How to cancel-proof your brand in 2025 (without selling your soul)

2024 was a bumpy ride for brands.

Inflation kept climbing, trust kept sinking, and some companies fully face-planted trying to keep up. From botched DEI backpedals to tone-deaf pricing “strategies,” the year served up plenty of what-not-to-do moments. Now it’s 2025. Consumers are done with the performative fluff and desperate viral stunts. They want honesty. Accountability. A brand they can actually believe in.

Cancel culture might not be as loud, but accountability culture is alive and well.

And consumers are watching closely. So how do you future-proof your brand's reputation when everything from your pricing to your politics can spark backlash? Let’s dig into the big brand missteps from 2024, and how you can learn from them to build a more resilient, loyal customer base in 2025.

Wendy’s dynamic pricing debacle.

In early 2024, Wendy’s announced it would experiment with “dynamic pricing”, which is just the fast-food version of surge pricing. The internet lost its mind, duh. Despite clarifications that it wasn’t exactly Uber-style inflation, the damage was done: it looked like a cash grab during a time when everyone’s grocery bill already felt like a car payment.

Takeaway: Transparency matters more than ever. Consumers aren’t just sensitive to price hikes—they’re sensitive to tone. If you're going to adjust pricing, frame it with honesty and empathy. Let them know why and show the added value.

Don’t insult intelligence by using buzzwords. Say it straight or risk the internet doing it for you.

Companies gutting DEI departments post-2020.

Several major corporations quietly rolled back their DEI efforts in 2024 under the guise of “budget constraints” or “realigning priorities.” Now, they’re doing it again under the Trump administration. But consumers—and employees—noticed. The move was seen not just as tone-deaf, but dishonest, especially after lofty 2020 pledges.

Takeaway: If your brand's principles shift based on the current political climate, were they ever genuine in the first place?

Tie social responsibility to business goals. Make it measurable, make it visible, and make it non-negotiable—even if political pressure mounts.

Dead-eyed AI influencers, cringe brand memes, and pointless stunt marketing.

Some brands are still trying to ride the virality train by hopping on trends they don’t understand. But Gen Z sees through it—and they’re the first to drag you on TikTok. (Looking at you, brands using AI-generated thirst traps to sell beverages…)

Takeaway: Relevance isn’t built in a content calendar. It’s earned through consistency, tone, and actual utility. Offer value. Offer entertainment. But don’t chase attention for attention’s sake.

People want community, clarity, and cultural literacy—not copy-pasted memes from 2022.

How to maintain customer loyalty in tough economic times – for obvious reasons.

• Reward loyalty like it’s 2010 again. Think: surprise perks, tiered discounts, even just a “thank you” email that feels human.

• Explain price hikes like a friend, not a finance bro. “We’re paying more for ingredients, but we’re keeping the quality up.” Easy.

• Foster a community, not just a customer base. Whether it’s a group chat, a run club, or a meme-filled newsletter (hi hehe), connection drives conversion.

• Substance over stunts: Customers don’t want a rainbow logo. They want to know your employees are being paid fairly.

• Substance over speed: In a post-algorithm-fatigue world, thoughtful, slower content stands out more than trying to trend-hop.

• Accountability over optics: When you mess up (and you will), own it. Apologise well. Be specific. And then actually fix it.

Your brand doesn’t need to be perfect to be cancel-proof—it needs to be principled.

In 2025, the most resilient brands won’t be the loudest or the trendiest. They’ll be the ones that are trustworthy, transparent, and actually trying. Consumers can live without your product, but not without their values. Meet them there.

-Sophie, Writer