Brands can’t sit out the culture wars—whether they like it or not
As shareholder meetings become cultural battlegrounds, companies are forced to consider what their brands stand…
Author Rob Walker
Why the Bud Light boycott represents a new phase in anti-brand protests
The boycott has quickly morphed into a promotional event for ‘anti-woke’ brands. Branded is a weekly…
This new site uses AI to let you create the brand mashups of your dreams
Branded is a weekly column devoted to the intersection of marketing, business, design, and culture. Imagine…
Why Wikipedia wants a ‘sound logo’
More brands are creating audio branding, including Wikipedia, which wants to create the ‘sound of…
How TikTok’s pushy watermark boosted its brand—and hurt Instagram
TikTik’s logo has become one of the most recognizable in digital culture—thanks in part to…
Should brands sue their own fans? It’s working out for Netflix and Oprah
Thanks to the Bridgerton musical and an unauthorized Oprah podcast, the media giants have recently…
Where does the Twitter brand go from here?
Elon Musk left the Twitter brand battered after the company gave up control of its…
Saudi-backed LIV Golf shows how ‘sportswashing’ can backfire
Countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia have tried to improve their image with sports.…
Welcome to Meta’s weird advertising war with Apple—the musical
Meta’s bizarre $6 million advertising blitz shows just what’s at stake for the company. “Branded” is…
What really killed Honest Tea—and what it means for mission-driven brands
The demise of Honest Tea shows how even a successful mission-based brand can fall apart.…