This article is part of the January 2021 US Spotlight series, “Marketing in a polarized nation.” Read more
Since their earliest moments, brands have been a means of social exchange. Brands have served as a short-hand for an idea or feeling (e.g., Pepsi = youth and energy). They have signaled a culturally understood membership in a community of interest (e.g., Apple is for those that think differently). And in all the best cases, the association brands sought to create were benign and inclusive. It felt safe to invite anyone into your brand idea; and rarely did it feel that...