Corporate Contradictions: Black Culture as Branding Without the Commitment

In today’s climate, consumer consciousness is sharper than ever, and corporate America is under intense scrutiny. As many companies scale back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, they’re simultaneously leaning heavily into Black culture as a branding tool, seemingly seen as performative marketing.

Walmart is a prime example. Once criticized for turning a blind eye to DEI, the retail giant now features Black music prominently in its advertising, pairing GloRilla’s “Let Her Cook” and Boyz II Men classics with glossy, culturally rich visuals. While catchy and stylish, these campaigns strike as insincere, being that they still have not made strides to include the Black and Brown businesses, hire Black or Brown ethnicities, or reinstate their DEI initiatives. 

This shift is not isolated. Starbucks has also jumped on the cultural bandwagon, airing a commercial using Naughty By Nature’s iconic 90s anthem “O.P.P.” to connect with urban nostalgia. Yet Starbucks, like Walmart, has faced backlash for scaling back internal DEI commitments under political and shareholder pressure.

Such branding strategies raise uncomfortable questions: Why are corporations so eager to profit from Black culture while directly ignoring equality? And why are these shifts happening just as economic boycotts by Black consumers gain traction?

A recent campaign by Lululemon adds an interesting twist. The luxury athletic brand tapped Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, a vocal advocate for social justice, as the face of its men’s wellness and performance line. The ad features Hamilton meditating, training, and speaking about mental health. Far from the culture-as-costume approach seen elsewhere, but still very obvious. Lululemon’s choice of Hamilton feels purposeful, aligning a world-class Black athlete with a message of balance, empowerment, and authenticity. Still, it invites similar scrutiny: Does the brand’s messaging translate into real corporate action? Are they amplifying his voice, or simply using it?

This brings us to the role of Black artists and influencers in these campaigns. When companies like Walmart and Starbucks license music from GloRilla or Naughty By Nature, the artists benefit financially, and who can be mad at that?  But these collaborations also help companies appear “tapped in” without actually tapping in. Yes, cultural icons deserve to profit from their work. But what are the deeper implications when their art is used to mask corporate intentions while demeaning the culture it’s using as its advertising vehicle?

It’s a modern contradiction: Black creativity is celebrated, but Black communities are still waiting for real autonomy. And audiences are catching on. From the #BlackOut campaigns to the growing “Buy Black” movement, consumers are demanding more than representation in ads. Consumers want policy change, transparency, and sustained support.

Other corporations like Target, Disney, and Home Depot have followed similar patterns. While they’ve rolled back DEI programs, they continue to fill Black media spaces with curated, stylized campaigns. These moves highlight the hypocrisy: celebrating the aesthetic of Blackness while undermining the systems meant to empower it.

The message is clear: cultural appreciation without corporate accountability isn’t inclusion; it’s exploitation and borderline appropriation. Consumers are no longer satisfied with diversity in branding alone. They’re looking for integrity on all fronts.

If corporations truly want to engage Black audiences, they must do more than sell to them. They must stand with them through policy, presence, and principled action. Until then, no soundtrack, celebrity, or slick campaign can buy back trust.

Culture is not a commodity. And until that truth guides corporate behavior, these contradictions will continue to speak louder than any commercial ever could.

Shakirah Gittens, MBA, is a branding consultant, content creator, and communications strategist with 15+ years of corporate and media experience. Follow her journey at @ms.phoenixstyles.