When Your Enemies Become Your Allies : Investigating Liberal and Conservatives Consumers Respond Toward Brand Activism of ‘Controversial Industries’

Many companies are now taking a stance on various social and political issues. What happens when a company you dislike aligns itself with your political value. Hence, this research investigates the impact of brand activism on consumers’ perception of companies with opposing values (e.g. tobacco companies). Secondly, the paper will examine the role of moral decoupling in justifying or rejecting brand activism, specifically between liberals and conservatives consumers. Using five experimental studies using the context of controversial industries (i.e. tobacco companies) and non-controversial industries (i.e. shoe companies) launching campaigns supporting brand activism (i.e. abortion, Black lives matter) and non-brand activism (i.e. reducing poverty, reducing youth smoking), this study shows brand activism can create a strong brand identity, especially among liberal consumers. When a company aligns itself with the core values of consumers’ beliefs, such as keeping abortion legal, consumers are more likely to decouple between the company and its campaign