You may not think that you have much to learn from an oil company. After all, you’re probably responsible for marketing a pickup truck, or athletic apparel, or a better-for-you probiotic soda, or something cool and modern and several layers of abstraction away from petroleum. But modern brand leaders would do well to pay attention to the oil industry’s hard-won lessons about community permission.

The Social License

Consider what it takes to sink an oil well. At least two things are needed: legal permits and community permission. The first is paperwork. The second? That’s harder to secure.

Oil companies learned this lesson the hard way in the 1990s, when Jim Cooney of Placer Dome first coined the term “Social License to Operate.” It was a simple but revolutionary observation: just because you have the legal right to drill doesn’t mean the community will stand by as you do it.

We're on a two-track approval process for major mining projects. When we deal with the government, we're trying to get a government permit. When we deal with the community, we're looking to get a community license. - Jim Coony

What Are You Mining?

You may not be in the business of extracting oil. But you’re definitely looking to get your hands on your customers’ attention, trust, data, and money. And just like petroleum reserves, you need more than legal permission and the machinery of extraction to access these. You need social permission.

In this series, we'll explore how brands succeed (or spectacularly fail) at earning their social license across multiple domains - from expanding to new audiences, to opening new markets or verticals, to joining new cultural conversations, or getting customers to share their data.

We’ll start with gathering customer data as it’s in the quest for data that far too many brands act like the worst kind of extraction companies. These daytraders of the marketing world show up with forms and demands before they’ve even tried to earn the right to ask.

Data collection: Earning the right to Ask

“Allow tracking?”

“Save payment info?”

“Share contact list?”

“Subscribe to our newsletter”

These little moments of digital truth reveal more about your relationship with customers than any brand purpose deck ever could. And the responses—from instant acceptance to impulsive clicks on “deny”, to even rage search-and-clicking your Google ads (just to cost you money) —tell you exactly where you stand. The brands that get it right understand a fundamental truth: value must come before asking.

Glossier: Earning Permission Through Content

Few companies have demonstrated this better than Glossier. They didn’t start by demanding data. For years, “they” weren’t even a they at all, but a single woman who created a blog that understood how real people thought about makeup. She built Into The Gloss —creating a community where real people actually wanted to talk about beauty. She made sharing feel like being part of something that mattered. And when Glossier finally launched products and asked for information, it didn't feel like extraction—it felt like participation in a community people already trusted.

That trust enabled Glossier to go on to create some of retail's most remarkable experiences. Their stores aren't just shops—they’ve become social destinations where customers give each other makeup tips like friends getting ready together, and where you might stumble upon a miniature Antelope Canyon hidden in the back of their West Hollywood location. When every touchpoint feels like an invitation rather than a transaction, sharing personal information becomes just another way to be part of something special.

YETI: Earning Permission Through Stories

YETI followed a similar path to trust, but with a different community. They didn't start by pushing expensive coolers. Instead, they built their foundation on something far more valuable: respect for their community. Through their Films series, they've created documentary-quality portraits of the people who live the outdoor life—remote fly fishing guides, ranch cowboys, mountain bikers, and adventurers of every stripe. These aren't commercials masquerading as content; they're genuine celebrations of ways of life that deserve to be documented.

This deep respect shows up in everything they do. Their flagship stores aren't just retail spaces but community hubs, hosting film screenings and expedition talks. At fishing tournaments and hunting competitions, they don't just sponsor—they serve, creating gear check stations and cooling areas that solve real problems for participants. Their Airstream tours bring mobile customization and cold drinks to remote trail heads. Each activation reinforces the same message: we're not here to sell to your community—we're here to serve it. When a brand demonstrates this level of genuine understanding and commitment, customer data isn't something you have to extract—it's something people volunteer because they want to be part of what comes next.

The Question

The question isn't whether you need a social license to operate. The question is: What investments are you making to earn it? The answer lies in reimagining how your brand shows up for your community before you start making asks.

Consider loyalty programs that flip the script - where brands show their loyalty first. Like Patagonia's Worn Wear program that helps customers repair beloved items instead of pushing new sales. Or Sephora's Beauty Insider Community that creates real connection through shared expertise (and drives engagement with a loyalty program that generates 80% of Sephora's transactions)

Look at cultural partnerships that serve communities authentically - like Vans' long-term investment in skate culture through park building and artist collaborations. These aren't quick campaigns; they're deep commitments that demonstrate understanding and respect.

The most successful brands today aren't just lobbying for their social license - they're actively investing in it through meaningful experiences, community support, genuine value creation, and creating tons of content along the way. The winners in the new marketing oil rush understand the need to prime the pump, and that in the search for customer data the game is less about extraction and more about contribution.

Priming the Pump: The Social License to Operate.