Recently Zus Coffee came out with a one-time collaboration with Adidas, which is a brand that is in the boycott list for the genocide on Palestine.
They then came up with a half-hearted apology which sparks even more outrage from their fans all over Malaysia with a threat of boycotting them too.
Here are 3 lessons you can learn from Zus Coffee’s failure to handle the situation,
1/ Really understand your audience
Your brand is actually built by your audience. It wouldn’t exist without them. So it is only logical for you to know & understand who they are, what they want, what their likes or dislikes are. You need to get into their minds, really know them like they are your friends.
Zus Coffee might have forgotten the fact that their customers & core fans are Malaysians, & most Malaysians has a strong stance with Palestine & against Israel.
They should have known better. They should have been more aware & attentive.
2/ Stand for something you believe
Regardless of what your audience expect you to do, you as the owner of the brand should stand for something & the same goes with your brand. You need to pick a side. You can’t be neutral. Because if you are not for something, you are for nothing.
But make sure you’ve done your homework on the issue, really put yourself in the shoes of you audience & understand it on their side too. Be authentic, don’t just pick the side that your audience is on because you think that make the most sense.
Your audience is smarter that you think. Make sure your stand is real. And when you make your stand, stand proud.
3/ Be clear in where your stance is
Whichever side it is that you picked, make it clear about it. Communicate it clearly to your fans & audience about where exactly you stand on the issue.
Zus Coffee came out with an apology statement saying that they condemns any acts of violence against humanity, which is actually a play safe way to handle the situation, maybe a little too safe.
The usage of vague, safe, over the fence language won’t be enough. You really can’t win by playing both side.
Fortunately, credits to their team, they did came up with a new apology & statement saying that they are indeed stand with Palestine & it seems that the outrage has slowed down.
Although the damege wasn’t all that bad, but some damage has been done.