We are constantly bombarded with messages; some are important, but most of them are junk we digest. Our perception has changed. We used to read long stories and gather our opinions by digging into the subject matter.

We used to read.

Today, with the constant rise in the number of messages we receive (blaming the junk on social media we can’t get away from), we are only reading titles there, for we are building opinions on complete junk. It’s hard to imagine how our minds structure these “titles”. A few years ago, the number of messes per day was around 5,000, but that was before the rise of social media. (I have no idea what the amount is today, but the number must be crazy.) Of course, a high percentage of these messages are advertising. They are telling us about something with some rather fine-tuned words and fancy images. With the user data, of course, these words and images are carefully aimed directly at us.

With so many things around us, it is hard to know what is good or what we need. Most of the good brands don’t have huge advertising budgets to compete with the third-world made, high-pollution “junk” brands. Not to mention where all these “cool” brands are made these days.

It is the world we live in.

But here is the thing: We are creating these messages. So we have the power, and with power comes responsibility. To work only for more true brands and ditch the junk ones is, for sure, not a way to go. I do know how hard it is to get clients.

It is a challenge. But what if we rethought the values of each brand we already work with? What if this is the new mission for all message creators? What if this is our new social responsibility?
While we (the consumers) are becoming more and more demanding in terms of what the brands are offering, the brands are finally rethinking their core. It works faster for more agile small brands that know their social responsibilities—the impact on people, the environment, and local resources. Big brands can’t ignore this much longer, but it will take them time to adapt.

The excessive advertising is already backfiring for them. The more and more educated consumers will hurt junk brands on each step (one good point of social media). They are losing where it hurts the most. Consumers are always the first voice or ambassadors of the brand, and when the bitch momentum starts roiling, they can’t stop it.

The new social responsibility starts with three simple questions you can ask the brands you are working with:

How can they improve their impact on local people?
How do their products or services impact the environment?
How can they use local resources—human and material?
A socially responsible brand is a healthy brand. This is our new social responsibility!

Even when we don’t have the power, we can do a lot by just rethinking what we are doing.

Rethink what you need.

Buy less, buy better.

Support local brands.

Follow their values.

Help them grow.

I learned most of these things in the past two years working as a mentor to create a sustainable and socially responsible business.