Business Commons^™

Political Consumerism And Branding: An Analysis Of The Exploitation Of Political Movements For Brand Equity And Profit, Ashley Simkovitch

Honors College Theses

This article discusses the ways in which companies and brands project certain political affiliations to consumers. The exploitation or co-option of political or social movements in branding and advertising has been seen for decades, and it is now particularly prevalent since the election of President Trump. In order to be competitive in an era of political consumerism and an age when brands are expected to make a statement or take action regarding political movements, they are facing an increased pressure to integrate values into their brand identities in order to connect to consumers. In this essay, I ask how the …