Over the past few weeks, company after company has removed affiliations to the NRA after the latest in an endless count of senseless mass shootings. Some companies connections and related actions to the gun issue were more overt, like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart raising the minimum age to buy a gun to 21, and some more subtle, like Hertz or Avis removing discounts for NRA members. Actions big or small, the executives at these firms recognized that the values of the company inherently did not align what was happening culturally or politically in this country.

These are examples of the rise in brand activism. This terminology is now rising, as the terms corporate social responsibility, social enterprise, and impact investing had to do (and they are still evolving). Though as someone finishing up business school, I must admit that not enough current or future business leaders even understand those terms. While for some this may be basic knowledge, my hope is to break down how business principles are used for social good, and, in particular, explain exactly why brand activism is a separate phenomenon on the rise.

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