The Tyranny of Empathy: What Brands Should Not Do with this Powerful Force

Speaker: Moensie Rossier, strategy director, Principals

Date: 20 July, 2022

Empathy is a mobilising force for positive change – and a ruthless emotional manipulator. It unites and inspires mass movements like #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, but it can also incite outrage and deepen divisions, as news headlines are tested for high emotional engagement that reinforces a worldview. Brands can’t afford to be bystanders, nor can they jump on the bandwagon.