A study by Assistant Professor Smaraki Mohanty investigates how subtle visual cues, like profile picture changes, may shape consumer attitudes toward brand activism.
As brands increasingly engage with social and political issues online, marketers face a challenge: how to express values without driving away consumers who disagree.
A new study by Assistant Professor Smaraki Mohanty at the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business explores one possible approach through changes to a brand’s social media profile picture.
The article, Beyond the Post: How Profile Picture Changes Shape Consumer Perceptions of Brand Activism, was published in Psychology and Marketing and co-authored with Shirley Chen, assistant professor of marketing at Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada.
The researchers found that changing a profile image to reflect support for a cause can influence how authentic a brand appears to consumers. This type of visual cue may serve as a lower-risk way for brands to communicate their stance compared to more overt messaging strategies.
Key Findings:
- Profile pictures influence perception. Consumers in the study were more likely to view brands as authentic when they changed their profile image to reflect a cause.
- Authenticity relates to brand attitude. The perception of authenticity was associated with more favorable attitudes toward the brand, particularly among consumers less focused on moral identity.
- Subtle signals may bring benefits. Profile image changes were less likely to prompt negative responses than direct posts or comments in certain cases.
- Real-world behavior supports the findings. In a field test using Facebook ads, users engaged more with a brand that changed its profile image alone, compared to when the brand paired the image with explicit messaging.
“This study gives students a chance to explore how brands can communicate their values in a digital environment that is increasingly polarized,” said Mohanty. “It also connects to broader classroom discussions on authenticity, consumer-brand relationships, and social media strategy.”
Mohanty joined Elon University in 2021 and teaches digital marketing, marketing analytics and consumer behavior. Her research interests include consumer behavior, political ideology, sustainability, branding, and marketing strategies.