Authentic brand positioning or woke washing? LGBTQI+ consumer perceptions of brand activism

• Date: 23 June 2023
• Pages: 55-71
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-05-2022-0126
• Published date: 23 June 2023
• Author: Cassiano Tressoldi,Lélis Balestrin Espartel,Simoni F. Rohden

Authentic brand positioning

or woke washing? LGBTQI+

consumer perceptions

of brand activism

Cassiano Tressoldi

PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil

L

elis Balestrin Espartel

PPGAd –Business School, PUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil and

IADE - Universidade Europeia, Lisboa, Portugal, and

Simoni F. Rohden

IPAM Lisbon, Instituto Portugues de Administracao de Marketing de Lisboa,

Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract

Purpose –The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and others (LGBTQIþ) movement has been

the focus of companies that seek to win over consumers by supporting diversity. Any positioning, however,

that is not perceived as being consistent and genuine can harm the brand’s image. Through a queer theoretical

perspective, the authors explore perceptions of LGBTQIþconsumers regarding brand activism.

Design/methodology/approach–Qualitative research was carried out that involved interviewing Brazilian

consumers who are part of the LGBTQIþcommunity.

Findings –Aspects of the identity of these individuals draw closer to those brands that share the same values

the individuals have. Brand activism is perceived positively in terms of the brand’s representativeness and

social impact. When activism is perceived as inauthentic, activism generates a backlash and consumers begin

to boycott brands as the consumers associate positioning with woke-washing practices.

Originality/value –The results indicate that to adopt an activist stance with regard to the LGBTQIþpublic,

brands need to be consistent in the brands’communication and advertising and in brands’organizational

culture and diversity. This research provides important indicators for brands that genuinely want to support

the LGBTQIþcommunity and is the first to use queer theory to analyze brand activism.

Keywords Brand activism, Queer theory, Consumer behavior, LGBTQIþ, Authenticity

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

Companies are increasingly being asked to take a stand on social issues (Hoppner and

Vadakkepatt, 2019). As a result, brands have often adopted activism strategies to position

themselves with greater relevance or improve their relationship with their customers (Koch,

2020). Consumers have also become more critical and engaged with what brands represent

and with the perception of coherence in the latter’s positioning (Palazzo and Basu, 2007); in

other words, the way companies approach diversity matters to consumers (Burgess et al.,

2023). When corporate discourse is not perceived as authentic, activism can lead to “woke

washing,”which is the perception that the brand is misleading its customers with illegitimate

arguments or is inconsistent in its practices (Vredenburg et al., 2020).

Activism originated with the idea of transforming moral judgments forimproving society

(Hoppner and Vadakkepatt, 2019). Activist brands often adopt positions on issues that may

LGBTQIþ

consumer

perception of

brand activism

55

Conflict of interest: On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of

interest.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/2040-7149.htm

Received 24 May 2022

Revised 25 March 2023

23 May 2023

Accepted 8 June 2023

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 1, 2024

pp. 55-71

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-05-2022-0126

result in controversy in the market and with theirconsumers, such as aspects related to race,

ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation (Sibai et al., 2021;Intharacks et al., 2022). The focusof

this research is specifically on activism in relation to LGBTQIþs (lesbian, gay, bisexual,

transgender,queer/questioning, intersexand others), especially because this social groupmay

haveconsumption experiencesof services and brands thatdiffer from those of other consumers

(Chauhan et al., 2021)and are often context-dependent (Demunter and Bauwens, 2023).

Brand image and brand perception are components of a brand’s reputation. From an

expanded branding perspective, a brand can play a role in social change by adopting an

approach that not only focuses on profit but is also driven by a purpose (Swaminathan et al.,

2020). Understanding the meanings inherent in brand activism and how brands can

authentically improve their relationship with the LGBTQIþcommunity is fundamental in

current discussions about diversity and inclusion in the marketplace (Ciszek and Pounders,

2020;Ueno et al., 2023).

Although there are studies focusing on this social group (Pichler et al., 2017), they are

relatively recent in the field of marketing. Some studies have analyzed LGBTQIþinclusive

advertisements and consumer reactions (Eisend and Hermann, 2019;Oakenfull and Greenlee,

2005), while others have investigated the negative reaction of heterosexual consumers to the

position adopted by a brand, consumer harassment of LGBTQIþemployees (Ueno et al.,

2023), aspects that are related to perceived brand authenticity (Ciszek and Pounders, 2020),

advertisements (Demunter and Bauwens, 2023), or consumption experiences (Chauhan et al.,

2021). The perception of LGBTQIþconsumers regarding brand activism, however, is still

lacking a deeper understanding (Oakenfull and Greenlee, 2005;Ciszek and Lim, 2021).

The particularities of this social group seem to generate some apprehension on the part of

companies when they try to understand the dynamics and needs of this market, which go

beyond a simple visual representation (Ciszek and Lim, 2021). It is important to approach this

discussion from the point of view of the identity and interaction of LGBTQIþindividuals

since this public’s perception of a brand’s communication practices is based on controversial

discourses that have no concrete content and no positive impact on the community (Falco and

Gandhi, 2019).

Our research aims to discuss LGBTQIþperceptions of legitimacy and authenticity about

brand activism using a broader and more diverse approach. The queer theory considers

sexuality, gender and desire as aspects that are inherent in the identity of individuals and as

such, offers inputs that enable an analysis of issues that address the construction of

LGBTQIþidentity (Butler, 1990). Social relationships and communication are still ruled by

heteronormative aspects, so by analyzing consumer perceptions with a lens that considers

identity and social relationships as being fluid and multidimensional, we can better

understand LGBTQIþconsumers (e.g. gay individuals) and their perceptions of brand

activism and brand authenticity.

The study highlights the relationship between brands and LGBTQIþconsumers using

the queer perspective to question the socially imposed boundaries of gender binarity and

desire, thereby challenging binary logic (male vs female) to understand other existing

expressions. Since brand activism can transform how people perceive and interact with

brands (Sibai et al., 2021), this research also provides a better understanding of the aspects

that are perceived as authentic in activist discourse about brands and that are related to woke

washing (Vredenburg et al., 2020) from the perspective of the LGBTQIþcommunity. From a

managerial perspective, the study will allow marketing and branding managers to

understand better the challenges, risks and benefits involved in brand activism for the

LGBTQIþaudience. Strategies and actions that are perceived as genuine strengthen brand

identity, generate audience engagement and avoid negative market reactions, such as

negative word of mouth or brand boycotts. It is extremely important, therefore, to shed light

on consumer perceptions of this kind of brand positioning.

EDI

43,1

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