Brands Taking a Public Stand: A Keyword Analysis of Brand Activism

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to explore which keywords are most relevant and valuable to a particular audience or industry. This study is aimed primarily at reviewing the short history of brand activism from the marketing literature and conduct keyword analysis related to the concept of brand activism. Design/Methodology/Approach – Keyword co-occurrence analysis was conducted to achieve the study’s primary goal of establishing a conceptual review of the brand activism term and providing a map of brand activism literature for future authors. In conducting keyword co-occurrence analysis, the term “brand activism” was searched in the Scopus database and 30 related articles were found. The dataset of those articles was downloaded and analyzed using the VOSviewer program and map-based bibliographic data, resulting in the mapping of keyword co-occurrences of the dataset. Findings and implications – Following the analysis, clusters were generally grouped under brand activism, protests and negative bias, activist advertising and sports, disapproval of brands, companies and orders, and brand. Clusters 1 and 6 include the keywords brand and brand activism. Brands that support or take a stand for social justice, social change, and freedom of speech would gain credibility and improve their image with consumers. Limitations – The literature regarding brand activism can be considered a limitation because the number of articles related to this topic is relatively low. Originality – This research study clarifies the nature of brand activism, pointing out that brand activism can help companies develop holistic bonds with their customers while inspiring brand loyalty along with consumer advocacy.