The Reservation was once again involved in controversies by placing a black mannequin breaking the window of a store; experts tell how to prevent mistakes from becoming recurrent
Marketing dictionaries describe the lessons and attitudes that brands need to take when they find themselves in situations that jeopardize their images and reputations. In some cases, however, companies seem to take an opposite path, which consequently leads to repeating the same mistakes.
Last week, for example, a Reserva store, at Shopping Barra de Salvador (BA), became involved in controversy again. This time, the company was accused of racism by placing a black mannequin breaking the window. In a statement, the Reserve said it did not intend to offend anyone or spread racist ideas.
However, this was not the first time that the Reserve got involved in controversial issues. In 2018, the brand was accused of machismo after an Instagram post for Valentine’s Day, and four years earlier it was called ‘macho’ with a message on the tags.
But if reputation and reliability are fundamental values for companies, why, in their processes and positioning, do brands follow a path that always seems to lead to the same place?
Karin Müller, professor of communication and marketing and coordinator of the publicity and advertising course at Universidade Metodista de São Paulo, says that repeated cases can reflect different origins and, therefore, each company needs to do an exercise to find the root of the problem.
“It could be due to lack of proximity to the current agendas of the world, which is a serious mistake for any organization that is based on a mission with society; or for having a team that doesn’t work on empathy in its projects, that doesn’t know its audience and, therefore, doesn’t know how to interact with it”, he says.
Dario Menezes, a graduate professor at ESPM Rio and director of the reputation consultancy Caliber, speaks of an excessive view of short-term results, organizational values that do not match reality and a lack of reputational risk management as the reasons.
“Sometimes the maxim is valid: we already have a consolidated reputation. Nothing will happen to us. Basically, all this is linked to a lack of action on the part of the Board of Directors, which should understand reputation as a generator of long-term value”, he highlights.
DIVERSITY
Zara is another brand that, in recent times, has also been at the center of controversy. In September of last year, a black delegate was stopped at the Shopping Iguatemi store, in Fortaleza (CE), for “security reasons”, and, in December, a black man was removed from the bathroom at Shopping da Bahia and accused of stealing a backpack he had bought at the store. In addition, the police found out about the use of the code “Zara zerou” to indicate the presence of “suspicious” people who should be followed inside the stores.
Diversity, or worse, the lack of diversity is also among the reasons for many controversies. José Ronaldo Mathias, coordinator of the advertising and advertising course at Belas Artes, explains that in a society in which problems are structural, brands act within a system that does not consider practices that ‘reinforce, maintain or reproduce, for example, racism’.
“It is essential to permanently prepare the teams and also to pluralize the team with professionals based on differences in origin, sexual orientation, ethnic-racial, etc.”, he says. “To avoid this, investing internally in the training of employees, permanently supporting groups, collectives, NGOs, being partners of social movements in a non-occasional way”, he adds.
Vale is another example of companies that make the same mistakes – in this case, however, with hundreds of deaths due to the rupture of the Mariana and Brumadinho dams, in Minas Gerais.
For Isabel Rodrigues, professor of the public relations course at Centro Universitário FAAP, this recurrence is related to several factors, such as the lack of ‘strict’ policies to prevent adverse events. “These actions must be ’emanated’ from the top of the pyramid. There must be participation and ‘political will’ from the company’s management”, she explains.
Furthermore, according to her, it is necessary for these companies to assume the responsibilities, which is not paying compensation or supporting NGOs that take care of animals, these are consequences. “What they should do is prevent problems from happening by firmly adopting a culture of prevention,” she argues.
IMPACTS
The financial balance, at least in the short term, also seems to contribute to brands continuing to repeat their actions. Professor Müller explains that the wear is more noticeable when one observes the loss of followers, consumers and the public that stops consuming a certain brand.
She also considers that, in a scenario of increasing competition, the blue light of today’s revenue may not be tomorrow’s. “The problem is the market, increasingly fierce and ready to receive brands that are already born with well-defined purposes and connected with society. As such, these reputational risks and these losses, even if minimal, can be costly at some point in this brand journey,” she says.
With cases of racism and violence against animals, Carrefour is also on the list of companies that make mistakes. Anna Beatriz Cautela, professor of the postgraduate course in marketing and strategy at Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, says that, despite the real damage that the brand suffers at first, other news emerges and this impact is diluted, while companies introduce harm reduction actions, and consumers return.
“The impact for brands, at first, is repulsion and loss of consumers, however, according to the way the company positions itself and deals with the situation, this impact can be reduced and the consumer can be given a second chance. Therefore, the important thing is to learn from the fact and the situation in order to act at the root of the problem, reviewing processes and procedures, to prevent the impact caused by these facts for brands, in the medium and long term, from being irreversible”.
WHAT COMPANIES SAY
Sought after, Carrefour chose to share the website #Let’s Not Forget, launched months after the death of client João Alberto on the premises of a group store in Porto Alegre (RS). The site brings together a series of initiatives, partnerships with NGOs for racial equity, commitments and reports on the brand’s diversity policy.
Zara, on the other hand, sent a note in which it states that it “rejects any form of racism” and emphasizes collaboration with social organizations in Brazil. “The company reinforces that diversity, multiculturalism and respect are inherent values inseparable from its corporate culture. Zara Brasil works continuously to reinforce its culture of Diversity & Inclusion in the world and in Brazil, always maintaining an open dialogue with society”, said the company.
Also mentioned in the article, Reserva and Vale did not send their positions until the publication of this article.
(Collaboration with Vinícius Novaes)