Brands today are no strangers to cancel culture and trial by social media. Book deals, movie contracts and political careers have crashed and burned in a time of hyper-heightened social awareness. From Mr Potato Head and Dr Seuss to Disney and Major League Baseball, brands have been forced to redefine themselves to stay relevant, whether activism was originally part of their values and positioning or not.

Even before 2020, consumers were demanding that brands and companies take a stand on key issues such as climate change, LGBTQIA+ rights, and the Me Too movement. The past two years have only accelerated this trend, with COVID-19 bringing about profound changes in how people think, live and communicate. Among the most notable events during this time were the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd in 2020—with protesters subsequently taking to the streets and highlighting the Black Lives Matter movement.

In response, brands have moved from their traditional positions on the sidelines onto the playing field. Mastercard supported the LGBTQIA+ community with its “True Name” campaign, which allowed people to have the name of their choice on their credit cards. Band-Aid created products that allowed people to support AIDS research. Nike has strongly supported both Colin Kaepernick and Caster Semenya.

While activities like these grab the headlines, brands have also learned—sometimes to their chagrin—that they have footprints that encompass far more than their public statements. They have operations, employees, supply chains and communications, not all of which always live up to consumers’ standards for diversity and inclusion.

Many organisations have stepped up in direct response to the events of 2020 and the Black Lives Matter movement. Target has added more products from Black-owned businesses to its shelves; US companies signed up to The Board Challenge, pledging to add at least one Black director to their respective boards in the next 12 months; and many more organisations are making public their commitments, their inclusion, equity and diversity (IE&D) strategies, and their current representation data.

A new era of transparency has put the entirety of their operations under a microscope, and those that have not been seen to act responsibly, or whose activities have misfired, have been accused of behind-the-scenes greenwashing, diversity-washing, or worse.