How Do Liberals Respond to Pro- vs. Anti-DEI Brand Messaging? The Intersectional Role of Ethnic and Political Identity
(A2026-133946)

AUTHORS

Eric Klebeck, University of Mannheim; Sabine Kuester, University of Mannheim; Madita Neumeier, University of Mannheim

ABSTRACT

As Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) becomes increasingly politicized in the U.S., little is known about how consumers interpret pro- versus anti-DEI brand messaging. This research examines how liberal consumers evaluate DEI-related brand statements and how these evaluations depend jointly on consumer and spokesperson ethnicity. Adopting an intersectional perspective, we integrate political and ethnic identity to develop competing predictions for People of Color (PoC). For PoCs, an anti-DEI message delivered by a PoC spokesperson may evoke ingroup leniency or, alternatively, backlash due to perceived group betrayal. Evidence from our experiment (N = 251) shows that PoCs evaluated anti-DEI positions less negatively when delivered by a PoC (vs. White) spokesperson, consistent with ingroup leniency; whereas White participants were unaffected by spokesperson ethnicity. Our findings underscore the need for intersectional approaches to understanding identity-based consumer responses.