Podcast Summary: The Risks of Brand Activism with Professor Tyler Milfeld

Podcast: The Marketing Architects
Episode: The Risks of Brand Activism with Professor Tyler Milfeld
Date: January 27, 2026
Host(s): Lana Jasper, Angela Voss, Rob DeMars, and guest Professor Tyler Milfeld (Villanova School of Business)

Episode Overview

This episode examines brand activism—the opportunities, pitfalls, and research-backed realities of brands taking stands on social and societal issues. Professor Tyler Milfeld joins the hosts to share his latest research on brand purpose, activism, and the psychological dynamics at play when companies attempt repositioning. The conversation covers why rebrands often fail, when purpose delivers value (and when it doesn't), and how brands should handle backlash. Layered with references to marketing psychology, memorable examples, and practical advice, this episode is both insightful and candid for marketers navigating a rapidly shifting landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Rebrands and Repositioning Often Fail (04:33–08:28)

• Tyler's “Four Rs” of Repositioning Failure:

  • Resistance: Consumers generally dislike change unless they're personally motivated.
  • Replacement: Unlike product innovation, positioning changes force a binary “old vs new” scenario, leading to unfavorable direct comparisons.
  • Relativity: Marketers overestimate how much consumers care about their brand's changes (since insiders can spend months or years on a rebrand, while consumers haven’t been waiting for it).
  • Rigidity: Teams get attached to internal visions and ignore consumer feedback, leading to “grand reveals” that backfire.

  “Consumers don’t like change unless they're motivated to change... Brands are motivated to be relevant, but consumers, particularly those who love the brand, don’t see the need.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (05:04)

  “There's a relative imbalance in terms of the amount of time you spent and what your consumers have, which is virtually none.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (06:30)

  Memorable Moment: Milfeld’s story about executives launching a repositioning campaign “regardless of what consumers said” and watching it fail due to this rigidity. (07:41)

2. Brand Purpose: Shortcut to Relevance or Trap? (09:25–11:32)

• Purpose as a Shortcut: Brands chase relevance by attaching themselves to social issues, but without credibility it often rings hollow.

• The “Gossip Girl” Analogy: Trying to ingrain a cause you have no real connection to is as awkward as pretending an affinity for a show you’ve never seen, hoping it makes you relatable.

  “When brands try to insert themselves... where they don’t have a history, they don’t have credibility… it comes across as just odd, like me talking about Gossip Girl.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (10:29)

• More Ways to Be Relevant: Social purpose isn't the only—or even best—way to connect. Meeting functional needs and understanding lived realities are valuable, too.

3. The Credibility Gap—And Why “Purpose” Doesn’t Always Add Value (11:32–15:01)

• Established Social Brands: Having a history with purpose-based marketing gives credibility (e.g., Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s). But, repeated purpose messaging doesn’t further boost consumer affection—they’re already seen as “the generous uncle” (Uncle Rob analogy, 13:44).

• Expansion Is Key: To get more love, established brands can widen what it means to be “generous” or “pro-social”.

  “Ben and Jerry's… can keep launching these pro social messages. In the short term, it doesn’t make people like them more… it adds to their schema.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (14:05)

4. Consumer Differences: Values-Driven vs. Indifferent Audiences (15:49–18:08)

• Values-Driven = More Scrutiny: Highly involved consumers will fact-check and punish brands jumping into activism without history.

• Indifferent Consumers: Care less—too much information is overwhelming. Less is more for these audiences; one tip beats a list of 10.

• Research Insight: Implies brands need tailored messaging for each end of the consumer spectrum.

  “For folks on the low side… less is more. One tip is much better for them vs. 3 vs. 5 vs. any other number.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (17:17)

5. Brand Power: Blessing or Burden? (18:08–20:04)

• Big Brands Are Held to Higher Standards: Large, category-leading brands like Target are both more scrutinized and have more entrenched consumer schemas—so missteps in activism often trigger backlash.

• “Having a voice” ≠ credible activism: Simply having an audience doesn’t entitle brands to participate in every conversation.

  “That's no different than me saying, I have a room full of students… I want to share my opinion about Gossip Girl, when I know nothing about it.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (19:06)

  “I don't want an Earth Day tip from a chicken sandwich company.”
  — Rob DeMars (20:04)

6. Brand Activism Backlash: How Should Brands Respond? (21:03–26:54)

• Retraction is the Worst Strategy (22:02): Backing down publicly satisfies no one; both sides are upset.

• Doing Nothing or Doubling Down Is Safer: Silence or reaffirming your position is better than a mealy-mouthed walk-back.

• Exception: If you can tie a retraction to a basic need (e.g., employee safety), it becomes credible and reduces perceptions of hypocrisy.

  “Doing nothing at all is better than retraction. Doing nothing at all is very similar to doubling down… but retraction, just apologizing, that does not work at all.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (23:38)

7. The Power of “Showing” vs. “Telling” (25:39–26:54)

• Look to History: Brands should leverage things they’ve tangibly done in the past as their “right to play” in social spaces, making activism or purpose claims credible.

• Present and Future Integration: Purpose must be shown in products, services, and future actions—not just marketed as a slogan.

  “What have we done that we could use as an anchor... What can we show consumers that we've done?”
  — Tyler Milfeld (25:48)

8. Marketing Research and Real-World Practice (27:30–28:54)

• Patience Required: Academic timelines are slow, so researchers aim for principles that endure.
• Data First: Milfeld describes the joy and surprise in relying on the data—“let the data rule.”

9. Advice for Students and the Next Generation (29:26–31:53)

• Now is a Great Time for Marketing: Technology and access to data create opportunity, but core insights are still king.

• Shiny Objects vs. Real Insight: Don't lose sight of fundamental insights beneath the allure of new trends.

• Favorite Campaign: Adidas’ “Yeah, we’re different” for runners—for its deep, relatable insight.

  “At the core of marketing… a really great insight drives great marketing.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (30:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On failed rebrands:
  “There's a grand reveal at the end. And again, consumers didn't really see a need for the change. But you've been a part of this for months, years, sometimes even longer.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (06:37)

• On big brands and social voice:
  “Some folks have misinterpreted [‘we have a voice’]... It's no different than me saying, I have a room full of students… I want to share my opinion about Gossip Girl, when I know nothing about it.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (19:06)

• On fun in marketing:
  “I think authenticity has become a big buzzword... But I think a word that we're missing... is actually fun. My contrarian view is: marketing communication used to be more fun.”
  — Tyler Milfeld (32:32)

• On “fun” emails:
  “I got one from Goodr... that absolutely made my day—it started with greeting me ‘Ahoy, Tyler’, which I thought was so fun, right?”
  — Tyler Milfeld (34:03)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Intro & Guest Background (00:22–03:20)
• Why Rebrands Fail (Four Rs framework) (04:33–08:28)
• Brand Purpose as a Shortcut (09:25–11:32)
• Credibility Gap and Purpose Advertising (11:32–15:01)
• How Sustainability Messaging Lands Differently (15:49–18:08)
• Brand Power and Activism Standards (18:08–20:04)
• How to Respond to Backlash (21:03–26:54)
• Showing vs. Telling Purpose (25:39–26:54)
• Contrarian Corner—Fun over Authenticity (32:14–36:24)
• Examples of Successful Rebrands (Lego, Garmin, Target, KFC, HBO) (36:47–42:51)

Tone and Style

The conversation is candid, practical, witty, and rooted in empirical research. Tyler Milfeld uses humor and vivid analogies (e.g., “Uncle Rob and the $100 gift card”—13:44; “Gossip Girl” as the awkward forced purpose—10:29). The hosts balance friendly banter with deep dives into research, always tying the conversation back to actionable insight.

Closing Highlights

• Best Practices for Purposeful Brands: Leverage genuine historical actions, integrate purpose naturally, and avoid jumping into causes where there’s no established credibility.
• Fun Shouldn’t Be Neglected: Amid seriousness and risk-aversion, “fun” in marketing is a differentiator.
• Memorable rebrand success stories: Lego’s expansion to adults, Garmin’s GPS-to-wearable transformation, Target’s pivot to design-led value, KFC’s self-aware relaunch, and HBO’s brand journey.

“We should all watch some HBO, go to Target, get some KFC, and we'll have a great afternoon.”
— Tyler Milfeld (42:51)

Professor Tyler Milfeld can be found at Villanova’s website and on LinkedIn.

For marketers: This episode underscores the importance of insight, credibility, and strategic restraint in today's purpose-driven brand landscape. And maybe—just maybe—don’t forget to make someone smile along the way.