Between Profit and Politics—Brands Beyond Business

Daniel Neye () and Joachim Bongard ()

Chapter Chapter 7 in Brands in Times of Constant Change, 2026, pp 85-101 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract In the course of a comprehensive societal shift in values, the role of brands has also changed over the past 30 years. Shaped by individuals’ personal values and moral beliefs, consumption today has become a conscious act of choice, accompanied by the feeling of having opted for what is ethically right. As a result, brands today are far more than just products—they increasingly act as political players who actively take positions on social issues. However, such political engagement brings not only opportunities but also risks. Thus, brands are increasingly operating in a field of tension between (demanded) social and political stances on the one hand and their obligation to their own economic interests on the other. Especially in the context of brand activism, brands must carefully weigh when and how to speak out in order to remain credible and to preserve the “precious asset” of trust among their target audience in the long term. Yet despite the associated risks, it is also clear that the era of political abstinence by brands and their official representatives is definitively over.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-49899-3_7

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