlash, boycotts and reputational ruin.
Any issue you engage with should be aligned to your brand or brand values, backed by meaningful action, and consistently applied across the business, from your brand story to your messaging, in content, statements and commitments to customers, employees and communities. You need to consider and balance the impact on all stakeholders, not only shareholders.
Two of Georgia’s biggest employers, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola and Delta were compelled to speak out against legislation that would disproportionately impact Black people’s access to voting. When they didn’t respond quickly enough, calls for boycotts had already started. You can’t keep an angry crowd waiting while you make up your mind. Being proactive, prepared and knowing what you will and won’t take a stand on - and being able to share why - is essential.
It doesn’t mean weighing in on every issue, but it does mean acknowledging the rage or emotion stakeholders are feeling by being transparent and creating a culture of open dialogue. Deloitte found organisations that show a high degree of transparency, with information, motives and choices openly shared, led to customers being 1.6 times more likely to promote the brand on social media.
Havas’ global Meaningful Brands study found 77% of people think companies should be transparent about their commitments and promises, yet only one in three (33%) believe they actually are. A concerning perception problem for business leaders that are focused and investing in being better corporate citizens.
Passionate stakeholders will take a stand if they feel aggrieved. After Australia’s flagship carrier Qantas angered customers, including loyalty program members, with a series of actions including price gouging and selling seats on canceled flights, it tumbled in Skytrax’s airline rankings from fourth and fifth in 2020 and 2022 to 24th in 2024.
When a Samsung advert of a woman wearing headphones running alone at 2am was slammed as insensitive to the issue of women’s safety, Adidas earned praise for responding with a parody ad showing a woman running at night with a secret service detail. It worked because the move aligned with the brand’s already-established commitment to women’s safety through its With Women We Run initiative.
A century after the brand was born in the Roaring 20s, feminine care brand Kotex is building connections with women globally through campaigns to eliminate barriers to progress and period stigma, from its #progressfeelslike film made by an all-women team and grassroots activations and education across cultures with its She Can initiative, to provocative ads using language considered taboo to ‘Normalise Periods’, and joining the conversation on TikTok’s #PeriodTok.
Connecting in the chaos
A similarly provocative rebellion is playing out on TikTok and other social platforms and brands connect not through a cause, but the chaos with unhinged marketing.
It is a rebellion against predictable, polished content, grabbing attention by breaking the rules with satirical, subversive, irreverent and sharable content.
The world doesn’t make sense, why should the content?
More ‘mess-thetic’ than aesthetic, it’s the same contrarianism that saw Gen Z embrace ‘bed rotting’ as top tier self care last year.
What does it look like? Gen Z wearing torn tights, ripped fabric and pierced clothing on Tik Tok that spawned a new fashion category of ‘subversive basics’, with mainstream fashion brands following suit, sending models down the runway with greasy hair in ill-fitting clothes.
It’s Duolingo’s trend-jacking, passive aggressive green owl mascot Duo’s unpredictable antics on TikTok, from getting a Brazilian butt lift to falling in love with Dua Lipa, for 12.5 million followers who host Duo themed parties and dress up as the bird for Halloween.
It’s the bizarre blood and death dark humour of canned water brand Liquid Death, connecting with 3.6 million Instagram followers over unhinged content like superhero Murder, Christmas sweaters emblazoned with ‘season’s bleedings’, and ‘greatest hates’ albums where internet comments become lyrics in pop songs.
It’s a nod and wink between brands and fans who are in on jokes they don’t always get. But what they do get, is to be part of that big rebellious connected community that feels like they do right now.
Whether connecting over a shared cause or through chaotic content, the brands customers will remember when the anger subsides and better times arrive tomorrow, will be the ones that channelled the rage into emotion and loyalty today.