First Came the DEI Backlash - Now Brands Are Facing an AI Transparency Wave

For a long time, companies operated on the data-backed premise that a majority of consumers prefer to buy from brands that support their values. This became a marketing truism. I saw marketers rush to find relevant "do-good" partners, and an entire ecosystem developed to support this. If a brand failed to communicate its pro-social intentions, it was dangerously incomplete and noncompetitive.

Then Trump happened, and the marketing world became a minefield.

Fearful of being on the wrong side of rapidly changing business norms, companies pulled back from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments, and some — like Target — got fried for the retreat. I call this retreat "the cause pause."

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.