Why brands should serve causes, not market themselves at protests

There was a time when a brand’s job was simple — make a product, sell it, stay out of trouble. That time is over. Today, every major demonstration in Delhi is about cameras that pan across the crowd at Jantar Mantar, and somewhere in the frame is a logo. A water bottle with a brand name. A QR code on a placard. The question is no longer if brands need to take a position. The question is: Should they show up at all at Jantar Mantar? 

For those who don’t follow Delhi politics closely, Jantar Mantar is not Ramlila Maidan and it is not India Gate. It is a designated patch of concrete where citizens are permitted to disagree with the state, loudly and publicly. Farmers come here. Students come here. They come because the issue matters enough for them to leave work and home, take a train, and stand in the sun.

But Jantar Mantar is not a brand activation site. It is part of no media plan. There is risk. There is anger. There is also hope. And into this space, over the last five years, brands have started walking in, albeit gingerly.  

The reasons are easy to list. First, attention. When a protest trends, the media is already there. One picture, one quote, and a brand can get a month’s worth of reach without buying a single ad. Second, pressure. Employees ask HR: “What is our stance?” Consumers ask on Instagram: “Why are you silent?” Agencies pitch: “Purpose-led campaigns outperform.” Silence starts to feel like an awkward and avoidable position. Third, the fear of being left behind. If your competitor puts out a solidarity post and you don’t, are you on the wrong side of history? So, the marketing team books a cab to Jantar Mantar with t-shirts, hydration packs, and a photographer. 

Where does it go wrong? Most of the time, it ends badly. Not because the cause is wrong, but because the motive is. 

Mistake 1: The tourist. The brand shows up once. Hands out freebies. Takes photos. Leaves. Two weeks later, no one in the company remembers or cares. This is called “protest-washing,” and audiences are very good at spotting it. The backlash is faster than the goodwill. 

Mistake 2: The weather vane. The brand supports Cause A in March and Cause B in June, depending on which one is trending. Soon, no one believes you. You have not taken a stand. You have taken a selfie. 

Mistake 3: The wrong messenger. A farmers’ protest is not an FMCG brand’s turf.  

A pharma brand trying to get cosy with GenZ? Finding forced brand fits is called photo-bombing. 

Mistake 4: The safety miscalculation. Protests are unpredictable. If your employee or influencer is in the crowd and something goes wrong, the brand becomes a part of the news cycle for reasons it cannot control. 

When can it work? There are exceptions. But they are narrow, and expensive. 

Exception 1: The cause is your business.  If you are a cooperative of farmers, and farmers are protesting farm laws, your presence is not marketing. It is existence. If you are a legal-tech firm, and you are providing pro bono help to protesters, that is service. The test is simple: Would you be doing this if there were no cameras? If the answer is no, do not go. 

Exception 2: You serve, you don’t sell. The brands that have earned respect at protest sites did three things. They asked the organisers what was needed. They provided it without branding. And they stayed after the news cycle moved on. Free medical camps. Charging stations. Water. Legal aid. Data support. No banners. No hashtags. The logo, if it appears at all, is small and on the back of a t-shirt worn by a volunteer, not on a stage. This is not glamorous. It will not win you a Cannes Lion. But it will earn you trust that lasts 10 years. 

Is there a better way to show up? Honestly, most brands do not actually need to be at Jantar Mantar. They need to do the work that makes Jantar Mantar less necessary. Indian consumers, especially those under 35, are not naive. They know what it feels like when something you care about loses. They apply the same logic to brands: “Were you with us when we lost?” They can tell the difference between brands. Those that show up before, during, and after. And those that show up for the photo.

Brands are welcome in a democracy. But democracy asks for consistency, not visibility.

The writer is chairman of Rediffusion