There was Amazon workers’ vote to unionize at an Alabama warehouse, then came the strikes from unionized workers at John Deere and Kellogg. There was the first union at a US Starbucks store, the workers at an REI store in Manhattan seeking a union vote, tech workers’ efforts to unionize at The New York Times, and another vote at the Amazon warehouse in Alabama—and that’s not even all of the organizations that have made headlines related to unionization efforts among their workers and strikes from members throughout the past year.

Across industries and job titles, many workers around the US have been coming together to fight for better wages, benefits, and safety protections.

And they may have the public on their side: According to a survey conducted by Marketing Brew and Harris Poll last month, among 1,998 US adults surveyed, 71% of respondents believe that more service-industry companies should have employee unions.

• That belief has the potential to impact purchasing behavior, the survey suggests: 42% of Americans said they’re less likely to shop with a company that is trying to stop its employees from unionizing, and 41% said the same of a company with a union on strike. Those numbers are even higher among Gen Z.
• Beyond that, 29% of respondents said they would actually be more likely to purchase from a brand with unionized employees, including 41% of millennials and 32% of Gen Z.

Linda Ong, founder and CEO of cultural insights and strategy firm Cultique, who has been conducting research and advising clients about topics like collective action and unionization since 2016, said the increased push for employee rights started with millennial-led movements like Occupy Wall Street, and continued on with Gen Z.

“We’re seeing an overall move in power, a shift in power from the C-suite to the E-suite, the employee suite,” Ong told Marketing Brew. “People recognize that worker rights are important because everybody is reassessing the role of work in their lives anyway, so whether you consider yourself a worker who might be unionized or not, you can empathize.”

Say what you need to say

Some companies might look at last year’s stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicating union membership was at an all-time low, and sigh with relief.

But, but, but: Public approval of labor unions is the highest it’s been since 1965, according to Gallup, and given the high profile of brands currently facing union votes, experts say employers should be prepared for the wave to grow.

Brayden King, professor of management at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, told Marketing Brew that it’s “too early to tell” if we’re seeing the rise of a new labor movement, but added that “it does seem to be the case that employees are willing to express their frustrations with workplace and do something about it.” He anticipates more unionization efforts to emerge in the next year.

When labor movements do form, Prashant Malaviya, marketing professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, told us brands should think through their responses carefully.

Read the rest of the story here.—KH and AM

If you’ve been relying on meal kits and grocery deliveries over the past couple of years, you might be missing out on a trend unfolding at grocers: Robot workers.

“As the roles of grocery workers evolve, robots have emerged as solutions for easy(ish)-to-automate tasks, be it cleaning, monitoring stock levels, or even fulfilling deliveries,” Retail Brew’s Erin Cabrey wrote.

• Sam’s Club recently added inventory-checking capabilities to its roughly 600 smart scrubbers.
• Marty, a “googly-eyed hazard-detecting machine,” can be found roving the aisles of Stop & Shop.

And those are just a few examples. Per Erin, “grocers and the companies behind the bots are looking at how they can be a solution to staffing shortages and a relief to multitasking associates.”

Of course, these robots present marketing opportunities (and challenges).

Monetize the bot: Apparently, kids have “fallen in love with” Marty, Patrick Maturo, manager of store initiatives for Stop & Stop, told Retail Brew. And a plush version of him exists.

Humanize the bot: On the flip side, robots can certainly freak people out. That’s why Tally, a robot seen at grocery retailers like Schnucks, was made to look “sleek and slender,” according to Brad Bologea, CEO of Simbe Robotics, the maker of Tally.

Looking ahead: As Erin points out, “fewer than 25% of shoppers believe that ‘robots and other robotic systems’ would improve their experience, per a recent PSFK report,” so there’s still more work to be done.

Read her two-part series on grocery-store robots here and here.—MS

Each Tuesday, we spotlight Marketing Brew’s readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Kelly Grega is content manager at Cohn Marketing, an agency based in Denver. In her role, Grega told Marketing Brew she’s “responsible for curating the narrative of Cohn and our clients across all mediums.”

Describe your career to date. Like many employees at Cohn, I had an atypical path into the marketing world. I graduated from University of Colorado–Boulder with a degree in broadcast journalism and quickly got a job working as a multimedia journalist and field reporter in Denver. Luckily, Cohn is an agency that seeks people outside of the designated marketing boxes, so when joining the agency, I had the privilege of carving out a whole new role, responsibilities, and growth plan that complemented my unique skill set and could grow our team’s integrated capabilities.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? I’m responsible for creating, managing, and evolving the online persona of my clients across digital channels including social media, websites, blogs, podcasts, and more.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? Travel Oregon’s latest campaign with Wieden+Kennedy. Beyond the whimsy, I’m just a huge PNW fan and this campaign cemented my love for the Beaver State.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile? The only thing I love more than a pun is alliteration, and both of those things often show up in my copywriting style.

What’s a marketing-related podcast, social account, or series you’d recommend? @sippinsocialtea on Instagram.

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Frame game: Meta is further tightening the rules on profile frames on Facebook to tamp down on “misuse.”

Screen time: Speaking of Meta, Instagram has reportedly removed the option for users to set a time limit of less than 30 minutes in the app.

Fresh start: This handy guide details how to review—and delete—past posts across social media platforms.

Knock any inbox’s sox off: Brands like Chipotle and Mastercard use Liveclicker to create custom, 1:1 emails for their audiences that amplify engagement and loyalty through personalized offers, interactive communication, and more. Get a demo here.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• Inside a podcast rebrand
• Can TikTok save the Olympics?
• Mtn Dew’s bizarre Puppy Monkey Baby returns

The US women’s soccer team won a legal victory in their yearslong fight for equal pay today when the US Soccer Federation agreed to equalize pay between men’s and women’s national teams in future competitions. By what amount had the women’s team alleged to have been underpaid compared to players on the men’s team?

1. 80%
2. 50%
3. 40%
4. 25%

Keep scrolling for the answer.