How brands should respond to Ukraine-Russia war

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in many brands taking action, either with messaging and financial support for the war-torn nation or by ceasing business with Russian entities. And consumers are paying attention.

A recent survey from Morning Consult found that 75% of Americans support brands cutting ties with Russia; just 8% said companies should maintain business ties but issue a statement condemning the war, the survey found. This week, more than 100 companies have responded to the war through humanitarian efforts or extending sanctions against Russia; in recent days, companies including Airbnb, Accenture, WPP and Ikea have suspended operations in Russia. Google just halted all advertising there. Other actions include Etsy’s forgiving of all fees for Ukrainian-based sellers and the exclusion of pro-Vladimir Putin Russian hockey stars from global marketing for Canadian hockey brand CCM.

“There is a tremendous amount of hunger from brands and organizations for guidance to make sure they are doing the right thing through their words and actions,” said Michelle Giuda, executive VP of geopolitical strategy and risk at PR agency Weber Shandwick, who has spent the week providing counsel to clients about how best to respond to the war. “We are seeing a lot of acknowledgment of the pressure here to do something and to make sure they are doing it correctly and authentically.”

Below, expert advice for brands to follow when considering how to respond to the war in Ukraine.

Consumers are paying attention

As the war continues, awareness is growing across the globe and consumers are watching to see what happens next. Social media can be a platform for brands to rally others to the cause, or for regular people to call out companies that have not taken action. Experts urge all marketers—those with ties to Ukraine and Russia and those without—to be proactive and have a plan in place. The public expects it.

“When we see the escalation and the gruesome pictures multiply I think people are going to start to call out those that haven’t made those decisions,” said Robert Gibbs, senior counsel at marketing services agency Bully Pulpit Interactive and a former White House press secretary in the Obama Administration. “Right now, the ball is in the court of brands and companies to be proactive. Soon, you’ll get to this place where people are not going to give you the opportunity to announce what you want to do but to ask why you haven’t,” added Gibbs, added Gibbs, who was global chief communications officer at McDonald's from 2015 to 2019.

Experts also say consumers will have long memories and remember who did what and when. Giuda compared current consumer expectations with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“People were paying attention to what their employer or what certain businesses did to help through that challenge and I think people are also going to be looking to where companies were when the invasion happened,” she said. But she cautioned that companies should be thinking of the actual benefit of their actions and not only brand perceptions.

“Companies and brands should first and foremost be concerned about the value that their actions and their words bring to the situation versus just how those actions or words are perceived,” said Giuda.

Read more: Top 10 U.S./U.K. news media creators on YouTube as war rages on

Don’t be a bystander

Some brands have been taking a wait and see approach to Ukraine and experts say that is the wrong approach. Many companies with operations in Russia such as Nike and Apple have stopped selling products there, but several marketers that do not have business overseas have remained silent. They can still contribute from a humanitarian perspective. A recent survey taken after the invasion by the Association of National Advertisers found that of the 23% of its 180 members that do business in Russia, only 25% have suspended or reduced media spending in that country. The association urged members to support U.S. sanctions against Russia.

“The line has been drawn clearly and companies most of all have to decide what side of the line they’re on,” said Gibbs. “I don’t think brands and companies can afford to be bystanders because they’re a critical part of that unprecedented response.” He said many actions can serve as a rallying cry for other marketers to step up their response as well. Several companies have pledged financial help to charities assisting Ukrainian refugees. Even small businesses are stepping in to help with creative ideas, and rallying their social media communities to follow suit. Toronto-based gift and flower shop Pictus Goods is holding a raffle and asking for donations to assist nonprofits in Ukraine, while Brooklyn-based book store Archestratus is holding a bake shop to raise money for Ukrainian relief efforts.

Haptic Lab, a design studio and shop in Brooklyn, recently urged customers on Instagram to immediately book properties in Ukraine through Airbnb, which is waiving fees for Ukrainian hosts. While the trip might not be real, the funds go directly to a person in need.

“I noticed in the past few years, when something happens, a lot of brands will tie it to the sale of a product which never felt good,” said Emily Fischer, Haptic Lab’s founder. “Sometimes, the best way to help is you want to feel that immediate connection that you are being helpful.” She said she shared the post on her account so her followers would consider a similar move. The post gained thousands of likes and dozens of comments.

Read more: WPP discontinues its operations in Russia as other holding companies weigh options

Support your employees

While a CEO might be taking actions around sanctions, a CMO has a responsibility to make sure employees are taken care of and understand their company's response.

“The CMO is going to be focused more on making sure internally employees are supported and also that the messaging, the transparency of the messaging internally is there,” said Jenny Rooney, managing director and co-founder of Black Glass Consulting’s CMO House, a CMO consultancy.

Giuda said there is an opportunity for CMOs to take a leadership role at their organizations and make sure that the company is complying with sanctions and paying attention to public reactions to inform their responses.

“This is a precedent-setting moment—the statements and actions brands are taking or not taking is setting a new precedent for how business leaders are expected to respond to an invasion and a democracy under threat,” she said.

Online marketing company Vista, which acquired Ukraine-based Depositphotos in the fall, put together “Say No to War,” a free online gallery of images depicting the war in Ukraine and protests in Russia. Journalists and others are able to use the images to spread awareness.

“This isn’t a marketing initiative—this is us supporting our teammates,” said Ricky Engelberg, CMO at Vista, noting that Vista has some 450 employees in the Kyiv area. He said the company has had a steady stream of communication internally about how to help, and those in Ukraine said the best way to assist was to shine a light on what’s happening on the ground there. “It wasn’t necessarily a ‘Let’s set up a meeting to discuss this,’” Engelberg said. “It was just a thing that emerged after Russia attacked that was an easy next step for us to show our support.”

Related: Cannes Lions bans Russian entries and delegates

Be ready to change your marketing

Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, Applebee’s paused advertising with CNN after the news network’s war coverage accompanied joyful images for the restauranteur. The unfortunate juxtaposition is one that all brands should be considering when making their spring marketing plans. Experts say marketers should be constantly considering their marketing content and be ready to make changes on both messaging and media mix. The pandemic’s lessons of flexibility and tight control over advertising could be helpful for CMOs navigating the current crisis. Brands may need to rethink lighthearted spring ad campaigns or at least ensure they are not appearing near grim scenes as the war worsens.

“This is the challenge for a marketer today—in this conflict you have to wake up every day and assess what people are seeing and watching—does that work with what you have up?” said Gibbs. “It’s much harder than saying, ‘Let’s pause all of it,’ I think you’ve got to dip in and out every day and figure out if what you’re doing works.”

Prepare for what comes next

Many experts said this is just the beginning and the likelihood of the war continuing to escalate is high. Marketers should already be thinking about their actions, messaging and contributions as the war continues.

“It could get a lot worse—what’s is next and what are the ways they could engage,” said Giuda.

Amplifying another brand’s donations or charitable endeavors for Ukraine on social media is one way to spread ideas and engage.

“It’s all about action,” said Rooney. “The only way that telling [about your own endeavors] could potentially have any benefit is it causes other companies to get a great idea, and obviously impact comes through scale and collaboration so at some point critical mass is ultimately needed to drive and effect real change.”