Some of you may recognise this image, it’s from the 2010 film The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. The particular scene is the rehearsal for the Coronation where Lionel provokes George VI into shouting “I have a voice” to which Lionel calmly replies, “Yes you do.”
In the last few days, we have seen two major organisations make public announcements of a change of mind in response to an outcry from their customers or the general public. The Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company announced that it would not make any charge to the NHS for use of the ExCel Centre as the London Nightingale Hospital and Liverpool FC reversed its decision to furlough some non-playing staff and apologised to fans.
Those of us old enough to remember the early 1990s may remember the campaign for Dolphin-friendly tuna, which has resulted in a 99% reduction in Dolphin deaths in tuna nets. Consumers actively sought out tuna labelled as “Dolphin-Friendly”.
As a junior marketing executive working in snack foods in the late 1980s I also remember the drive to remove artificial colours, flavourings and preservatives from our products in response to the consumer demand, driven by the book “E is for Additives” by Maurice Hanssen.
We don’t have to be royalty, a Government minister, an ‘influencer’, or business leader to have a voice. As consumers we all have a voice and brands, businesses and even governments will listen.
All we need to do is to speak up and let other people add their voices.