Most major marketing shifts don’t announce themselves with a press release; they strike with a shock that scatters the chessboard. For the era of brand activism, that moment came in March 2022, when the world watched Disney—one of the world’s most powerful brands, newly vocal about diversity and inclusion—get pulled into a political fight with the state of Florida.
After initially staying silent on Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, Disney bowed to pressure and opposed it, triggering a political buzzsaw. The episode revealed a new reality: Brands could now be punished for speaking up, for staying silent or—worst of all—for wavering between the two. Suddenly, there is no safe haven. That clash set the template for a post-2021 cycle that ensnared titans like Bud Light and Target—a grimly predictable pattern and a warning to any leader who mistakes messaging for meaning, or posture for principle.
Backlash cycle
Today’s environment punishes what I call performative activism—public stances not grounded in a company’s identity or history. When activism is only a marketing veneer or positioning tactic, untethered from its heritage and everyday behavior, it invites scrutiny the brand cannot withstand.
That vulnerability fuels a destructive cycle we’ve now seen on repeat:
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The Spark: A brand takes a stance on a politically charged issue.
The Weaponization: Opponents reframe it as an existential threat to their values.
The Mobilization: Social media and political voices amplify calls for punishment
The Escalation: Boycotts or political retribution inflict material damage.
The Inflection Point: Boxed in, the brand must pick its poison—fight, retreat, or silence—all costly choices.
At the center of this cycle is a single vulnerability: lack of authenticity. Brands that step into the arena without doing the real work, making them an easy target.
Verifiable, authentic values
Avoiding the backlash cycle requires a shift—from performative virtue signaling to verifiable, operationalized values. Quiet action must always precede loud messaging, because authenticity isn’t a PR campaign or cultural hedge; it’s an enterprise-wide commitment. That commitment shows up across five alignments:
Historical: Rooted in sustained, long-term commitment, not sudden bandwagon jumps.
Operational: Embedded in policies, supply chain ethics, and hiring, not just communications.
Stakeholder: Backed by employees, customers, boards, and investors.
Financial: Funded with real resources and a willingness to accept risk.
Behavioral: Lived consistently, whether in the public spotlight or not.
If you haven’t done the work across these five domains, you haven’t earned the right to speak. In today’s climate, silence is safer than a hollow stance.
Gated decision framework for taking a stand
Ensuring a stance isn’t hollow requires immense discipline. A CMO’s role is to anchor every public position to a core, non-negotiable brand value, minimizing the perception of politicization.
First, draw the perimeter of your battlefield: the values that define your identity and competitive advantage. Then apply a “gated” framework. Just as in product development, a concept must clear each gate to advance; brand advocacy should meet the same test.
Here are the five gates that need to be tested and cleared:
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Values gate: Is this who we are? Does this issue connect directly to a core value, with roots deeper than a messaging brief?
Stakeholder gate: Does this matter to our employees, customers, or partners? Are they asking us to weigh in?
Operational gate: Can we back our words with action—through policies, partnerships, or investments?
Impact and risk gate: Can we create meaningful change or is this symbolic? Have we modeled risks and are they acceptable?
Strategic fit gate: Does taking this stand strengthen our long-term strategy or does it create mission drift?
Clear all five gates, and your stance will be seen as both credible and sustainable—and built to withstand scrutiny.
Art of the strategic retreat
Deep credibility doesn’t just enable a brand to take a stand; it creates a foundation for a strategic retreat. Too often, brands pull back from the culture wars by going silent—and in doing so, they cede the narrative. A strategic retreat is about reframing, not abandonment.
Consider Levi’s: The company narrowed its focus from broad progressive causes back to issues core to its heritage—sustainability and manufacturing ethics. It communicated this shift and kept up measurable, behind-the-scenes work. Because it was a retreat to brand identity, not an abandonment of values, Levi’s preserved authenticity without alienating its audience.
Future is not about proclamations
This realignment is the blueprint for resilience: values expressed through substance, not surface. It demands a new leadership formula—patience, precision, and proof. The CMOs task is to embed values quietly into products, processes, and partnerships, building a library of tangible proof points.
The defining question is no longer whether a brand has values, but whether they have the discipline to live them authentically, long before turning to them for a headline.
Jason Greenwood is chief marketing and strategy officer at Delta Dental of Arizona.