In her discussion, Francesca Sobande explored how morality is negotiated in the marketplace, asking why brands speak out about certain injustices while remaining silent on others, and how influencer culture shapes contemporary social and political activism. Drawing on research from her book Big Brands Are Watching You: Marketing Social Justice and Digital Culture (University of California Press, 2024), she examined the complex entanglements of corporate culture, digital media, and social justice across branding, advertising history, and popular television portrayals of business and work.

Her work brought together media analysis, interviews, surveys, and global site-based research—from brand stores and exhibitions to festivals and archives—to illuminate how race, power, and inequality circulate through marketing and digital culture. These insights foreground how corporate expressions of “care” and “justice” are often shaped by commercial logics, even as they claim ethical purpose.

Supported by a Taith (Welsh Government) research mobility grant, Dr. Sobande traveled to the United States in spring 2024 to engage in collaborative research with members of the Race in the Marketplace (RIM) Research Network, including Professor Sonya A. Grier at American University and Professor Anthony Kwame Harrison at Virginia Tech. The visit strengthened international and transdisciplinary dialogues around race, social justice, and digital culture.

As part of the trip, Dr. Sobande delivered an In Conversation Inaugural Talk for RIM’s Global Dialogue Series and participated in public events and classroom discussions reflecting on how race and social justice are both voiced and silenced in media and marketplace contexts. She emphasizes RIM’s long-standing importance as a generative, supportive, and inclusive intellectual community that has shaped her scholarship since attending the network’s inaugural forum in 2017.

Comments from Dr. Sobande

“Being involved in the RIM Network has significantly contributed to the development of my scholarly work and my understanding of the many creative and open-ended possibilities of research, writing, and collaborations. More than that, this open space and its ‘come as you are’ ethos have been a source of friendship and so many fruitful conversations and gatherings.”

“Thinking, dreaming, and working with people who have been involved in RIM is always a very memorable and meaningful time. Thank you to Professor Grier, Professor Harrison, Dr Johnson, Dr Jones, and Dr Thomas, for all the years of support.”