Brand activism

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Brand activism is one way business can play a role in processes of social, political, economic, or environmental change.^[1] Applying brand activism, businesses show concern not for profits but for the communities they serve, and their economic, social, and environmental problems, which allows businesses to establish value-based relationships with customers and prospects. Businesses express brand activism through the vision, values, goals, communication, and behavior of the businesses and its brands towards the communities they are part of.^[1] Unlike corporate social responsibility and environmental, social and corporate governance politics, which are marketing-driven and corporate-driven, brand activism is society-driven.^[1]

In their book titled Brand Activism: From Purpose to Action, Philip Kotler and Christian Sarkar define brand activism as follows: "Brand Activism consists of business efforts to promote, impede, or direct social, political, economic, and/or environmental reform or stasis with the desire to promote or impede improvements in society; it is driven by a fundamental concern for the biggest and most urgent problems facing society."^[2]

Thus, brand activism can be regressive or progressive; for example companies that lobby our politicians for regressive policies are brand activists, as are companies seeking to have an impact on the biggest societal problems.^[3]

Current problems facing society typically drive companies towards brand activism.^[1] Once a brand sides with a cause, consumers expect it to not only support the cause publicly but also actively contribute to the cause's initiatives.^[4] Brand activism shifts a company's vision from solely an internal impact to an external impact emphasizing advocacy and justice.^[1]