Why Selling Out Can Make For a Better World
There's a question that has been weighing on my conscience for a while, and I suspect I'm not alone: What does it mean to sell out? And if it will move the world forward, is it a bad thing?
In an era where ideological stubbornness often takes precedence over progress, and brands are scrutinised for every initiative, I've come to believe this: we're in the business of persuasion. As marketers, we can and should use our talents for good.
Do the names Charles Koch or George Soros mean anything to you? If you know them, you probably see them as political enemies on opposite ends of a spectrum; Fox News paints George Soros as if he’s the antichrist, and MSNBC does the same to Charles Koch.
But did you know that, as early as 2014, Charles Koch and George Soros - two poster-children of political polarisation - found common ground. And as a result, they worked together on criminal justice reform. More recently, in 2019, they co-funded the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, an anti-war think tank. They believe there are too many wars and they’ve chosen to work together on solutions. While they don't collaborate as often as they disagree, when they do find alignment on issues like criminal justice reform and anti-war initiatives, they come together. It raises an important question: does this cooperation equate to selling out?
No. They are setting their differences aside to advance a greater good.
Why are we so polarised? I believe that ideological purity is the enemy of progress. It’s the root of our current societal polarisation.
We can’t mend what’s broken nor make strides forward by only working with people who agree with us on everything. That’s not progress - that’s an echo chamber.
Look at Colin Kaepernick and Nate Boyer. Colin first protested racial injustice by sitting during the national anthem. Nate, a former US Army Green Beret and NFL player, wrote an open letter in response to Colin’s protest that said, “I fought for your right to protest and I believe in your cause. But if one of my teammates had chosen to sit during the national anthem, it would hurt.”
Instead of clapping back, Colin listened. They met. They discussed their points of view.
Nate asked him, "Would you consider kneeling? When we pray, we kneel. When we lose a brother or sister in battle, we kneel. It's a sign of reverence.” And so from that point on, Colin Kaepernick knelt.
So does that make Colin Kaepernick a sell-out? What about Nate Boyer? Or does it make them both human - willing to grow, collaborate, and evolve?
These stories come to mind when I consider the advertising industry as a whole. In the current social climate, brands are being cancelled or coming under fire left and right. Fear of creating a campaign that supports the wrong cause, wrong group or wrong viewpoint has become a major roadblock in modern advertising.
But, what if progress requires engaging across those lines – not to compromise our values, but to find shared ones?
That’s the path we took when a group of Christian philanthropists approached us with a tough but important question: “How did the world’s greatest story of love and compassion become weaponised to justify hate and oppression?” We’re not a faith-based agency. But, we realized that Jesus was a radical. He spent much of his time with outcasts and sinners, spreading a message of love and compassion, yet was ultimately killed because of it. So, I thought, “This is something I can get behind.”
We assembled an agency team of believers, non-believers, agnostics and atheists, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, and created a campaign that moves beyond religion and speaks to themes like the shared humanity modeled by Jesus. We’ve received our share of criticism, but comments we’ve received like, “I was considering taking my own life until I saw this message” make us proud of the work.
No one agrees with everyone on everything. Politically. Theologically. Socially. And, like many agencies, we’re not interested in working with just anyone. But, when there’s the opportunity to “meet in the radical middle” as Nate Boyer called it, for the sake of a greater good, we’re inclined to lean in.
So, is it really selling out to work with a client or agency with whom you might not always agree? Or, is it a sign of growth to seek common ground when the cause is greater than either side?
I don’t think that’s selling out. I think it’s showing up. And, if you have an idea for something that can move the world forward, come and find me. Let’s set our differences aside and try.
And, if that makes us all sell outs, then so be it.
Pedro Lerma is founder and CEO at LERMA/.
