Established Activist Brands Have a Competitive Edge

Established Activist Brands Have a Competitive Edge

  • JOURNAL OF ADVERTISING RESEARCH
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Summary

Does brand activism—taking a stand on a sociopolitical issue—influence attitudes and purchase intentions, and if so, how? These questions are addressed in new research that identifies a credibility gap between brands that have an established reputation as activists, such as Nike and Ben & Jerry’s, and those that do not. With few exceptions, established activist brands have a lot more to gain than their emergent activist peers when taking a stand.

Author Bios:

Tyler Milfeld (tyler.milfeld@villanova.edu) is the Michelle and Sean Traynor ’91 Assistant Professor of Marketing at Villanova University. He primarily studies corporate social responsibility advertising and message design. Before his academic career, he worked in various marketing and sales roles for four leading consumer goods companies.

Eric Haley (haley@utk.edu) is the DeForrest Jackson Professor in the University of Tennessee’s Tombras School of Advertising and Public Relations. Widely published in advertising research journals including the JAR, Haley is a six-time best article winner for publications appearing in the Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising, and Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising.