Brand Activism in the age of Woke Capitalism

Abstract

Nowadays, management and marketing seem to have a new consciousness, while corporations seem to tell us that purpose comes before profit. In addition, they are showing us that taking a stand on social and political issues is demanded by consumers. In doing so, brands are starting to act like activists, at the point of transforming their campaigns into movements. The emergence of global issues, from climate change to polarization, has pushed companies to make a shift: this finds its origins in the social and activist movements, also suggesting a connection with their current engagement in future concerns and corporate politics. In 2018, Kotler and Sarkar defined their perspective about this phenomenon as Brand Activism, stating that the private democracy of corporations was due to the failure of the state. On the other hand, the same shift is counter-narrated as Woke Capitalism, which underlines the new hypocritical and profit-driven orientation of corporations. Whether the new capitalism is really woke seems to be the question. The fact is that the two perspectives coexist because both sentiments exist at the same time within and outside companies, among employees, investors, CEOs and society at large. Seen from this perspective, profit could still be the main factor to guide the future of a company, with civic engagement being mostly a form of compensation or a way to influence society and to position the brand in the market.