“Engaging, authentic, refreshing.”
Woke and Weary: Marketing in an Era of Cause Fatigue
We are in a collision between modern social movements and marketing.
Today, more brands than ever publicly align with causes - whether LGBTQ equality, racial justice, our environment, or women’s rights.
From rainbow logos to pride burritos, Juneteenth ice cream to CEO speaking out, pro-woman deodorant to financial service feminists... This is an age of woke-washed marketing.
I help consumers and brands understand our place in this chaos. I’ve been tracking the rise, fall, and impact of woke-washed marketing and brand activism for a decade.
“If THIS is this new normal,
we need new rules of engagement.”
My speaking engagements are for:
Business leaders and ERG’s looking to foster conversations about corporate allyship
Classrooms and groups seeking to learn about the history that got us here and its impact - and where we go next
Consumers who want to be more conscious of the ads they see and all marketing professionals with responsibility for the brands we steward
Let’s explore it together. Available to travel globally and to present virtually.
BBC Radio 4 Wokewash radio documentary
Femvertizing episode (30 mins)
How companies pander to the Womens Rights movement with FemvertisingRace episode (30 mins)
A deep-dive into the wild world of woke marketing and performative allyship. Listen to me walk through campaigns from brands like Pepsi, L'Oreal, and Nike
“My daughter would love this.”
“Inspiring and funny (a perfect combination).”
“Just the right amount of funny and serious. Katie took a complex subject and made it relatable.”
“Extremely engaging, especially the examples”
“Katie is an ace at approaching topics that are chunky and hard to talk about for sheltered individuals and organizations. Now I feel more comfortable to start and facilitate these hard conversations.”
“I strongly recommend this presentation to anyone working in ERG or DE&I to provoke thought about why we do what we do...”
“The content was relevant, interesting, important and presented with so much energy and confidence.”
“Katie spoke to our ERGs. Her talk was engaging, entertaining, thought provoking and informative.”
“I left Katie’s session with a fresh perspective on the power of the work we do, and how we can use our influence to make a real difference — not a woke-washed one.”
“I was so impressed that someone could talk for that long, cover that amount of material and I never lost interest, nor did I daydream. I was engaged and paying attention the whole time.”
“I strongly recommend Katie and this talk to offer a new way to think about how we can be engaged employees, allies, and smarter consumers.”
“This is change in ecstatic motion!!”
“There was NOTHING!!! NOTHING!!!NOTHING!!! I didn’t like. I am so appreciative for this privilege of being able to attend this event.”
“Katie opened so many eyes. Her talk was my favorite part of the show.”
“Engaging, entertaining, thought provoking and informative.”
“A new way to think about how we can be engaged employees, allies, and smarter consumers.”
“Many, many delegates mention her talk as one of the highlights.”
“Katie is such a dynamic speaker!”
“Best speaker of the show. Entertaining and informative.”
“Relevant, important and delivered flawlessly.”
PRIDE OR PANDER?
7 RISKS TO PERFORMATIVE BRAND ALLYSHIP
Katie Martell is an unapologetic marketing truth-teller.
In her speaking and writing, she explores the collision of marketing and social movements, helping brands navigate these changing waters and protect the social movements defining our time.
Her perspective on this topic has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, Wall Street Journal, Adweek, CNBC, and at conferences and universities around the world.
She is a marketing consultant and the author of Trust Me, B2B a short book about building long-term trust through marketing.
Named “one of the most interesting people in B2B marketing" and a top voice in marketing on LinkedIn 3X, Katie turns her experiences as a marketer into actionable, candid guidance.
With a distinct opinion and independent perspective, Katie is a frequent speaker and emcee at marketing, technology, business, and digital conferences in the US and internationally.
As the conversation around marketing evolves in a digital age, she partners with brands to amplify stories of transformation, and trends in marketing and customer experience.
Katie serves on the board of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the advisory board of Pride in Our Workplace, and plays third base and bats cleanup for her Boston modified fastpitch softball team, the Girl Scouts.
Follow her on Twitter @KatieMartell and on LinkedIn.
