Calling for Cancellation: Understanding how Markets Are Shaped to Realign With Prevailing Societal Values

Cancellations, often referred to derogatively as “cancel culture”, are becoming increasingly pervasive in public discourse, political debate, and the marketing field. Cancellations pose a clear threat to established market actors and have the potential to re-organize institutional structures. However, empirical work investigating this phenomenon is limited. This study adopts an institutional theory lens to investigate how calls for brand cancellation unfold. In doing so, it provides insight into how markets are shaped to realign with prevailing institutional logics around political ideology, race, gender, sexuality, abuse, and corporate greed. Further, it outlines the triggers that prompt institutional entrepreneurs to attempt to delegitimize the existence of incumbent brands. It also reveals how various actors (consumers, brands, media, affiliates, influencers, opponents) engage in institutional work to disrupt, create, or maintain institutional logics, as well as their own legitimacy. Macro implications for social values, political factions, markets, marketing practices, and brands are discussed.