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If there was any doubt that brands are falling in line and caving into the demands of the Trump administration and right-wing activists, we have some fairly recent evidence.<\/p>\n
For starters, restaurant chain Cracker Barrel did a\u00a0quick 180<\/a>\u00a0on its recent brand refresh after facing conservative backlash (and, well, overall design industry hate). They also quietly\u00a0removed<\/a>\u00a0their DEI and Pride pages after reverting to the ol\u2019 kidney bean and old timer. Meanwhile, Starbucks threw one of its \u201cpartners\u201d (the term it uses for its employees)\u00a0under the bus<\/a>\u00a0for<\/a>\u00a0refusing<\/a>\u00a0to get political and write the slain,\u00a0divisive<\/a>\u00a0podcaster\u00a0Charlie Kirk\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0name on cups (so much for that added\u00a0personal touch<\/a>). Also, broadcaster ABC \u201cindefinitely suspended\u201d\u00a0Jimmy Kimmel Live!\u00a0<\/em>after FCC chair Brendan Carr\u00a0threatened<\/a>\u00a0to pull the broadcast licenses of the network\u2019s affiliates on the right-wing podcast\u00a0The Benny Show<\/em>\u00a0(who, it\u2019s worth mentioning, was \u201cduped<\/a>\u201d into taking Russian propaganda money).<\/p>\n Now, you can count Colgate among the brands bowing down to conservative pressure. The toothpaste brand agreed to change its packaging design after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton\u00a0launched<\/a>\u00a0an investigation into the oral care brand\u2019s marketing and packaging. Specifically, the Texas attorney general alleged that the toothpaste maker, which markets brands such as Colgate, Tom\u2019s of Maine, and Hello, depicted the products in advertising and packaging in a manner deemed dangerous and misleading.<\/p>\n