Your favorite brand no longer cares about being woke

The revolution will not be advertised. vox.com/culture CULTURE   There was a time, not so long ago, where there was a “woke sneaker.” Do you remember this? Weirdos were literally [burning their shoes and cutting the logos off]( their socks because Nike had partnered with Colin Kaepernick after he famously knelt during his games’ national anthems to protest police brutality. Trump even made an extremely Trumpian tweet about it, implying the brand was “Just like the NFL, whose ratings have gone WAY DOWN” and that it was “getting absolutely killed with anger and boycotts.” But as Boston College communications scholar [Michael Serazio points out](, these days are long gone. During the Trump presidency, he argues, neutrality — even among shoe brands’ advertising campaigns — “came across as craven delusion.” Today, in a tougher advertising market, [brands and influencers are much more wary of making political statements.]( Some clients are even using AI to scrape through every potentially charged comment associated with a brand and dropping sponsors if they say anything about what is the most divisive crisis in the world right now, Israel’s war on Gaza. “Activism ain’t selling like it used to,” he writes, begging the question: Was it ever activism to begin with? —[Rebecca Jennings](, senior correspondent Your favorite brand no longer cares about being woke [illustation of an old tv set on a green background]( Getty Images For most of advertising history, “red” or “blue” as partisan loyalty signaled more your taste for Coke or Pepsi than your identity as Republican or Democrat. Mass markets, by definition, necessitated selling to both sides of the aisle. As with so much else, the presidency of Donald Trump — built upon a self-conceived human brand — radically upended those norms. Post-2016 election, one Adweek column thundered, “Brands cannot expect to play Switzerland as the rest of the world picks a side.” Consumer culture suddenly became the vehicle for political expression, with Madison Avenue giving voice to countless causes. The staid “[corporate social responsibility](” morphed into the more muscular “brand purpose” which beget impassioned activism. Social justice became “trendy;” politics, the means to signal commercial “integrity.” Today, just as during the Trump presidency, controversial issues abound, protesters convulse public spaces, and a divisive election looms. The world is picking sides — on abortion and Gaza and Trump’s trials. And from brand-land? By and large, the sound of silence. That’s because, despite prior pretense, advertising follows, not leads; it needs markets, not morality. That silence, therefore, says much about our sociopolitical moment: As culture warriors find themselves on the defensive, brands, wary from the backlash against Bud Light’s use of a trans influencer, [no longer show interest in advancing their causes](. Indeed, today’s primary “cause” — and, arguably, election issue — is lower on the hierarchy of needs: cost of living. That makes for a more practical, less symbolic battleground for commercial content. In 2024, whatever else might happen, the revolution will not be advertised. [Read the full story »]( Why the uncanny “All eyes on Rafah” image went so viral In the wake of another deadly attack by Israel, a seemingly AI-generated image has circulated on Instagram Stories. [Read the full story »]( Leaked video reveals the lie of Miss Universe’s empowerment promise “The trans women, the women with husbands, divorced women ... They can compete but they cannot win.” [Read the full story »](   [Become a Vox Member]( Support our journalism — become a Vox Member and you’ll get exclusive access to the newsroom with members-only perks including newsletters, bonus podcasts and videos, and more. [Join our community](   More good stuff to read today - [The Sympathizer takes on Hollywood’s Vietnam War stories]( - [Actually, you should say something if you hate your friend's partner]( - [The WNBA's meteoric rise in popularity, in one chart]( - [How to care for people in your life with intellectual disabilities]( - [Hacks shows cancel culture is a joke]( - Furiosa’s hard-won feminism](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=culture). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.