🔒101: Making statements

Whether concerning COVID-19 changes or reaction to racial issues after the death of George Floyd – a black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer – company statements have been issued at a furious pace. In terms of leadership, they are necessary, according to experts, but can backfire if not backed by action. Here are concepts on company statements and how businesses should look at them in these crucial times.

Leaders should not assume their organization’s stances on issues are known. There is risk in being silent on issues such as racism, says Forbes Contributor Terina Allen. “If your organization isn’t firmly on record as standing against racial injustice, then you are creating a wide-open gap for people to presume you just might be for it,” she says in an article on the George Floyd killing and conversations leaders should be having. Noting these are difficult and uncomfortable issues, she said not only consumers are paying attention – but employees. “If you deem yourself a leader, this crisis is yours,” she says of the Floyd killing.

With statements should come action, says J. Walker Smith, chief knowledge officer of brand and marketing at Kantar, a global insights, data and consulting company. Consumers expect companies to practice what they preach, he told MarketWatch.com. “They want to see brands do something,” Smith said, “use their institutional weight and authority to make a contribution to the communities in which they operate.” Examples: Donating money and manufacturing face masks in the coronavirus outbreak.

Above all, don’t be vague. This is no time for platitudes, said Wendy Melillo, associate professor of journalism at American University of Washington, D.C. She told CNBC putting out a statement for the sake of doing so is easily seen as inauthentic. “People are just going to call that out,” she said. “It’s not truthful, it isn’t transparent … It looks opportunistic.”