Branded activism: Navigating the tension between culture and market in social media

How are brands navigating the tension of being cultural and market players in woke times? What are the futures of brand activism and how can brands and social media contribute to create conversational spaces for dialogue and social change? Brand activism resonates of the struggle that brands undertake to be perceived by consumers as committed cultural authority. This led several brands to fall into woke washing allegations and contestations in social media. Our study dives deep into a successful but highly contested Italian media brand that was launched as a cultural resource for the feminist cause but suffered from strong consumers' critique. Findings reveal how emerging contestation and polarization generated by brand activism in social media are the result of the unresolved tension of the brand being a cultural and a market player. This tension produces a spiral of mismatches between brand conduct and consumer perceptions when the commercial goals of the brand as market player prevail over the cultural value of material and immaterial resources provided by the brand as cultural player. Our study discusses how brands can navigate this tension and leverage on social media to realize wiser digital techno-futures in postnormal times. •Brand activism reflects a tension of the brand as cultural and market player.•Social media amplifies consumers’ critique and polarizations on woke washing.•Netnography provides a deep cultural understanding of contentious brand activism.•Brand activism in social media has evolved into branded activism.•Branded activism embraces the uncertainty and chaos of postnormal times.