Burnout rates have been skyrocketing since the beginning of the pandemic for everyone, but especially for women. Indeed, 70 percent of female employees have said they have experienced burnout in their jobs. Some brands have been addressing this mental health issue internally for all employees by giving them extra time off, but not many are addressing the problem externally. This week, we look at how one brand is continuing its effort to reduce burnout by encouraging women to say “no.”
PepsiCo’s Pure Leaf is bringing back another installment of its “No is Beautiful” campaign. In 2020, the brand teamed up with Amy Poehler to spread the message of saying “no” to things that don’t matter and “yes” to things that do. This year the tea brand worked with author and poet Arielle Estoria to bring the saying to life in an original poem called “The Beautiful Art of No.” Pure Leaf created murals of this poem that are appearing in Los Angeles, CA, Manhattan and Williamsburg, NY, for passersby to take a moment and remind themselves to say, “yes to our sanity.” Katrina McDonald, Senior Marketing Director, Pepsi-Lipton Partnership, explains the goal of the campaign is to “rally women across the nation to implement boundaries that allow them to say “yes” to their values and passions.” To further cement its commitment to alleviating extra exhaustion in women, Pure Leaf also started the “No Burnout, More Balance” program in partnership with Ladies Who Launch and is donating $100,000 to nine female entrepreneurs to help reduce stress.
Unfortunately, the added stress of the pandemic isn’t going away soon, and brands must be willing to meet their stakeholders where they are, internally and externally. Today’s insight exemplifies this and shows the power a brand can have in calling attention to issues and ultimately help solve for them. As we start to enter a new normal, it’s important that the private sector doesn’t forget the mental and emotional health of both employees and customers alike.