Brand Management and the Rise of Cancel Culture: The Trademark Attorney’s Guide to Anticipating, Avoiding, and Mitigating Calls to #CancelABrand

Description

While social media created an unprecedented ability for brands and celebrities to positively interface with their customers, it simultaneously created a highly-visible environment for brand owners and celebrities to be held accountable for their actions. On social media, complaints and criticism are interspersed with praise and promotion, and it is often “likes” that decide which ranks higher. The inability to completely “control the message” creates uncertainty regarding a brand owner’s long-term public image and challenges brand owners in a new way.

Cancel culture refers to the centralized amplification of traditional complaints, criticism, and boycotts using the visibility and virality of social media. In some cases, the volume of negative content surrounding an individual or company can inundate the positive content and quickly and unexpectedly cause disruption and discomfort to celebrities and brand owners.

Although many companies have withstood calls for cancellation, and sometimes even thrived in the aftermath, there is no one-size-fits-all formula for responding to calls for cancellation. While trademark attorneys play an important role in evaluating the proper reaction, inaction, or other action after a viral call for cancellation has occurred, trademark attorneys also play an important role in preventing calls for cancellation that can arise through trademark adoption, filing, and enforcement work and mitigating the risk of calls for cancellation through careful clearance as well as negotiation of agreements with third parties.

Listen as our authoritative panel of trademark attorneys examine strategies to develop effective brand management strategies to prevent calls for cancellation, prepare for calls for cancellation, and repair brand equity after calls for cancellation.