Brands Behaving Badly: Corporate Activism and the Art of Saying Nothing Loudly

When a brand “takes a stand,” it’s rarely on purpose — and almost never without a slide deck. Welcome to the world of performative corporate wokeness, where vague statements are crafted by PR interns and released just late enough to avoid any actual consequences.

We’ve seen it all: the rainbow capitalism during Pride, the #BLM logo swaps, the Women’s Day posts written by men named Chad who laid off half the staff last quarter.

“At [Brand Name], we believe in love, justice, and limited-edition cruelty-free oat milk scrubs. #StrongerTogether #ShopNow”

Say what you will — but it takes real bravery to rebrand your shampoo line as an ally during a humanitarian crisis.

How to Spot a Performative Brand Post:

Graphic text reads “We see you. We hear you.” but links to sale items
No specifics. Just ~vibes~
Comments section turned off within 4 minutes
Still selling stuff made by underpaid labor overseas
Brand changed its logo for a cause and then… nothing else

In the end, brands aren’t people. But they’re really good at pretending to care — especially when it boosts quarterly revenue.

So next time you see a heartfelt graphic that says absolutely nothing, remember: some intern risked carpal tunnel to center that Helvetica.