Business leaders must walk the talk

DOZENS of companies with no track record of activism have made statements in recent weeks in support of Black Lives Matter (BLM) following what I believe is unprecedented pressure from racial justice protesters. It may have come as a surprise to some. Given just a couple months ago, corporate America showed little interest in the BLM movement - but to me and my colleagues at the USC Center for Public Relations, it made sense.

Earlier this year, we conducted a global survey on what we dubbed the "new activism". At the time, we were aware that activism was a growing force in American society but could not have predicted the topic would become so relevant so soon. Only a few months later, the brutal killing of George Floyd in late May sparked an eruption of activism on the streets of America, which has created a series of complex challenges and opportunities for the corporate world. Our survey shows that companies, which have little experience working with activist groups and causes, have struggled with the rise in activism, not only among the public but among their employees as well. Our research also found that companies recognise the benefits when they engage.

To obtain the perspective of companies and their communicators, we surveyed 837 public relations (PR) professionals - including both consultants and in-house employees - around the world from Jan 21 to Feb 24. The views of PR executives are important in understanding how companies think, because they are the ones who counsel corporate chief executive officers (CEOs) on how to communicate effectively with customers, employees, activists and others.