{"id":7064,"date":"2024-06-19T14:10:32","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T14:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.allisonworldwide.com\/?p=7064"},"modified":"2024-06-20T18:08:39","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T18:08:39","slug":"juneteenth-balancing-act-brands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.allisonworldwide.com\/juneteenth-balancing-act-brands\/","title":{"rendered":"Recognizing Juneteenth is a Balancing Act for Brands\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Jessica Peraza<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 19, we commemorated Juneteenth, the official end of slavery in the U.S., when Union soldiers arrived in Texas on June 19, 1865 to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free the last known enslaved African Americans. The day symbolizes freedom, emancipation, and the ongoing struggle for civil rights and equality in America. President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in 2021, making Juneteenth an official federal holiday. Since then, brands have become increasingly vocal about commemorating the day \u2013 though they haven\u2019t always gotten it right.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walmart\u2019s infamous “Juneteenth ice cream\u201d<\/a> made headlines in 2022 and faced criticism around the commercialization of the holiday \u2013 it pulled the ice cream but opted to keep equally cringy Pan-African flag-themed paper plates and napkins on store shelves (Dollar Tree<\/a> did the same). Old Navy<\/a> also faced backlash and suspended a campaign after an offensive influencer pitch that went out to more than 300 Black influencers leaked. The retailer asked influencers to post themselves in Juneteenth-branded Old Navy shirts they had to buy for themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other brands have made better judgement calls in striking the right balance, acknowledging the holiday without trivializing or commercializing. Nike\u2019s<\/a> 2020 \u201cFor Once, Don\u2019t Do It\u201d\u202fcampaign empowered consumers to act and stand against racial injustice, and it committed $40 million to help make the Black community stronger. And Ben & Jerry\u2019s<\/a> rebranded its already impactful Change Is Brewing<\/em> ice cream flavor in 2022 to advocate for voting rights and encourage young Black voter turnout ahead of mid-term elections. Pints were distributed across historically Black colleges and universities and in large cities and rural communities across Southern states in partnership with the Black Voters Matter Fund<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it\u2019s a fine line between appreciation and appropriation. Most brands didn\u2019t know about\u202fJuneteenth\u202funtil a few years ago \u2013 but their Black consumers and employees did. It\u2019s important for marketers to counsel our clients not only on what they should be doing to recognize Juneteenth, but also on how they can truly show up to support Black communities.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few reminders for anyone navigating these discussions: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n