Sensational headlines are in editorial bad taste – but they are the best way to get noticed. It’s no surprise then that Slutwalk – a global movement fighting the suggestion that what girls wear makes them a target for rape – is a headline maker.
The issue is debatable and culturally very sensitive, especially in countries like India. Does the name trivialise the issue? Does it only further objectify women? Or is it, as some feminists say, the most successful women’s movement in the last 20 years? No matter which side of the argument you take, Slutwalk highlights the power of a controversial name.
Names matter. Strategic brand consultancies like ours have known this for years. Wally did this with Orange in the 1990s. What we’re seeing today is a new breed of NGOs that use 21st century brand mechanisms to communicate their points of view. Oxfam and Greenpeace are world-class brands, just like Apple or Nike. They campaign persuasively and use the media cleverly to sell their stories. Smaller NGOs, that have wonderful intentions but that survive on guilting people into giving spare change, will need to catch up. Their brands will be essential to their success. Not all charity brands need to be controversial but if they want to be influential, charity brands have to get noticed.
Slutwalks’s success will ultimately depend on its ability to effectively utilise the buzz it has generated. In many ways, it’s already ahead of the competition.
