As clashes between protesters and police have escalated across the country following the death of George Floyd, many brands joined the chorus of voices calling for an end to racism and police brutality—a step most have been unwilling to take in the past. Nike was one of the first, releasing a simple but hard-hitting ad featuring calls to action such as “Don’t pretend there’s not a problem in America.” Reebok, Ben & Jerry's and lifestyle brands Pretty Little Thing and Milk Makeup also spoke up on social media.

But equality advocates are demanding more than just words, responding on social with "open your purse." Lewis Williams, CCO and evp at Burrell Communications, says consumers expect brands to offer something measurable to the cause. Some, like YouTube and Glossier, have pledged donations to address social justice issues, while others have stopped at statements.

Seeking assistance: Mass unemployment, stress from the pandemic and a lack of help from government entities have consumers seeking solutions from brands.

• Related: For social media brands, the protests have been entwined with posts by President Trump, culminating in the action Twitter took Friday labeling the president's tweet that appeared to threaten protesters as "glorifying violence." The move followed the platform putting a fact-checking label on the president's tweets about mail-in ballots, which prompted an executive order from Trump seeking to roll back protections for social networks. In contrast, Facebook has refused to take action on posts in a similar vein.

Last Wednesday and Thursday, protests involved the looting of several stores in Minneapolis, the city at the center of the conflict, with Target getting the most attention. The store was not chosen at random. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Target has a history of supporting the city's police, including donating $300,000 for surveillance cameras and hosting initiatives with the department. It also settled a 2015 hiring discrimination complaint that said it weeded out applicants based on race, gender and ability.

Dive deeper: Plus, locals said this specific location, which is by a police station, was targeted because employees allegedly refused to sell supplies to aid those exposed to chemical irritants.

The Adweek team has been delighted to look back on a wholly different world, unlimited by social distancing, to discover the most exciting and imaginative experiential marketing campaigns and activations of the past year.

Giant Spoon stole the show with three top honors—Experiential Agency of the Year, Executive of the Year (executive director of experiential Patrick Jong) and Rising Star of the Year—for its work on more than two dozen physical events, including its massively ambitious Game of Thrones experience at 2019's SXSW and immersive experiences at Comic-Con and CES focusing on shows NBC sitcoms and Westworld.

Other notable honorees included OutFront Media and Posterscope, which worked with Comedy Central to take over the New York 7 train to promote the series Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens. UEG Worldwide and Edelman worked with Taco Bell to launch a “dream destination” themed after the restaurant, and Droga5 celebrated 10 years of Angry Birds by creating anger-powered scooters that moved faster the louder their riders yelled.

Immerse yourself: Discover all of the winners of the 2nd Annual Experiential Awards.

The brand marketing community has identified a few key trends that will provide crucial opportunities as we recover from this crisis and identify a path forward:

• Real and raw production: Campaigns created from home have resulted in brands and consumers opeting for less polished campaigns and TV shows, including Walmart's employee-centric ads and John Krasinski’s online series Some Good News.
• Reliance on user-generated content: Consumers are seeking out relatability and humanity, making UGC a key part of many campaigns, including Buffalo Wild Wings' spot about people playing made-up sports at home.
• Levity and optimism reign: As the world opens back up, consumers are responding well to humor, and brands are embracing that, both on social media and in ads, from Coors Light giving away free beer to Progressive making fun of Zoom calls.

Explore more: Many brands have also taken on the challenge of making digital experiences meaningful.

More Top News & Highlights

• PetSmart Names Deutsch LA Its Agency of Record
• Your Customers Found New Brands in Quarantine. So What Now?
• The Pandemic Is Ongoing, but Brands Are Encouraging Travel Again
• This Free Advertising School on Reddit Wants to Help New Grads Break Into the Industry
• HBO Max Celebrates Launch Week With Quarantine-Friendly Brand Partnerships and Digital Events
• Retail Had an Uneven Week as Earnings and Announcements Rolled In
• This New App Wants to Connect Food Service Workers With Available Gigs
• New Digital Studio Lets Brands Build Their Own Realistic Human Avatars Powered by AI

After last year's chicken sandwich wars, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen achieved celebrity status. Now it's unveiling a brand refresh featuring a simplified, more mature version of the classic logo, along with updates to its restaurants, with work by design firm Jones Knowles Ritchie.

Adweek, in partnership with Snapchat, invites you to join us live tomorrow for the first episode of Facing the Future, Together – Financial Services. Monetary concerns are top of mind for consumers in such a volatile economy. How can these financial brands assist individuals in building a financially savvy future? Join us live to find out.

During our recent Diversity & Inclusion Summit, Omnicom and Adcolor's Tiffany R. Warren is finding that working virtually has "tapped a source of creativity that was always there" and advised us on how to use it to advance D&I. Watch all of the sessions from the D&I Summit.

Apply the basic rules of advertising

The new Jordache Vintage line is exclusively available at Walmart.com

A chance to peel out with the pros—or just watch from the sofa

Taking risks doesn't come without its fair share of challenges, though

'Time to Connect' shows how priorities have changed for members stuck at home