May: What happens when brands opt out of being sensitive?
Heads up: this post mentions grief and sensitive occasions that come round once a year.
It astounds me that some brands are still sending out comms for potentially sensitive occasions without giving customers the opportunity to opt out. I thought it was standard practice nowadays. And yet last week I received an email imploring me to ‘Bring all the fathers in your life for a free pint.’
As Father’s Day emails go, it’s pretty inclusive. I like how they’ve extended the invitation to anyone I might see as a father figure. But two years ago, that subject line would have read like a slap.
I’ll never forget checking my emails in between video calls, four months after my dad died, to see the words TREAT YOUR DAD leaping out of my inbox. I burst into tears and couldn’t concentrate on my work for the rest of the morning.
Unexpected emails are so intrusive. When we’re someone who finds Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Valentine’s Day triggering, we learn to stay off social media. We don’t go into card shops. But most of us can’t avoid checking our emails in the run up to the day.
When I recovered from that subject line’s initial stab of pain, I was annoyed; I didn’t even remember signing up for the brand’s emails in the first place. They immediately joined the ‘Brands That Will Never Get My Money’ list. (So far it’s just them, the ‘beach ready body’ brand, and a French fashion label whose campaign featuring chic, loved-up couples made me feel personally attacked as an unchic, uncoupled 21 year old living in Paris.)
On the flip side, I remember the first brand to ever ask if I wanted to opt out of a sensitive occasion: Bloom & Wild. I was touched by their thoughtfulness, despite not being triggered by the occasion in question. (Their tagline – care wildly – feels very authentic to them as a brand.) Bloom & Wild were shortly followed by Papier – and years later, both remain on my list of ‘Brands That Will Always Get My Money’.
It’s a small gesture, but allowing people to opt out of comms around potentially sensitive occasions is so important. Being reminded of loss is a horrible but unavoidable part of grieving – except when marketing is involved. Sales with a side order of grief? I’d like to opt out please.