Are brands cashing-in on social issues with a wave of corporate activism?

The dividing lines between activism and business are blurring, as the corporate world, driven by millennials in management positions, becomes a force for fighting for social and environmental issues

Recent years have witnessed the emergence of what appears to be a new breed of business person: the corporate activist. Hardly a week goes past without the head of some blue chip or other publicly agitating for a better world, be they Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, speaking out on the environment and LGBTQI+ rights, or Starbucks founder Howard Schultz bemoaning “the violence, hatred, and empowerment of white supremacists” at a nationalist rally in Charlottesville.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review even offered a “CEO activist’s playbook” as a “guide