OkCupid has had a major brand initiative for 2020, they are actively trying to court woke social justice millennials/leftists as their primary customer base. The implications of this are pretty funny to think about (thread)
Woke Capitalism is extremely stupid for a few reasons.
Primarily, big companies are dinosaurs and leviathans. They sense the cultural impact, but they simply are not agile enough to keep up in the culture war landscape
Primarily, big companies are dinosaurs and leviathans. They sense the cultural impact, but they simply are not agile enough to keep up in the culture war landscape
The "Social Justice" or Wokeness movement is utterly phrenetic. Their preferences and definitions seem to change on a weekly basis. New history months seem to spring up all the time. Totally suboptimal for rigid corporate marketing initiatives that take a ton of time to implement
Working in this space must be an absolute nightmare for corporate PR and Legal departments, who have to spend time reviewing content for public release.
And that's just with the core demographic that they're *intentionally* targeting.
And that's just with the core demographic that they're *intentionally* targeting.
Look at the replies to any of these woke bullshit promoted tweets from OKCupid to see the flipside of the controversial coin - the simmering hatred for farcical wokeness that hasn't quite erupted into mainstream pushback yet
That is still not on the radar of Woke Capitalism practitioners.
They believe they're being timely and relevant by jumping on board with the feel-good social justice mantras-du-jour
But they are really eroding their brand with normal people who are getting sick of it.
They believe they're being timely and relevant by jumping on board with the feel-good social justice mantras-du-jour
But they are really eroding their brand with normal people who are getting sick of it.
Moreover, the brand is being associated with the actions of every other corporate brand on the wagon. Some companies may be aware, and try to toe the line of wokeness - but unfortunately for them they are immediately inserted into a binary by a mere whiff of leftismness.
So - The brand is getting fucked long term by short-sightedly going for wokeness brownie points because the marketers don't understand that the wokeness memes are being manufactured by a cohort that does not align with the public at large.
Loud != broad
Loud != broad
OkCupid is even dumber. They are intentionally trying to form their customer base out of this Loud, bully-ish overbearing minority.
You know, the customers that are most likely to FORCE you to change your product, throw you under the bus at a moment's notice...
You know, the customers that are most likely to FORCE you to change your product, throw you under the bus at a moment's notice...
... Utterly destroy your brand if you don't stay ideologically pure (and that purity changes continuously), attempt at all times to bring legal cases against you to extract money, try to actively change your corporate structure and your talent, etc
This isn't even to mention that most SJWs and leftists are unattractive and annoying as shit - for a dating site that's a deathknell. Although it's nice of them to corral all of the SJWs within OkCupid so that I know what to specifically avoid, I find it hilarious
It's the equivalent of opening a china shop and then marketing to bulls. Opening a bar and trying to get rioters as your clientele.
But it FEELS good in the meetings and board rooms.
They can't help themselves
But it FEELS good in the meetings and board rooms.
They can't help themselves
The public reaction to wokeness works like a nicotine addiction.
When this was beginning, brands would get a boost for this type of thing. The first couple of times, maybe.
Then, wokeness becomes only defined by its lack
When this was beginning, brands would get a boost for this type of thing. The first couple of times, maybe.
Then, wokeness becomes only defined by its lack
Once you're in, every initiative must express wokeness because now the leftist-adjacent consciousness messaging is TABLE STAKES.
Yeah Comcast, you support pride month and change your icon and every website to rainbow colors..
BUT YOU DIDN'T FEATURE A CURVY TRANS WOMAN OF COLOR
Yeah Comcast, you support pride month and change your icon and every website to rainbow colors..
BUT YOU DIDN'T FEATURE A CURVY TRANS WOMAN OF COLOR
The customer base you've intentionally courted will now purity test you into oblivion, and if you don't keep up they will turn on you in a heartbeat and leave you worse off than you were before, given that you also pissed off normal people.
Good fuckin job
Good fuckin job
And good riddance.
end
end
