Is Performative Marketing Helpful Or Harmful? Why It’s Both.

Dr. Nika White • June 17, 2022

Every June, a slew of rainbow logos and Juneteenth-colored branding comes out. Yes, the appropriation of these colors and symbols become commonplace in corporate America to “commemorate” Black, Brown, and queer folks. However, every year it’s problematic.

Whether it’s rainbow logos or Juneteenth-themed ice cream, marketing teams and businesses all over the country are missing the point: how to support Black, Brown, and queer communities in authentic ways—minus the performance.

I have colleagues on both sides of the issue of performative marketing. Some believe that brands shouldn’t represent Black, Brown, and queer people as props in their marketing. Citing it’s rooted in performance and doesn’t address any of the real issues affecting these communities. While other colleagues in my circle think representation matters and should be highlighted in all spaces and places. Throwing up murals featuring marginalized groups does
make a psychological difference in how other groups view them and how they view themselves.

Two things can be true at the same time. Performative marketing can be both helpful and harmful. It’s worth peeling back the layers and examining the role marketing teams and businesses play in perpetuating the positives and negatives of performative marketing. The big question as marketers and executives becomes: How can we be intentional about our marketing this year and beyond? In what ways can we keep DEI at the forefront of our campaigns? We’ll explore these questions and more in this article.

Why Performative Marketing Is Both Helpful and Harmful

Just the other day, I was hosting a session on performative marketing for a group of communications professionals and one of the participants told me her son was trans. She said seeing marketing that positively depicts a trans person makes her son’s eyes light up. Is this a matter of performance or representation? Perhaps both, but one thing is for sure, for this trans person, seeing themselves depicted in a marketing campaign was a positive and affirming experience.

On a larger scale, after the murder of George Floyd, dozens of cities began putting up murals and renaming streets to honor the lives of Black and Brown people lost at the hands of police. Murals of Sandra Bland, George Floyd, and countless others represented the fight for justice while also honoring Black and Brown lives in ways they hadn’t before. This type of campaign kept DEI and the fight for Black lives at the forefront of people’s visual and mental awareness.

The conversation on whether or not DEI marketing is purely performative or can have value for certain groups is a both-and situation. While we do need to do more to show Black, Brown, and queer communities that we care, we should also do something about the injustices that plague these communities every day. Murals or advertising campaigns attempt to honor the lived experiences of these groups but can also serve as a catalyst for conversation and change.

The Role Marketing Teams Play

Folks in the marketing, advertising, and communication spaces need to take a bigger role in holding their clients accountable for their marketing and messaging strategies around DEI. Marketing folks can be the voice of reason when a brand wants to put Juneteenth colors on a new product or a rainbow flag over their company logo just to boost sales. Marketing professionals can encourage their clients to question what impact their marketing will have on the communities they hope to reach.

 One way to keep your feet out of the flames is to consult with Black, Brown, and queer folks (not to be confused with using these groups for intellectual and emotional labor) to read through campaigns before putting them out into the world.

Pay attention if reviewers become immediately offended by a campaign or if they feel personally turned off by a messaging choice. If the people consulting with you say there are red flags in this year’s Juneteenth or Pride campaign, reevaluate it. The worst thing is to put out bad messaging that can cause emotional harm, erode the long-term reputation of a business, and break trust with customers which may have ripple effects on the bottom line.

For those who are in positions of influencing brand messaging, it’s important to hold businesses accountable and do marketing differently by developing a proactive DEI lens when producing materials. This means questioning why a business is putting out a certain campaign and if they’re truly walking the walk on DEI.

This means asking ourselves, our teams, and the businesses we work with:
● Is this campaign hitting the mark or is it performative?
● Are these really our values? What’s the evidence of that?
● How does our messaging reach Black, Brown, and queer communities?
● How can we convey what we do for these communities and why we do it?

A great example of DEI marketing done right is coming from advocacy groups. They’re winning because they’re not communicating colors, symbols, or terminology, they’re communicating impact. They’re asking themselves: How many people have we supported this year? What impact did our work have on the lives of Black, Brown, and queer folks? They hit the nail on the head every year because they know what branding is all about: painting a picture of the impact, not the performance.

Businesses Should Act on DEI, Not Just Market It

Messaging matters, but actions matter more. Businesses are investing a lot in messaging and marketing this time of year but they’re not putting nearly enough investment into the action and substance behind the messaging. While marketing teams can spend all of their time thinking of the right way to craft a campaign, the true measure of success should be assessed by what impact businesses are making in the communities they hope to serve.

If a business is throwing up a rainbow logo and calling themselves LGBTQIA friendly, it’s just rhetoric. If a business is putting Juneteenth colors on a product without consulting Black and Brown people, it’s performative.

Businesses should be thinking about:

● How can we make a sustainable impact for those in Black, Brown, and queer
communities?
● What do these communities want and need from us?
● What can we do to show these communities we value them in the long term?
● How do our employees who occupy these identities feel in this space?
● What can we do to support our existing employees in ways we haven’t before?

Businesses have to be honest about the past and present ways they attempt to reach these communities. They should think about the product or services they offer only during June that may turn off the customers they hope to reach. Then, they should infuse a DEI lens from the top to the bottom of the organization to find ways they can make a meaningful difference in these communities.

Final Thoughts

Businesses and their respective marketing teams can get caught up in the visuals of DEI. There’s an obsession with “proving” they care about Black, Brown, and queer folks by infusing certain colors, terminology, and symbols into their marketing. However, if they’re not centering a DEI lens into all areas of the business, including marketing, they’re missing the point.

Marketing, advertising, and communications professionals can produce great creative work, designs, and campaigns around Juneteenth and Pride, but when it comes to infusing a genuine DEI lens into the work, people need to take a step back. Professionals in this space should talk about the ways they support businesses and brands around thoughtful messaging and how to reach the right communities without turning them off.

All members of a business need to continue pressing organizational leaders to demonstrate their commitment to these groups first before marketing comes into play. Otherwise, their message will fall hallow on the communities they wish to serve.

Read more from The Human Shift on Substack, where I share long-form essays on leadership, culture, and how we work and live.

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The Question Beneath the Question-What a Request for Reassurance May Actually be Telling You

By Nika White • October 19, 2026
A team member asks whether you’re happy with their work. You answer yes. A few days later, they ask again. It’s tempting to assume they need more confidence. But maybe they’re trying to understand where they stand with you. When expectations change without explanation, or praise is followed by unexpected criticism, people start looking for clues. Even a straightforward question can carry a second question: Am I safe to trust what you’re telling me? We’ve talked in The Human Shift about what people learn from our reactions. They learn from our consistency, too. A reassuring answer matters. A predictable experience makes that answer believable. A Reframe Reassurance helps in the moment. Consistency helps people stop needing to ask. One Simple Practice When someone seeks reassurance, answer their question. Then ask, ‘Is there anything about my expectations that feels unclear?’ Listen without making them defend the question. What This Looks Like In Practice A director notices that a capable colleague keeps checking whether a presentation is ready. Instead of saying ‘You’re fine’ again, she explains what good looks like, what decisions the colleague owns, and when feedback will come. The repeated checking begins to ease. Question to Consider Where might someone need clearer expectations rather than another encouraging word? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What helps you feel confident that you know where you stand with a leader?

Before Culture Changes, Climate Changes Every lasting culture shift begins in everyday interactions

By Nika White • October 12, 2026
Organizations spend a lot of time talking about culture. Mission statements. Values. Leadership competencies. Strategic plans. All of those have a place. But culture doesn't change because new language appears on a website or because a new initiative is announced. Culture begins changing much earlier than that. It changes when people experience something different. A meeting where they feel heard. A leader who responds with curiosity instead of defensiveness. A difficult conversation that ends with greater trust instead of greater distance. A mistake that becomes an opportunity to learn instead of something to hide. Earlier in The Human Shift, we've explored trust, presence, silence, repair, pace, and leadership aftermath. They may seem like separate ideas, but they all point to the same truth. Before culture shifts, emotional climate shifts. People begin feeling safer. More connected. More willing to contribute. More willing to tell the truth. Culture follows those experiences. A Reframe Culture isn't built one initiative at a time. It's built one interaction at a time. One Simple Practice At the end of this week, don't ask yourself, "What did I accomplish?" Ask, "What kind of environment did I help create for the people around me?" Notice what comes to mind. What This Looks Like In Practice A leadership team spends months discussing ways to improve collaboration. Instead of launching another initiative, they begin with a commitment. Every leader will become more intentional about listening, repairing conversations, slowing unnecessary urgency, and making it safer for people to speak honestly. Six months later, employees describe the culture differently. Not because the organization changed overnight. Because the experience of working there changed first. Question to Consider If culture is built through everyday interactions, what kind of culture are your interactions creating today? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What's one small leadership habit you believe has the biggest impact on culture?

Emotional Memory Outlasts Organizational Memory - People Forget Many Meetings. They Rarely Forget How They Consistently Felt.

By Nika White • October 5, 2026
Think about a leader who had a lasting impact on you. You probably remember a few things they said. You almost certainly remember how it felt to work with them. Maybe you felt trusted. Maybe you felt anxious every time they called. Maybe you felt challenged in a way that helped you grow. Maybe you felt like you were constantly trying to avoid disappointing them. That emotional memory stays with us much longer than most organizational moments. Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored the leadership aftermath and the emotional tone leaders leave behind. Over time, those individual experiences become something much larger. They become the stories people tell about what it was like to work there. That's one of the ways culture is built. Not through one memorable event. Through repeated emotional experiences. A Reframe People don't remember every interaction. They remember the pattern those interactions created. One Simple Practice Think about someone you lead. Complete this sentence: "When this person thinks about working with me, I hope they remember feeling..." Don't overthink it. Write the first word that comes to mind. Then ask yourself whether your daily interactions support that hope. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader asks several team members what they appreciate most about working together. None of them mention strategy. None of them mention goals. Every response describes an experience. "I know you'll listen." "I always leave our conversations feeling clearer." "I know where I stand." The leader realizes those experiences have become part of the team's culture. Question to Consider If someone reflected on working with you five years from now, what feeling would you hope they remember most? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. When you think about the best leader you've ever worked with, what feeling comes to mind first?

The Pace People Borrow From You. Your Team Notices Your Rhythm More Than Your Schedule

By Nika White • September 28, 2026
Leaders often influence pace without realizing it. The speed of your responses. The urgency in your voice. How quickly you move from one meeting to the next. How often you say, "We need this right away." People notice. Then they adjust. Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored the tension between speed and clarity . Pace is different from productivity. Pace is the emotional rhythm people begin to adopt simply by working around you. If everything feels urgent to you, it eventually feels urgent to everyone else. A Reframe People don't just respond to your priorities. They respond to your pace. One Simple Practice Before beginning your next meeting, ask yourself, "What pace does this conversation actually need?" Not every discussion deserves urgency. Some deserve room to think. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader starts opening meetings with sixty seconds of quiet before diving into discussion. At first it feels unusual. Within a few weeks, people arrive more focused, interrupt each other less, and make decisions with greater confidence. The work isn't slower. It's steadier. Question to Consider If someone matched your pace every day, what would their work experience feel like? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What pace are you setting that others may be quietly adopting?

Repair Builds More Trust Than Perfection - People rarely expect flawless leaders. They do remember honest ones.

By Nika White • September 21, 2026
Every leader gets it wrong sometimes. A conversation comes across differently than intended. A decision has unintended consequences. Someone leaves feeling overlooked. The mistake itself isn't usually what determines trust. What happens next often does. Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored leadership aftermath and the emotional tone people carry after interactions. Repair is one of the most powerful ways to change that aftermath. It communicates something every healthy culture needs to hear. "We can acknowledge what happened without pretending it didn't." A Reframe Trust isn't built because mistakes never happen. It's built because people know they won't be ignored when they do. One Simple Practice Think about one recent interaction that doesn't sit quite right. Reach back out. A simple, "I've been thinking about our conversation, and I'd like to check in," can reopen trust. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader realizes she interrupted a team member several times during a meeting. The next morning she stops by his office. "I don't think I gave your perspective enough space yesterday. I'd like to hear the rest of your thoughts." The conversation lasts ten minutes. The impact lasts much longer. Question to Consider What conversation might be waiting for a repair instead of an explanation? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Has someone ever repaired a conversation with you in a way you'll never forget?

Curiosity Changes the Climate - Why questions often move people further than answers

By Nika White • September 8, 2026
Many leaders feel pressure to have answers. It's understandable. People look to leaders for direction, especially when things feel uncertain. But some of the most influential leaders I've worked with ask better questions instead of giving faster answers. Questions create space. Answers often close it. Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored how people respond to a leader's presence before they respond to their words . Curiosity creates a different kind of presence. It tells people their perspective matters before a solution is ever offered. A Reframe The goal isn't to have the smartest answer. The goal is to create the kind of conversation where better thinking becomes possible. One Simple Practice The next time someone brings you a challenge, resist solving it immediately. Instead ask, "What do you think is most important for us to understand before we decide what to do?" Then listen. What This Looks Like In Practice A manager walks into a meeting ready to solve a recurring team issue. Instead of offering her recommendation first, she invites the team to share what they're noticing. The conversation uncovers a pattern no one had previously connected. The solution becomes stronger because more people helped build it. Question to Consider Do people leave conversations with you feeling like they contributed or simply received direction? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. When was the last time a thoughtful question changed your perspective?

Permission Is Always Being Given- Leaders communicate more through behavior than instruction

By Nika White • August 31, 2026
Leaders often wonder why their teams aren't doing more of something. Speaking up. Collaborating. Taking initiative. Thinking creatively. The answer is sometimes found in the everyday moments that seem unrelated. People pay attention to what leaders actually do. If a leader says they value reflection but never slows down, people learn that speed matters more. If a leader encourages honest feedback but becomes defensive when receiving it, people learn that honesty has limits. If a leader talks about work-life balance but sends emails late into the evening, people learn what the real expectation is. Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored unspoken expectations . Most cultures are shaped less by formal messages than by repeated observations. A Reframe Whether you realize it or not, you're always giving people permission. The question is what you're giving them permission to do. One Simple Practice Complete this sentence: "My team probably believes it's okay to..." Write down the first answer that comes to mind. Then ask yourself whether your behavior has been teaching that lesson intentionally. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader tells her team they don't need to respond after hours. Then she notices she's emailing at 10:30 every night. She schedules those messages to send the next morning instead. Nothing about the policy changes. Everything about the signal does. Question to Consider If people copied your leadership habits exactly, what kind of culture would they create? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. What's one behavior of yours that may be communicating more loudly than your words?

What Your Team Is Learning From Your Reactions - Every response teaches people what feels safe

By Nika White • August 24, 2026
People pay attention to what leaders celebrate. They pay even closer attention to what leaders react to. A frustrated sigh. A quick interruption. An impatient email. A defensive response to feedback. None of these moments seem particularly significant on their own. But people are always learning from them. They begin to understand which questions are welcome. Which mistakes feel risky. Which conversations require extra caution. Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored how silence often becomes a cultural signal. Silence rarely appears without first being taught what feels safe to say. Your reactions become part of that lesson. A Reframe People don't simply hear your expectations. They study your reactions. One Simple Practice The next time someone brings you unexpected news, resist the urge to respond immediately. Take one slow breath. Become curious before becoming corrective. That small pause often changes the entire conversation. What This Looks Like In Practice A team member admits she made an error that will delay a project. Instead of immediately asking how it happened, the leader asks, "Tell me what you've learned so far." The conversation shifts from self-protection to problem-solving. The mistake still gets addressed. The person doesn't leave feeling like the mistake defines them. Question to Consider What have your reactions been teaching people lately? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. If someone made a mistake today, would they feel comfortable bringing it to you quickly?

The Emotional Tone You Leave Behind - Why people often remember the feeling more than the conversation

By Nika White • August 17, 2026
Most leaders spend a lot of time thinking about what they're going to say. They prepare for difficult conversations. They organize their thoughts. They choose their words carefully. All of that matters. But long after people forget the details of the conversation, they usually remember something else. They remember how they felt. Did they leave feeling encouraged? Did they leave feeling smaller? Did they leave feeling trusted? Did they leave feeling like they had to be careful? Earlier in The Human Shift, we explored the idea of leadership aftermath. What people carry after interacting with you shapes culture in ways that are easy to overlook because they happen quietly. Most leaders don't intentionally create emotional tone. They create it anyway. A Reframe Every interaction leaves something behind. The question isn't whether you're shaping the emotional climate. It's what you're leaving in it. One Simple Practice At the end of your next one-on-one meeting, don't evaluate what you said first. Instead ask yourself: "If I were on the other side of that conversation, how would I describe how it felt?" Notice what comes to mind before you analyze it. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader finishes a performance conversation feeling relieved because she finally addressed a difficult issue. Later that day she asks herself how the conversation may have felt for the employee. She realizes she spent most of the meeting explaining expectations and very little time asking questions. The next conversation feels different because she changes the experience, not just the message. Question to Consider When people leave a conversation with you, what do you hope they carry with them? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. Think about a leader you've never forgotten. What do you remember most: what they said or how they consistently made you feel?

When People Stop Bringing You Problems - Why This Isn't Always a Sign of Progress

By Nika White • August 10, 2026
Leaders often celebrate when complaints decrease. Concerns become less frequent. Questions slow down. Conflict seems to disappear. Sometimes that's a sign of growth. Sometimes it's a sign that people have stopped bringing things forward. Earlier in The Human Shift, When Teams Stop Telling You Things , we explored silence as a cultural signal. Silence is not always agreement. Sometimes it is adaptation. People learn what feels worth raising. What feels safe to discuss. What is likely to go nowhere. A Reframe A lack of problems does not automatically mean a healthy culture. One Simple Practice Ask someone you trust: "What is something people may be hesitant to tell me?" Listen without defending. What This Looks Like In Practice A leader notices fewer concerns being raised in meetings. Instead of assuming everything is fine, she creates space for honest conversation. What emerges isn't crisis. It's information that had simply been waiting for a safer place to surface. Question to Consider What information might be missing from the conversations you're having? In the shift, Dr. Nika White P.S. When people disagree with you, do they usually tell you?