From vitriol to virtue: how brands can harness the power of kindness

The power of the positive – especially when so much of the discourse in the wider world is negative – is immense. 

Amid societal divides, kindness and generosity are unifying forces, breaking down barriers and fostering genuine interactions. Strategies based on the beneficial can do wonders for brands, offering a springboard for messages of hope and visions of a better future. Sentiments that increasingly capture the attention of jaded citizens.

But kindness and generosity are more than communication tactics; they are foundational elements of an effective brand strategy.

But kindness and generosity are more than communication tactics; they are foundational elements of an effective brand strategy, serving as a unique currency that cultivates lasting loyalty and deep engagement. In today’s world, transparent authentic connections can punch through myriad messages – and generosity can be a real brand superpower.

This critical marketing approach was the strategy behind our recent ‘Happiest Hour’ gathering during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. In partnership with Upworthy and the Cannes Can Diversity Collective we brought together global brands including Google, Mastercard and TikTok to explore tangible examples of how brands are applying kindness and generosity within their businesses.

Since its inception, [TikTok] has had a more joyous feel than many of its predecessors.

Media company Upworthy’s positioning of ‘sharing the best of humanity with the world’ was a direct response to the anger and vitriol of sentiments seen on so many social platforms and other content mediums. Its Vice President of Partner Solutions, Mindy Nguyen, talked about how creating positive stories on social media “can be kind and generous, and it doesn’t take that much”. It has looked to counterbalance divisiveness by focusing on "small gestures that have long impacts on people’s lives” to tell stories about a better world.

Google started its Black-owned Friday initiative in 2021 with a cool video featuring a new T-Pain track. 

Social media companies creating platforms for people to share their own user-generated content are not curated with the single-minded focus that a publisher’s content is – so TikTok isn’t devoid of all negativities – but since its inception it has had a more joyous feel than many of its predecessors. Kim Farrell, its global head of curators, sees it as a “positive corner of the internet for genuine connection and a place of discovery” which is a positioning that offers more room for kindness than many.

In the middle of conflict, kindness resonates in life-protecting – as well as life-changing – ways.

But even with TikTok’s rapid growth it’s yet to reach Google-heights. Jonathan Johnsongriffin, Google’s Vice President of Global Brand & Creative referred to “the scale of helpfulness” the business can achieve and cited its Black-owned Friday campaign. With a clear remit to help smaller black-owned businesses it was a campaign built on brand generosity. 

“Google is just the stage, businesses are the stars”, Johnsongriffin said, explaining that the Keke Palmer ft. Crystal Waters music video promoting the initiative gave those businesses a soundtrack to use. “What that level of generosity can do… it just opens up a whole world for businesses that continue to shine and grow, while those communities will continue to benefit.”

TikTok's Black-owned Friday campaign was built on brand generosity. 

In the middle of conflict, kindness resonates in life-protecting – as well as life-changing – ways. Jay Altschuler, Senior Vice President, Global Media at Mastercard explained how, as a business working across 110 countries, Mastercard has looked to use its insight and data and turn that into positive impact for the world.

There is no single path to kindness through brand experiences, there are myriad approaches and they will be entirely dependent on a business’ products and services.

When Russia invaded Ukraine and refugees were crossing the border into Poland, Mastercard – which has a sizeable business in Warsaw – explored whether its data could help those refugees. Mastercard built the WhereToSettle app based on the purchase and audience data it held, to help Ukrainian refugees find the towns and cities in Poland best suited for their needs – depending on skill sets for jobs, family requirements, demographics and more. As the situation changes, it adds new features to the app, constantly innovating to help people settle.

These examples show that there is no single path to kindness through brand experiences, there are many approaches and they will be entirely dependent on a business’s products and services. And with AI now entering the fray, if used in the right way, it could help scale the ability of brands to incorporate altruism into their operations. 

Mastercard built the WhereToSettle app based on the purchase and audience data it held, to help Ukrainian refugees find the towns and cities in Poland best suited to their needs.