In today’s marketplace, consumers want brands to take a stand on sociopolitical issues. When brands match activist messaging, purpose, and values with prosocial corporate practice, they engage in authentic brand activism, creating the most potential for social change and the largest gains in brand equity. In contrast, brands that detach their activist messaging from their purpose, values, and practice are enacting inauthentic brand activism through the practice of “woke washing,” potentially misleading consumers with their claims, damaging both their brand equity and potential for social change. First, the authors draw on theory to inform a typology of brand activism to determine how, and when, a brand engaging with a sociopolitical cause can be viewed as authentic. Second, a theory-driven framework identifies moderate, optimal incongruence between brand and cause as a boundary condition, showing how brand activists may strengthen outcomes in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Third, the authors explore important policy and practice implications for current and aspiring brand activists, from specific brand-level standards in marketing efforts to third-party certifications and public sector partnerships.

中文翻译：

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品牌站出来：真正的品牌行动主义还是唤醒洗涤？

在当今的市场上，消费者希望品牌在社会政治问题上表明立场。当品牌将激进的信息、目的和价值观与亲社会的企业实践相匹配时，他们就会参与真正的品牌激进主义，为社会变革创造最大的潜力和品牌资产的最大收益。相比之下，那些将其激进主义信息与其目的、价值观和实践分开的品牌正在通过“唤醒洗涤”的实践来实施不真实的品牌激进主义，这可能会误导消费者的主张，损害其品牌资产和社会变革的潜力。首先，作者利用理论为品牌行动主义的类型学提供信息，以确定参与社会政治事业的品牌如何以及何时被视为真实的。其次，一个理论驱动的框架确定了温和的、品牌和事业之间的最佳不一致作为边界条件，展示了品牌活动家如何在日益拥挤的市场中加强成果。第三，作者探讨了对当前和有抱负的品牌活动家的重要政策和实践影响，从营销工作中的特定品牌级别标准到第三方认证和公共部门合作伙伴关系。