diversity
Broken Promises: How DEI Rollbacks Are Deepening The Brand Trust Crisis
- by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, March 5, 2025
Target's Black History Month items sparked outraged comments on social media, criticizing what many consumers see as brand hypocrisy.
A new study reveals that consumer trust in brands is eroding, with diversity rollbacks becoming a key flashpoint in an already widening gap.
Some 80% of those in Collage …
This article tries to claim that consumer trust is eroding due to DEI rollbacks, but it contradicts itself and ignores the bigger picture of why people actually buy from brands. Right away, it pushes the idea that DEI is a key driver of trust when, according to its own data, only 25% of consumers consider a commitment to diversity important. That’s far behind factors like product experience (61%), recommendations from family and friends (47%), and good customer service (39%). If trust is really falling, it has more to do with companies failing to deliver value and consistency than rolling back DEI initiatives.
It also misuses polling data. Saying that 30% of consumers “plan” to cut back on brands that moved away from DEI efforts doesn’t mean they actually will. People often claim they’ll boycott something over politics, but when it comes down to it, price and convenience win. Look at Walmart—the article admits that despite its DEI pullback, trust in the brand has actually gone up among both White and multicultural shoppers. If these changes were really alienating consumers, Walmart should be losing trust, not gaining it. Meanwhile, Target’s struggles aren’t because of DEI rollbacks but because it’s been inconsistent in its branding and decision-making. The article even acknowledges that Target has gone through “dramatic reversals,” which makes it seem unreliable to customers.
Then there’s the attempt to use social media outrage as proof that consumers are turning on brands over DEI decisions. Twitter comments about Target’s Black History Month collection aren’t real market indicators. Social media outrage is mostly performative, driven by a small but loud group of people who often don’t even shop at the stores they’re complaining about. What actually moves the needle for companies is whether people are spending money, and there’s no real data showing that these so-called economic boycotts are having a meaningful financial impact.
At the end of the day, the article is trying to force a narrative that doesn’t hold up. Brands succeed when they stay true to their core promises, offer good products, and give customers a reason to keep coming back. Walmart proves that if a company delivers on what people actually care about—like low prices and reliability—then political posturing, whether for or against DEI, doesn’t really matter. Target’s decline has more to do with its business missteps than its stance on diversity. The real lesson here is that consumers reward consistency and value, not pandering or reactionary politics.