Woke is a political agenda,
not a product marketing strategy.

The definition of WOKE per Merriam-Webster: aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice). That's a mischaracterization of what Woke really is.

When James Lindsay spoke at the European Parliament in 2023 he defined Woke as: "Maoism with American characteristics." Marxism is not a product or brand strategy, it's a system of classism. Yet corporations are pushing the ideology to sieze the means of cultural production. Author Douglas Murray defines Woke in under three minutes as to "bring down capitalism."

"The North Face is offering a 20% discount certificate to U.K. customers who complete an online diversity, equity and inclusion course entitled “Allyship in the Outdoors. The discount is redeemable through The North Face website and currently is not available to customers in North America. So, if this is marketing, then it is an influence-the-influencer strategy," (8) as The North Face is attempting to implement racism into Mother Nature herself stating, the outdoor's is racist and based on white supremacy. Ex-Levi’s president Jennifer Sey saw through this agenda: “This is viewpoint discrimination. The North Face is saying that if you subscribe to DEI – which, a political and ideological agenda, – you get a discount. Can you imagine if a brand said, if you take this course on why life begins at conception, you get 20% off?” It’s the same thing,” she continued.” Surely this is not a marketing strategy, but a one-off program promoting the outdoors products? Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case.

The North Face has become political through their holiding company V.F. Corporation going so far as in 2023 TNF released a Pride campaign starring drag queen Pattie Gonia. The ad promotes the company’s “Summer of Pride,” a series of homosexual outdoor "Coming Out" events across the US stating: "Nature allows you to be who you are, even gay." (9)

The backlash has been instanteous, as the “Allyship in the Outdoors” program has seen VF revenues down 16% in its most recent third quarter, with The North Face off 10% in 2024. Consumer's are not interested in virtue signaling and exclusivity theater from companies, their brands or products. Sadly it gets worse. Much, much worse as The North Face sponsors Camp Brave Trails, where children as young as 12 dress and perform in drag while wearing makeup.

The North Face has become political through their holiding company V.F. Corporation going so far as in 2023 TNF released a Pride campaign starring drag queen Pattie Gonia. The ad promotes the company’s “Summer of Pride,” a series of homosexual outdoor "Coming Out" events across the US stating: "Nature allows you to be who you are, even gay." (9)

The North Face, as well as shoe companies Toms and Chacos, among other brands has sponsored Camp Brave Trails for multiple years, stating in 2021 that it was donating over $70,000 to the organization. Camp Brave Trails is an overnight summer camp where children as young as 12 years old who identify as LGBT are encouraged to perform in drag. These are not business strategies that connect deeper with their consumer base. These are twisted political agenda's their consumer base in unaware of. Until now.

"Advertising is not an art form, it’s a medium for information, a message for a single purpose: to sell." ~ David Ogilvy

Then there is Pfizer's new Advil program, that believes 'Pain Is Racist.' While The North Face pushes the outdoor's is racist, Big Pharma is pushing the "Pain Equity Project: Believe My Pain, is focused on illuminating the issue of pain inequity in Black communities." Sounds similar to the anti-male 'Me Too' movement, but even more ridiculous. Believe Black people when they feel pain? Big Pharma is now leveraging the racist narrative that an entire aspect of the population should receive care based on the color of their skin for the sole pupose of selling more product that everyone can get at a gas station. It's reparations with a medical twist. If you haven't watched "Dopesick" starring Michael Keaton, please do. (10)

James Lindsay saw the Wokeness of Advil's black exploitation and called it out.

Then there is Nike. There are so many examples of the massive cultural change at Nike moving away from "Just Do It" to Social Justice and attempting to conflate the two. From pushing talentless athletes like Colin Kaepernick to redesigning the United Kingdom's national Saint George flag. The outrage from Football fans was understandable, while the disgust from Brits was more than justified. "On the horizontal stripe of the cross, the colours become bars of navy, light blue and purple – perhaps in a nod to the rainbow LGBT flag – in what Nike called a "playful" update." Inclusivity pushed by a corporate slave labor manufacturer. The hypocrisy is dripping.

Woke ideology, or more specifically the woke agenda, is not a marketing strategy. It is not an insightful approach to niche target audience either. Woke is as Lindsay stated a Marxist political agenda. It is a social religion. Read "The Lazy Marketers Of Today" to understand ESG/ CEI / DEI financial manipulation on companies to go Woke. Yes, ESG is a part of the Woke agenda and not what companies should focus on externally. (5)

Google (Don't Be Evil) is partly responsible for implementing the Woke debacle. Google introduced badges that tell consumers if a business are: Woman-owned, Black-owned or LGBTQ+P friendly. It was a way to manipulate and use positive discrimination in marketing. (3) Does a business failing to display a badge mean they’re not nice to members of a community? Does the badge mean the business only serves said community? Inclusivity or rather exclusivity? It's literally racism and BRIDGE is behind it for years. HAVAS, McKinsey, WPP, InDEED and dozen's of massive corporate brands like Unilever are deeply embedded with this openly anti-white hate group. DEI is just an arm of this racist agenda, just like Gamergate and Sweet Baby Inc.

Using Woke ideology instead of value based brand or product marketing strategy is not about generating sales. Value or cause-based advertising tied to brand purpose is nothing new, but Woke marking intentionally leaves the brand purpose out of the picture. “When a very specific social cause is used by a marketer to make headlines, it can seem quite desperate.” Attention is only growing harder to earn in an increasingly fragmented media environment. (1) With a 1000 companies all shouting the same Woke ideology they saturate the environment and dilute their point-of-difference, while alienating their customer base. Cultural Marxism is not a marketing strategy for products and brands. It is a destructive totalitarian political scheme.

"Go woke. Go broke" is also not a right-wing fight song. Consumer boycotts are consumer power as activism and the result of intentionally shunning a companies core customer base. Partnering with a politically divisive ambassador can destroy brand perception and cripple sales. (2) Attempting to be the most virtuous or most Woke is an impossible mountain to climb and open's a door to cancel culture. A competent (CMO) Chief Marketing Officer would foresee this. Sadly Victoria’s Secret has just learned this lesson, the hard way "After Sales Plummet With Woke Ad Campaign Featuring Megan Rapinoe." (5)

For those who recall the incredibly positive, powerful and inspiring Women (female) based campaign's Nike used to produce like, "If You Let Me Play" circa 1995, you'll enjoy the parody "When I Grow Up" for Redballoon.work by The BiG Agency:

Woke vs. Awake. "The gap is great. There is much at stake to stay awake." (4) Now let's discover what Marxism means. Lindsay's essay entitled, "Marxism is a cult religion" is linked below:

If you're a company looking to create an original integrated marketing campaign to expand brand awareness and scale contact Kevin Amter. His nationally awarded work for T-Moble and dozens of other Fortune 500 brands will strategically move your company in a winning direction.

SOURCE LINKS:

(1) The year of ‘woke-washing’: How tone-deaf activism risks eroding brands
(2) The Internet Comes Together To Mock The CIA’s New ‘Woke’ Ad
(3) The Rush To Promote Woke And Why Only The Quality Of The Product Should Matter
(4) Woke vs. Awake: The Gap is Great
(5) Companies Should Focus On Their Products, Not Preach ESG To The Public
(6) Victoria’s Secret Going Back to Basics After Sales Plummet With Woke Ad Campaign Featuring Megan Rapinoe
(7) How Video Games... "WENT WOKE" Sweet Baby Inc.
(8) The North Face Invites Consumer Backlash With 20% Off DEI Sale
(9) North Face is Latest Target of Backlash After Pride Celebration Ad
(10) Dopesick review – the heinous truth behind America’s opioid emergency
(11) Faking 'wokeness': how advertising targets millennial liberals for profit